Bedard: One year after disappointing injury, Nunez's pinch-hit HR sends Sox one game closer to title

Last October, Eduardo Nunez's postseason debut with the Red Sox ended after one pitch with a recurrence of a knee injury that caused him to be carried off the field. His season was finished.

A little over a year later, Nunez's debut nearly ended with him being carried off the field again — for very different reasons.

Nunez's pinch-hit, three-run homer in the seventh inning on Tuesday night against the Dodgers finally put the pesky visitors from Los Angles away and sent the Red Sox on their way to an 8-4 victory of Game 1 of the World Series.

"I was disappointed in myself last year," Nunez said. "I was getting injured at the wrong time. And so my teammates lost in the first round ... (it) was awful.

"But thank God I come through, and we're here. I'm very excited to have the win."

The decision to pinch-hit Nunez for Rafael Devers was certainly just another stroke of genius by the Manage Who Can Do No Wrong. But that only tells half the tale.

Nunez said he did some video work when he saw Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood start throwing in the bullpen. He realized he might face Wood.

"I knew he thew a lot off-speed (pitches)," Nunez said. "Guys (on) first and second. I know he don't want me to beat him with fastball. So I will see all at-bat something soft. And he did it. Twice."

Wood entered to face the left-handed hitting Devers, but Cora quickly sent up Nunez. The first pitch was an 83.5-mph curve, which Nunez let go for a ball inside. Wood followed with almost the same pitch (83.6), but this one — while still low — was at least close to the strike zone. Nunez dropped the barrel on the ball — perhaps before it hit his back leg.



"Yeah, I mean, obviously it was a huge hit," said Andrew Benintendi, who was on second base after a double. "It seemed like it was a tight ballgame the whole entire time. And getting that extra three runs and that extra cushion was kind of like a deep breath, and an exhale. We knew we had (Nathan) Eovaldi coming in and Craig (Kimbrel), so we knew we were set up pretty well for those last two innings.

"The pitch he hit was below the zone. It looked like he hit it off his ankles. That was a good hit right there."

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"You know, in the beginning, I thought it was going to be a single, because the ball go so high and I know it was a slow pitch," said Nunez. "And when I see the ball is going, I was excited, because I didn't expect the ball going away.

"I think that was the best feeling for a player, see all the fans. They paid tickets to watch us to play and be crazy. In that situation, I think that's a great feeling for us."

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Last year, the Red Sox acquired Nunez from the Giants in late July to bolster second base with Dustin Pedroia lost for the season. And he was everything the Red Sox hoped he would be, as he hit .321 in 37 games and seamlessly integrated himself in the clubhouse. But on Sept. 9 he suffered a knee injury that would keep him out for over two weeks. He made a tune-up appearance on Sept. 25 and then sat until the Division Series against the Astros. On his first swing back, Nunez collapsed and had to be carried off the field.

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"I mean, obviously as a baseball man, that was sad to see last year," said Cora, who watched the event unfold from the Astros dugout as their bench coach. "It's a guy that he changed the complexion of the Red Sox when he got traded from San Francisco. He carried this offense and put this team in a different dimension. And he got hurt and only one pitch in the playoffs, and then he was out of it. Tough offseason for him."

The utility infielder could have signed with any team, but he never ventured far from the Red Sox, even though it looked like Pedroia would be the starter again at second (he was never fully healthy), and with Xander Bogaerts and Devers entrenched as the starters on the left side of the infield.

Nunez agreed to terms with the Sox on Feb. 15 — pending an all-important physical. And he didn't mind being a projected backup one bit.

"I told Alex (Cora), 'The only reason I signed back here — because I know we have Pedroia, we have Bogey — was I want to win rings. I never have that experience. I never have a World Series game. I think the best chance is this thing (with the Red Sox), how I see the team, the players,'" said Nunez, who battled knee and then an ankle injury this season as well. "So I come through with a lot of injuries this year with my knee, a lot of issues."

Cora, who switched dugouts in the offseason, was thrilled Nunez decided to remain with the Red Sox.

"We got lucky that he -- like he was out there late in the offseason, and we were able to sign him," Cora said. "And he's been great. He wasn't at 100 percent throughout the season. He struggled defensively, we know that, at second. But he always had a positive attitude. And he's one of the leaders in the clubhouse. For him to show up today and put up a big swing, that's his first World Series swing, it's very gratifying to see him do that."