McAdam: Nathan Eovaldi, a giant in defeat, earns ultimate respect from teammates

LOS ANGELES -- He was the fighter who gave everything he had. He was the marathoner who refused to give up. He was every inspirational athlete, doing the unexpected for longer than logic dictated.

The fact that Nathan Eovaldi was also the losing pitcher in Game 3 of the World Series almost seems secondary, a minor detail on an otherwise unforgettable night.

Rick Porcello, who started the game, was unashamed to confess that watching Eovaldi somehow throw 97 pitches over six innings, his third appearance in the span of four days, left him in tears.

"That was the most incredible pitching performance I've ever seen,'' gushed Porcello.

"Tremendous ... amazing ... spectacular,'' added Jackie Bradley Jr. "I want him on my side 10 times out of 10. Nothing but love.''

"That,'' offered manager Alex Cora, "was the most incredible pitching performance I've ever seen.''

Eovaldi had been tentatively scheduled to pitch Game 4 on Saturday night, but Cora first hinted as his availability out of the bullpen hours before Game 3.

“If we have a chance to make it 3-0 with him on the mound, we’ll take a chance,” said Cora.

Talk about foreshadowing.

Sure enough, tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 12th, Eovaldi became the ninth Red Sox pitcher of the night. He would also be the last.

For Cora, the determination was made after Eovaldi had gotten up to warm up in the bullpen a second time.

"That's when I decided, 'Well, if he warmed up twice, we should just let him go because he's not going to start tomorrow,'' recalled Cora.

Eovaldi retired the Dodgers in order in his first inning. He allowed an unearned run in the 13th, after the Sox had gone ahead in the top of the inning. Then, over the next four innings, Eovaldi pitched to one batter over the minimum, retiring 12 of the next 13 Dodgers to face him.

Understand that this was Eovaldi's third appearance in as many games in this World Series. He handled the eighth as Cora's "rover'' -- starter temporary converted to a reliever -- in Game 1, then came back to pitch a perfect eighth in Game 2. It marked the first time in his career that he had pitched on consecutive days.

And now, with the Sox effectively out of pitchers -- only Chris Sale, balky shoulder and all,  and Drew Pomeranz, in reserve for Game 4, remained -- Eovaldi kept going. And going. And going some more.

"We kept talking to him,'' said Cora, "(and he kept saying), 'I'm good, I'm good, I'm good.'''

"My arm always feels good, so going out there, coming out of the pen, especially in this situation, it's one inning at a time,'' shrugged Eovaldi, downplaying any suggestion that what he did was out of the ordinary. "The adrenaline and everything just kicks in. You keep going back out there until you come out on top.''

On the other side, the Dodgers needed no convincing about what they had just witnessed.

"Eovaldi threw a hell of a game,'' marveled shortstop Manny Machado. "I think he threw, what, nine innings by himself?''

It was, in point of fact, "only'' six. But for the Dodgers, it must have felt like nine.

Finally, Eovaldi slipped. He ran the count full to Muncy, who belted it out and sent Dodger Stadium into early-morning bedlam.

"I just wasn't able to execute my last pitch,'' said Eovaldi. "It's difficult. I mean, you go that far, you want to come out on top. For us to come up short there, it's frustrating to me.''

Cora later said that the 18th was to be Eovaldi's final inning. Drew Pomeranz was up throwing in the bullpen and would have taken Eovaldi's spot in the order in the top of the 19th if it got that far.

It didn't of course, but don't blame Eovaldi, saddled with an unjust defeat on a night in which everything else about his performance and effort and commitment was winning in nature.