Lost in Boston’s offensive outburst was Nathan Eovaldi
By Cody Rivera
The offense was the story in Boston’s 16-1 pounding of the Yankees in Game 3, but starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi deserves just as much credit.
The Boston Red Sox silenced thousands of New York Yankees fans during Game 3 of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium with a jaw-dropping 16-1 victory on Monday night.
The Sox solved Yankees ace Luis Severino and knocked him out of the game in the fourth inning. Then they continued to pile on after Andrew Benintendi drilled a bases-clearing double to make it 7-0. After that point, Boston never looked back, running up the score and soaring to a 2-1 series lead with a chance to finish it off on Tuesday night.
The story from Game 3 that will be talked about the most will be the obliterating offensive explosion by the Boston hitters, but the person who deserves an equal amount of credit is starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi.
In a pivotal game that could drastically turn the momentum of the series, Eovaldi took the mound at Yankee Stadium, in front of a crowd that was very far from quiet, and absolutely dazzled for seven innings. Eovaldi, who was picked up from the Tampa Bay Rays at the trade deadline, limited the New York bats to just one earned run on five hits.
These are the things that October greatness is made of. Eovaldi may have been given the toughest test of any player on this Red Sox team: going into Yankee Stadium in front of a raucous crowd and stopping a high-powered New York team that was still riding high from its big win in Game 2, a game in which the Yankees took out starter David Price in just the second inning.
But Eovaldi wasn’t intimidated by the situation. It’s not something that gets talked about much, but Eovaldi has been money for the Red Sox in games against the Yankees this season. After coming to Boston in late July, he made two starts against the Yankees, allowing no runs through 14 total innings.
The Cleveland Indians never really stood a chance. dark. Next
That could be why Red Sox manager Alex Cora decided to start Eovaldi in Game 3 instead of the originally scheduled starter, Rick Porcello. Either way, Eovaldi came up huge in an incredibly crucial game, and his effort on the mound — paired with an outstanding showing at the plate by the Red Sox lineup — has put this team in position to close out their rivals in the Bronx.