After dropping the first two games of the 2018 World Series in Boston, the Los Angeles Dodgers were facing a crucial game 3. The Dodgers needed to win this game in order to avoid going down 3-0 in the series to the steaming Red Sox. Boston only lost two games in this year’s postseason and they were both at home, meaning that they are undefeated on the road. The Red Sox are playing extremely good baseball right now and if the Dodgers wanted to give themselves any chance to comeback in this series, game 3 is the time.
Going to the stadium to watch a world series game people are always expecting a show down to occur but not to see seven hours of baseball. The pitching match up for the long night started off with Rick Porcello on the mound for the Red Sox and Walker Buehler for the Dodgers. The flame throwing Buehler came out hot striking out Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts, and getting Mitch Moreland to fly out for a one, two, three first inning. Porcello looked just as good as Buehler until the bottom of the 3rd, when Joc Pederson sent an absolute missle to right field for a solo home run. Porcello would only last four innings, striking out five and allowing one run. The Dodgers led 1-0.
Buehler maintained dominance and shut out an excellent Boston line up through seven innings with his blazing fastball. During the seven shut out innings Buehler only allowed two base hits and struck out seven batters.
Buehler appeared to have more innings in the tank but Dave Roberts brought in Kenley Jansen to relief in the top of the eighth. Jansen quickly recorded the first two outs of the inning. He then faced off with the ALCS MVP Jackie Bradley. Bradley delivered a huge home run for Boston that would tie the game at one. The ninth inning came around and the score was still tied at one, which forced extra innings.
As the game went on people began to realize that it was going to come down to the bullpens to save their squads. Before turning to their hero Nathan Eovaldi, Boston had used Craig Kimbrel and Heath Hembree for two innings. Boston would break the tie in the 13th after Eduardo Nunez reached on base on a throwing error, that scored Brock Holt. Boston took the lead 2-1 only to lose it in the next half of the inning.
Eovaldi walked Max Muncy to start off the inning but would record the next two outs. Muncy took second base on a foul ball caught by Nunez in the stands. Needing only one out to take a 3-0 series lead, Ian Kinsler made a throwing error after fielding a hard ground ball by Yasiel Puig. Muncy would come around to score and tie the game.
The game would go on and the Dodgers would bring in five pitchers to relief, while Red Sox manager Alex Cora stuck with his horse Eovaldi. After giving up one run in the 13th, Eovaldi would pitch four more innings.
Finally, in the 18th inning some magic occurred for the Dodgers when Max Muncy stepped into the box to lead off the inning. With a 3-2 count Muncy drove a ball high into the LA night that landed for a home run and gave the Dodgers the 3-2 walk off victory. Despite being walked off on, Eovladi’s performance will go down as one of the best postseason performances ever.
The game lasted seven hours and twenty minutes, making it the longest World Series game by time and innings.
