Eovaldi takes on all
Eovaldi, a likely Game 4 starter when Game 3 began, was pressed into relief duty as the contest wore through the 10th and 11th innings. Entering in the 12th, he matched up against all of the following Dodger pen hands: Ryan Madson, Scott Alexander, Dylan Floro, Kenta Maeda, Julio Urenas and Blake Wood.
To say Eovaldi performed above and beyond the call of duty would be an understatement. Facing 22 Dodger batters, he allowed just three hits, walked only one and struck out five.
He allowed one run in the 13th, but only thanks to a pair of freak happenstances. The first was Nunez falling into the seats while catching a foul pop, permitting Muncy to tag and get into scoring position. The second was Kinsler’s errant throw on Puig’s infield hit, which sent Muncy across.
If Eovaldi was losing anything by the 18th, it related only to command. Muncy’s game-ending homer came on a 98 mph fastball.
Still, it’s now possible that the Red Sox may have seen the last of the man who has become their star reliever in this series. He pitched in all of the first three games, but certainly will be out for Games 4 and 5, and may be problematic if needed for a Game 6. That’s because Eovaldi underwent Tommy John surgery and is only this season showing his post-surgery self. The other salient point is that Eovaldi is a free agent at the end of the Series.