New York Post Red Sox skipper Joey Cora used his scheduled Saturday starting pitcher for six-plus innings of the longest game by innings and running time in World Series history on Friday.
The winning run in the 3-2 game came in the 18th inning — 7 hours and 20 minutes after the first pitch — when Max Muncy led off with a homer off Nathan Eovaldi, who was in his seventh inning of work. He was supposed to start Game 4.
Now we see what attrition means for both teams. This Dodgers victory assured there will be a Game 5, which means the teams will have played three games in three days and five in six with a cross-country flight on the off-day. And, oh yeah, it already is late October.
Both teams used all their position players, Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw pinch-hit. They combined for 18 pitchers, and by the time the last pitch was thrown in Game 3 — pitch No. 561 in the contest — the first pitch of Game 4 was less than 17 hours away.
Boston pitcher Nathan Eovaldi was in his seventh inning of relief work when he gave up the game-winning home run to Max Muncy. Eovaldi had been slated to start Game 4 on Saturday.
There are going to be lots of tired bodies and arms. The withering ramifications of this game are going to be a factor the rest of this best-of-seven. Perhaps weighing heaviest now is Cora’s continuing style to treat each postseason game like a single elimination, to go for the jugular. Having won both games in Boston, at some point, Cora could have relented somewhat in this game. Instead, he went full out, recognizing the dominant position a three-games-to-none lead would have provided.
Cora used both his Game 2 starter David Price and Eovaldi, slated to start in Game 4, to pitch in Game 3. And he kept pitching Eovaldi rather than turning to Drew Pomeranz, who seems to be on the Boston roster in name only.
Eovaldi had a loss — because of Kinsler’s error — and yet there was not a bigger hero for the Red Sox.
This is a guy with two Tommy John surgeries and free agency coming. He has been great, which is why Cora has used him so often and in multiple ways. But when can he use him again now after he threw the equivalent of a start out of the bullpen?
Suddenly, a series the Red Sox had in a virtual vise has been re-opened. The Dodgers have Rich Hill on full rest to start Game 4, and Boston has a question mark.
This is the cost of going for the jugular. Sometimes you hurt yourself.
This report previously appeared at NYPost.com.
