WORLD SERIES GAME THREE: Max Muncy delivers walk-off blast to end zany marathon, 3-2

Entering this game, Boston seems to be in command, winning Games One and Two in Boston.  Remember, though, in a playoff series, no one is in trouble until they lose a game at home.  With this being the first game in Los Angeles, the Dodgers aren’t in trouble.  Yet.

Now that it’s in the National League city, the pitchers will hit.  Boston has to sit a regular player, and they are sitting left fielder Andrew Benintendi so that JD Martinez’s hot bat can remain in the lineup.  Martinez will be playing left field instead of serving as the designated hitter.

Los Angeles’ top four home-run hitters from the regular season — all lefties — did not start either of the first two games.  Since Boston is starting a right-handed pitcher, they’re starting tonight.  I must say that I don’t understand them not playing in the first two games.  I know all about the lefty-lefty matchup, but so what?  The Dodgers’ bats were fairly punchless in these games, so how much did it help?

Brad Paisley sang the National Anthem.

1st Inning

• The starting pitchers are flame-throwing Walker Buehler for the Dodgers and Rick Porcello for the Red Sox, both of whom are right-handed.
• Buehler struck out the first two and then retired the third via fly out, but my GOODNESS he threw a lot of pitches. 26!!!!!  How long can he last at that rate?
• Rick Porcello made pitching look routine with how he handled the Dodgers in that inning.

2nd Inning

• Buehler survived on 13 pitches that inning. Much more efficient.
• Dodger catcher Yasmani Grandal was fooled so badly by his strike out pitch that he (mildly) argued with plate umpire Ted Barrett.

3rd Inning

• You know how many youth, middle, and high school sports supporters and teammates tell players “good try,” even when it wasn’t, just so the kid doesn’t feel bad or give up?[1] (I call that inauthentic praise.)  Well, Dodger third baseman Justin Turner made a play that can authentically be called a good try.   Boston’s Jackie Bradley, Jr. hit a hard grounder deep in the hole that Turner stabbed with a diving effort, but he couldn’t get the throw to first in time to get him out.[2]
• Dodger center fielder Cody Bellinger showed EXACTLY how to properly play outfield. On a base hit to left by Boston catcher Christian Vázquez, Joc Pederson made a diving attempt to catch it but was just short.  However, he was held to a single because Bellinger was backing him up.  How many youth baseball center fielders would have been standing still in center picking their noses?[3]
• Wow! Great play by Boston SS Xander Bogaerts to retire the speedy Chris Taylor on a grounder deep into the hole between short and third.
• Pederson SMOKED that hanging change up to get the homer and put the Dodgers ahead, 1-0.
• Turner followed with a hard double to left, but Porcello settled down to retire the next hitter and limit the Dodgers to only one run.

4th Inning

• I absolutely LOVED seeing Hank Aaron’s smiling face as he presented the Hank Aaron Award to this year’s winners — Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich and Boston’s JD Martinez — during a cutaway scene. His smile could light up a room.[4]
• Both pitchers are CRUISING.
• Fox color commentator John Smoltz had me cracking up as this inning ended. After a brief in-game ad for Head & Shoulders shampoo, he said, “I used to use Head and Shoulders.  No reason to anymore…” (John is now bald.)  Going into the break, play-by-play announcer Joe Buck said to the “good folks at Head and Shoulders” that John is bald.  That made me laugh even harder.

5th Inning

• Grandal hit his grounder to right field so hard that it made it through the shift.
• After retiring Taylor and striking out Buehler — who bunted foul on the third strike — Porcello was pulled to bring in left-handed reliever Rodriguez to face Pederson. Porcello was furious, and understandably so.  That was a quick hook.  He had only thrown 61 pitches and allowed only one run on three hits.
• I love the Dodger Stadium organist. His name is Dieter Ruehle.  He busted into the theme from Harry Potter this inning.  Last inning, he played the organ riff from “Centerfold,” the J. Geils Band hit.

6th Inning

• Buehler looked terrific in this inning. He’s only given up two hits thus far.  Sandy Koufax gave him a standing ovation as he left the field.
• Joe Kelly came out of the bullpen to pitch the sixth for Boston. He looks more like a coach than a pitcher, but my goodness what a pitcher.  Blazing fastball and filthy curveball.
• I was irritated to see Machado showboating after hitting a line drive off the wall. He made it to first because he wasn’t running out of the box.  Smoltz and Buck tactfully but rightfully blasted him for that.[5]

7th Inning

• Buehler almost made me stand and applaud with his work. He looked outstanding.[6]
• Puig hit a ball off the plate that bounced high in the air to the third baseman. Puig beat it out easily because he FLEW out of the box.
• Betts made a nice running catch on the warning track.
• Matt Kemp pinch hit for Buehler, ending the 24-year-old’s night. Me when it happened: “I would have left him in.”  But, I’m all about giving guys the chance at a complete-game shutout.

8th Inning

• Dodger closer Kenley Jansen came in to relieve Buehler. I have a bad feeling about this…
• Ok maybe not. He blew gas by Boston 3B Rafael Devers to record the second out of the inning.[7]
• Jackie Bradley Jr — the ALCS MVP — batted third in the inning with nobody on and two out. Buck and Smoltz mentioned that he had three hits in the ALCS, and two were home runs.  On the next pitch, Bradley tied the game with a homer that landed in almost the exact same spot as Kirk Gibson’s iconic walk-off home run to end Game One of the ’88 World Series.[8]
• I could see how crushed Jansen was after giving up the dinger, but I was impressed with how well he shook it off as he retired the next hitter.
• In the bottom of the inning, Bogaerts was taken out at second by a sliding Turner as he tried to turn a double play. I’m glad he was alright and glad that no one went after Turner, who did nothing wrong.[9]

9th Inning

• Jansen was dominant this inning. He settled down nicely.
• For the bottom of the ninth, David Price — the Game Two starter — came in to pitch.[10]
• Bellinger, who led off the inning with a sharp single to left, tried to steal on a 3-2 count with one out. He left too soon and was retired in a run-down, making the second time it’s happened in this game.
• After Price walked Grandal, General Craig Kimbrel relieved Price. He walked Chris Taylor and then got Brian Dozier to hit a foul pop-up sky high.  Catcher Christian Vásquez snagged it for the final out, sending the game to extra innings.

10th Inning

• Pedro Báez came into the game to pitch for LA.
• Leadoff hitter JD Martinez walked, and then Ian Kinsler pinch ran. Báez tried to pick him off, but Kinsler was called safe on a CLOSE play.  LA challenged.  I thought he made it.  Joe Buck — who is almost ALWAYS right on replay calls, both in baseball and football — thought he was out.  After replay, he was still ruled safe.  On the next pitch, Brock Holt singled up the middle.  Kinsler made it to third, overslid the bag, and got back JUST in time.
• Eduardo Nuñez – who pinch-hit for Devers – hit a fly ball to center that looked deep enough to score Kinsler, but, after the catch, Bellinger threw a LASER that nabbed him at the plate. Wow![11]
• In the bottom of the inning, Dodger 1B Max Muncy – the team leader in regular-season home runs – ripped a liner to right with two outs that bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double. The next hitter, Machado, skied a fly ball in the infield, where Bogaerts caught it.[12]

11th Inning

• Field reporter Tom Verducci mentioned that an average Major League game used 120 baseballs. At this point, they had used around 240 baseballs due to all of the foul balls.
• Baserunners are at a premium.
• Interesting that David Freese still hasn’t played. He’s been giving the Red Sox fits.

12th Inning

• Dodger reliever Ryan Madson has inherited five runners[13] so far in his postseason appearances. He came into this game to start the inning.
• He threw two pitches, retired the batter, and then got the hook in favor of Scott Alexander.
• Double-switch by the Sox in the bottom of the inning. Nathan Eovaldi came in to pitch, Christian Vázquez moved from catcher to first base, and the final bench player — Sandy León — came in to catch.[14]  This is Vázquez’s first Major League appearance as a first baseman.  The first batter of the inning bounced one to him.  He fielded it cleanly and flipped it to Eovaldi, who was hustling to first to cover.  No sweat, right?

13th Inning

• I’m getting tired…

  

• This was a weird inning. The leadoff hitter, Brock Holt, walked.  The pitch in the dirt to Nuñez on 1-2 was blocked by Barnes, but Holt still made it to second.  While Barnes tried to get to the ball on that play, it rolled between Nuñez’s legs.  Barnes chased it and Nuñez tried to avoid him, but Nuñez’s legs were taken out from under him.  He landed hard, partially on his already-somewhat-injured right ankle.  He then slapped a slow grounder to the right side of the infield but in front of the pitcher.  Alexander had to hurry to retire the hustling Nuñez, who dove into first to avoid a potential tag, and the throw was wide and high, bringing Holt home and giving Boston a 2-1 lead.  Nuñez remained at first because he was still flat on his chest.  He gingerly got up and continued the inning.[15]

  

• Alexander then tried to pick him off of first twice! After the second throw, Nuñez hollered to his dugout, “¡Él tiene miedo!  ¡Él tiene miedo!”  (He’s afraid!  He’s afraid!)
• Dodger reliever Dylan Floro then came into the game. Sandy León, after a long at-bat, stroked a double to left that moved the hobbled Nuñez to third.
• After RF Mookie Betts was intentionally walked, Bogaerts — who was 0 for 5 — came to the plate. He hit a two-foot dribbler that he didn’t even realize was fair.  Barnes gobbled it up and stepped on the plate to force Nuñez and end the bizarre half-inning with a whimper.
• The bottom of the inning continued the weirdness. After Muncy led off with a walk,[16] Machado flied out to left.  Then Bellinger batted.  The Red Sox shifted to the right side.  Bellinger hit a high fly in foul ground behind third.  Nuñez, the third baseman, caught it on the run, spun his back toward the stands, crashed into the low fence, and fell backward into the first row.  Hernández ran to second and started to go to third, but the umpires held him at second.  (I have now paused the game feed.) Before I continue, I remember there being a rule that says that if a fielder catches a ball and then falls into a bench or stand, the ball is dead and all runners advance one base.  It’s a rule that almost never comes into play, though. (I have resumed the game feed.)
• Puig then came up with two outs and Muncy on second. Puig smashed one up the middle that Kinsler fielded and fired, off-balance, to first.  The throw was well wide of the bag, scoring Muncy and tying the game, 2-2.  After a review to determine whether the ball went into a camera well, Austin Barnes flied out to right, ending the inning.[17]

14th Inning

• This game, inning-wise, is tied for the longest in World Series history and, time-wise, IS the longest in World Series history. (It’s nearing the six-hour mark.)
• We have to have used over 300 baseballs by now.
• The Red Sox went down in order. I want some banana cream pie.[18]
• David Freese finally entered the game when he pinch hit for Floro to start bottom the inning. He hit a hot smash up the middle that Eovaldi snatched like a hockey goalie and casually flipped to first.
• During the Turner at-bat (last of the inning), Buck mentioned that we’ve gone through 336 baseballs.

15th Inning

• This game is now the longest in World Series history inning-wise as well.
• Kenton Maeda came in to pitch for the Dodgers.
• Nuñez reached AGAIN on an infield single. This may end up being known as “The Eduárdo Nuñez Game.”  He was followed by Jackie Bradley, Jr, who walked.
• Vázquez laid down a nice bunt to try and advance the runners, but Maeda fired a perfect strike to Turner at third to retire the lead runner.[19]   It was risky to even try to get Nuñez.
• In the bottom of the inning, Muncy smashed what I thought would be a game-ending home run down the right field line, but it hooked foul by a foot at the very last minute.[20] On the next pitch, he whiffed for a strikeout.
• This organist is still tearing it up. He played “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” this time.
• After Eovaldi struck out Bellinger (looking) to send this game into the 16th, Fox played “Night Fever” going into the break. Nicely done.

16th Inning

• This is like one of those playoff hockey games where the goalies look like they can stop BBs. Neither pitching staff looks even remotely fallible.[21]
• It’s not helping that every hitter is trying to hit the ball into the parking lot, something that Smoltz pointed out multiple times.
• Puig led off the inning doing exactly that, and he skied one over the mound. Nuñez came over from third and caught it but stumbled over the mound in the process.  Buck mentioned that both fielders on the left side of the Boston infield have leg injuries.  He followed by saying that every time they show Nuñez, he’s on the ground.
• Someone hit a ball out of the infield! Barnes flied out to deep center.
• Inning ended when Freese struck out swinging. This is nuts.

17th Inning

• These guys have to be starving.
• Julio Urías came into the game to pitch for LA.
• Holt is leading off the inning. Last time he did, we saw The Eduardo Nuñez Show.
• Holt flied out to center off the end of the bat as the clock rolled over to Midnight. Buck cracked me up when he said it was midnight in the Pacific Time Zone, because he followed with “which freaks our producer out.  [Sarcastically] Everything’s gotta be Eastern.”  Thank you, Joe!!!!!!!!!  That bugs me, too.  MOST OF THE COUNTRY IS NOT ON EASTERN TIME.  People living there can add and subtract just as well as everyone else.
• Entering the bottom of the 17th, Fox showed a guy holding up his scorecard, then a guy bringing light jackets to the umpires, followed by the Dodger dugout’s offering to the “baseball gods.” It consisted of a string of Gatorade cups hanging from the railing with three bananas sitting atop the railing with some sunflower seeds piled on top.  “Whatever it takes,” said Smoltz.
• Hernandez tried to kill the ball again — something every baseball coach I’ve ever had told us NOT to do — and hit it a mile high between the mound and second. Clayton Kershaw then pinch-hit for Urías and put some good swings on the ball en route to a hard-hit fly out to right.[22]  Turner ended the inning with a swinging strikeout.

18th Inning

• I’m running out of words.
• Alex Wood is now in the game for the Dodgers. Both teams are running out of players.
• After a leadoff walk, Boston couldn’t get the ball out of the infield, hitting into a fielder’s choice and then a ground ball double play. Can somebody end this game?  I’m emotionally tapped here.
• (Bottom of the inning) MAX MUNCY!!!!!!!!![23] Home run to end the game!  Joe Buck ended the comment by saying, “Night!  Night!”[24]

WHAT A CRAZY, EPIC GAME!  Any superlatives I use to describe this game would paradoxically sound both gushing and underwhelming.  This was the zaniest World Series game since – Rangers fans, I apologize in advance – Game Six in 2011, a.k.a. The David Freese Game.

Kudos to the umpires for not only calling a great game but doing so in a marathon.  They don’t get to sit down.  They don’t get a break.  And, remember, when someone gets physically tired, he also gets mentally tired.  They had to remain alert for over seven hours.  Ted Barrett, the plate umpire, probably had the sorest legs in North America this morning.

This was a costly loss for the Red Sox.  Alex Cora had such a quick hook with his pitchers tonight that legendary manager Sparky Anderson[25] would have said that he had a quick trigger.  Their pitching staff might be a complete mess for the rest of the Series.

Given the length of this game, I would not be surprised if the quality of tonight’s game is not very good.  However, it’s not a guarantee.  These are some of the greatest athletes on the planet.

A win like the one the Dodgers had here can turn an entire series around.  Will it?  Stay tuned.

Until next time…

Saturday, October 27, 2018, 9:28 am MST

 

[1] Don’t call me heartless.  This really happens.  Stop trying to deny it.

[2] Then Bradley made a huge baserunning blunder, getting picked off in the process.

[3] MANY would.  It drives me nuts.  Play the game right.  Back up your teammates!

[4] I would be TERRIFIED to pitch to him no matter HOW old he is.  Even now.  I don’t care that he’s 84, and I don’t care if he can barely walk, let alone run the bases.

[5] Joe was clearly disgusted with Machado.  He handled it well, though.  Buck (rhetorically, to Smoltz): “But if you’re ever gonna run out of the box, is the World Series, Game 3, down two games to nothing, a one run game the time to run?”  Smoltz: “Yeah.  That is.”  Buck: “Two outs?  You talked about it with Justin Turner earlier — as Bellinger pops it up on the infield — two outs the time to push it, Machado did anything but.”

[6] Sandy Koufax DID stand and applaud.  Second straight inning.

[7] Smoltz did a great job explaining why it’s so hard to avoid swinging at super-high blazing fastballs.

[8] I knew it!!!!!!!  Jansen’s record in the World Series is not the greatest.

[9] Bogaerts was standing in front of the bag.  What’s Turner supposed to do?

[10] If Price gives up the game-winning run, Boston manager Alex Cora will be RIPPED by the Boston sports media.

[11] In postseason games, the last throw from the outfield that I can remember that was that good was by Marlin left fielder Jeff Conine, who ended the 2003 NLDS by gunning down Giant 1B JT Snow.  Snow tried to score the tying run from second on a two-out single by Jeffrey Hammonds.

[12] Machado let a LOUD f-bomb go after he hit it.

[13] An inherited runner is a runner who is already on base when a pitcher enters a game.  The truly great relievers can inherit runners and finish an inning without letting said runners score.  That’s why the “b-b-but he didn’t have a clean inning!” excuse doesn’t fly with me.

[14] They did this to keep the pitcher from having to bat third in the inning.

[15] The official scorer ruled that the play was a base hit and then Holt advanced home on a throwing error by Alexander, which meant there was no RBI.

[16] He checked his swing.  On appeal, he was ruled not to have gone around, and the Boston dugout was inCENSED.

[17] Me: “Will someone hurry up and win this so I can go to BED?”  Me, five seconds later: “This is an unbelievable game!”

[18] I got a slice from the fridge during the commercial break.

[19] Yet another reason I’m glad Tim McCarver left: I didn’t have to hear the irritating term “cat-like.”

[20] He would have become a LEGEND.

[21] Those playoff hockey games usually end either with a long slapshot from the point or some weird, fluke play in front of the goal.  If you’re from Buffalo, stop reading this footnote now.  (If you’re not from Buffalo, see “Brett Hull” and “1999 Stanley Cup Finals.”)

[22] The last time a Dodger pitcher pinch-hit in a World Series game, Don Drysdale did so for Sandy Koufax in Game Two of the 1965 World Series.  Joe Buck told us this and followed with “facing our good friend Jim Kaat.”  I’ve heard from multiple sources that Jim Kaat is a wonderful guy.  But I digress.

[23] He became a legend anyway!!!!!!!!!

[24] Who came up with that baseball?  It may have rolled under the bleachers.

[25] His nickname was “Captain Hook,” which I consider one of the greatest, most-fitting manager nicknames in the history of baseball.  He would not hesitate to pull a pitcher.