Buehler was throwing smoke in the top of the first inning but needed 8 pitches to catch Mr. Mookie Betts on a check swing strike three. Xander Bogaerts whiffed but on 10 pitches and Mitch Moreland flied out to right but on 8 pitches to end the inning with Buehler at 26 pitches. Porcello needed 8 pitches to freeze Joc Pederson to start the bottom of the first but got Justin Turner to fly out to center. Max Muncy walked but Manny Machado grounded out to third to end the inning.
The Red Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the second inning as JD Martinez grounded out to second to start. Brock "The Hitman" Holt hit a squibber in front of the plate and Rafael Devers grounded out to first to end the inning. Porcello kept pace in the bottom of the second as Cody Bellinger flied out to left to begin. Yasiel Puig lined out to center and Yasmani Grandal looked at strike three to end the inning.
The Sox ran themselves out of the lead in the top of the third inning. Jackie Bradley Jr grounded a single in the hole at third but was picked off. Christian Vazquez compounded the out by singling to center that would have sent JBJ to third. Porcello dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance Vazquez to second but Mr. Mookie flied out to center to end the inning. The Dodgers jumped ahead in the bottom of the third as Chris Taylor grounded out to short to start. Buehler looked at strike three but Pederson smashed a 900,000 foot bomb into the Pacific Ocean to put the Dodgers up for good. Turner effortlessly crushed a double to left but Muncy flied out to right to end the inning with the Dodgers ahead 1-0.
The Sox went quietly in the top of the fourth as Bogaerts grounded out weakly to short to start. Moreland hit a routine pop up to left and Martinez didn't even bother to swing at strike three to end the inning. Porcello got Machado to fly out to left to begin the bottom of the fourth but needed 8 pitches to strike out Bellinger. Rick made up for it by getting Puig to pop up to second on the first pitch to end the inning.
The Sox couldn't touch Buehler in the top of the fifth as Holt weakly lined out to right to begin. Devers whiffed badly and JBJ weakly popped up to left to end the inning. The Dodgers struck again as Grandal hit the hardest hit single all year but Taylor somehow popped up to center. Buehler bunted a foul for strike three....and out came Sox manager Alex Cora. Porcello couldn't believe it but Cora was lifting him after just 60 pitches, Rick shouting some curse words at him as he left. Porcello lasted 4 2/3 innings and gave up just the one mistake to Pederson. Eduardo Rodriguez was summoned to strike out Pederson to end the inning.
Buehler cruised in the top of the sixth as Vazquez grounded out to second to begin. Blake Swihart pinch hit for Rodriguez and grounded out to third. Mr. Mookie looked at strike three to end the inning. Joe Kelly came in for the bottom of the sixth and got Turner to line out to right to begin. Muncy grounded out to second before Machado pimped a line drive off the wall that should have been a double. Machado ended up at first with a single due to his lack of hustle and Bellinger popped up to second to end the inning.
Buehler came back for one more inning and Bogaerts lined out to center to start. Moreland looked at strike three and Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Buehler had tossed 7 innings of 2 hit ball while striking out 7, he was outstanding. Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Puig singled to start. Grandal whiffed and Taylor flied out to right before Matt Kemp pinch hit for Buehler. Kemp grounded out to short to end the inning.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went with his closer Kenley Jansen for the six out save and it burned him. Holt flied out to left and Devers whiffed, but JBJ crushed a solo home run to right to extend his miraculous October and tie the game up. Vazquez popped up to second to end the inning but JBJ tied it 1-1.
Matt Barnes came in for the bottom of the eighth and Pederson whiffed to start. Turner singled but was erased on the Muncy force at second, nearly getting Bogaerts killed in the process. The Sox sent Betts to center, Bradley to center and Martinez to right for Machado's at bat but it didn't matter as Barnes blew away Manny with a fastball up in his hands to end the inning.
The Sox failed to score in the top of the ninth against Jansen as Andrew Benintendi pinch hit for Barnes only to strike out swinging. Mr. Mookie flied out to right and Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning. The outfield went back to their normal positions and David Price of all people was sent in for the bottom of the ninth. Bellinger started with a single but Puig flied out to right. Price picked off Bellinger but walked Grandal. That was it for Price as Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in only to walk Taylor. Brian Dozier pinch hit for Jansen as Austin Barnes ran for Grandal. Dozier hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.
Pedro Baez came in for the top of the tenth and the Sox offense failed to respond. Moreland lined out to right although Martinez drew a walk. Sox manager Alex Cora rolled the dice by pinch running Ian Kinsler for Martinez. Kinsler damn near got picked off but was ruled safe by a fingernail. Holt stepped up with a single up the middle and Kinsler almost got thrown out sliding into third but was again ruled safe. Cora rolled the dice again by sitting Devers in favor of Eduardo Nunez with runners at the corners. Nunez hit a fly to center and Kinsler broke for home. Bellinger made the perfect throw and Barnes made an unbelievable tag to get Kinsler at home to end the inning. The Dodgers saved their season with that play.
Kimbrel returned to the mound with Kinsler at second, Nunez at third, JBJ in center, Betts in right and Holt in left for the bottom of the 10th. Pederson popped up to third and Turner grounded out to third but Muncy hit a ground rule double. With the pressure on, Machado popped up to short to end the inning.
Baez returned to the mound in the top of the 11th and JBJ whiffed to start. Vazquez grounded out to short and Steve Pearce hit for Kimbrel. Pearce walked but Mr. Mookie flied out to center to end the inning. Heath Hembree got the call for the bottom of the 11th and got Bellinger to ground out to second to begin. Puig flied out to right but Barnes walked. On a full count, Hembree blew away Taylor to end the inning.
The Dodgers made a double switch with Enrique Hernandez taking over at second for Taylor in the pitcher's spot with Ryan Madson now on the mount for the top of the 12th. Bogaerts grounded back to the mound and that was it for Madson. Scott Alexander came in to strike out Moreland. Kinsler grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Game 4 starter Nathan Eovaldi was brought in for the bottom of the 12th with Vazquez taking over at first for Moreland with Sandy Leon now behind the plate. Hernandez grounded out to first, Pederson flied out to center and Turner whiffed to end the inning.
The Sox somehow got the lead in the top of the 13th inning as Holt drew a leadoff walk. Nunez got cleaned out on a bad pitch that Holt second on then hit a routine grounder to the mound. Alexander threw wide and Nunez was cleaned out a again but Holt came around to score the go-ahead run. JBJ lined out to center and Dylan Floro came in to pitch to Vazquez. Christian whiffed but Leon doubled to put insurance runs in scoring position. Mr. Mookie was intentionally walked to load the bases but Bogaerts was retired on a piece of crap squibber in front of the plate to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.
Eovaldi and the Sox were 3 outs away from a commanding 3-0 series lead but it wasn't meant to be. Muncy walked to start but Machado flied out to left. Bellinger popped up in foul territory and Nunez kamikazed himself into the dugout boxes for the second out....but Muncy moved to second. One out away from victory Eovaldi got a ground ball to deep second but rather than eat it KINSLER THREW IT AWAY! Muncy came around to score and the game was tied. The only silver lining was Puig celebrated the run scoring and failed to run to second so he remained at first. Barnes flied out to right to end the inning but the Sox were heartbroken as the game was tied 2-2.
The Sox were deflated in the top of the 14th as Eovaldi himself had to hit with no one left and took strike three. Kinsler had a shot at redemption but hit a weak pop up to center. Holt whiffed badly to end the inning. Eovaldi trudged to the mound for the bottom of the fourteenth inning. David Freese pinch hit for Florio and grounded back to the mound to start. Hernandez got the rally started with a base hit up the middle but Pederson popped up to second. Turner popped up to right to end the inning.
Kenta Maeda got the ball in the top of the fifteenth inning and Nunez legged out an infield single to second after Muncy made a stab but couldn't come up with it. JBJ walked but Vazquez managed to bunt right to third for the force. Leon whiffed and Mr. Mookie looked at strike three to end the inning. Eovaldi came back for the bottom of the fifteenth and whiffed Muncy to start. Machado popped up to second and Bellinger looked at strike three to end the inning.
Maeda blew away the Sox in the top of the sixteenth. Bogaerts whiffed badly Eovaldi looked at strike three and Kinsler failed to redeem himself by striking out on a pitch that bounced in front of home to end the inning. Eovaldi did what he could in the bottom of the sixteenth by getting Puig to pop up to third to begin. Barnes flied out to center and Freese whiffed to end the inning.
Julio Urias got the call to pitch the top of the seventeenth and Holt flied out to center to start. Nunez popped up to second but JBJ walked. Vazquez grounded out to first to end the inning. Eovaldi came back for the bottom of the seventeenth and Hernandez popped up to second to begin. Game 5 starter Clayton Kershaw pinch hit for Urias and lined out to right. Turner whiffed to end the inning.
Alex Wood came out for the top of the eighteenth and Leon walked to start. Mr. Mookie almost hit into a double play but Bogaerts actually did to end the inning. The Sox as a team had just 7 hits in 18 innings, absolutely pathetic. The game finally ended in the bottom of the 18th when Muncy smashed a solo home run into the Chavez Ravine to end the game. After all of that, the Dodgers won it 3-2 in 18 innings.
Jackass of the Night is Ian Kinsler. Not only did he make the boneheaded error to extend the game in the 13th, but he went 0 for 3 at the plate with a strikeout, AND got thrown out at the plate to boot.
The Good:
Eduardo Nunez was 2 for 4 after coming in for Devers including "driving in" the go ahead run in the 13th.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 5 with 2 walks including a solo home run.
Sandy Leon was 1 for 2 with a walk.
Steve Pearce walked as a pinch hitter.
Rick Porcello pitched good even if he was lifted early. He allowed just 1 run in 4 2/3 innings.
Eduardo Rodriguez struck out the only man he faced.
Joe Kelly pitched a scoreless 6th.
Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless 7th.
Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 8th.
David Price got the first two outs of the ninth.
Craig Kimbrel tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Heath Hembree tossed a scoreless inning.
Nathan Eovaldi was the hard luck loser but hardly pitched like a loser. He tossed 7 innings of relief and was victimized by a poor defensive effort, a lack of offense and no margin for error. He never should have been in that long.
The Bad:
Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 8 with 2 strikeouts.
Mitch Moreland was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.
Blake Swihart was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.
Andrew Benintendi struck out as a pinch
Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.
The Ugly:
JD Martinez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.
Mookie Betts was 0 for 7 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked.
Brock Holt was just 1 for 6 but walked and scored a run.
Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 7 with a strikeout.
Final Thoughts:
How in the world do the Red Sox come back from this. They had the Dodgers dead to rights in the 13th inning but Kinsler's error was the difference maker. Still, you can't put the blame all on him. Alex Cora managed like a madman and now the Sox have no Game 4 starter with Eovaldi throwing 97 pitches tonight. It should be noted after the game Cora called everyone together and rallied everyone around Eovaldi saying he was the reason that they lasted as long as they did. They gave him a standing ovation and hopefully they rally tomorrow night in Game 4. The top of the order must get something done because Martinez is hobbled, Nunez is like John Rambo getting thrown out like a pinball machine and who knows if Chris Sale is healthy enough for Game 5 on Sunday night. It was just a long, frustrating night offensively and as a whole. The game took over 7 hours to play making it the longest in World Series history and the Sox only scored one earned run. They were one out away from being up 3-0 and now they're going into Game 4 with no momentum. Still, this team has responded to adversity all year so if they're going to take a stand, they're going to have to do it in Game 4. Who knows who the hell is pitching tomorrow night for the Sox but the Dodgers are definitely going to our old friend Rich Hill at 8:05 PM at Dodger Stadium.
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