Late Hour Max Power

Game 3 deserves a blog post.  It was an amazing game.  First of all, Walker Buehler’s performance kind of gets lost.  He pitched seven amazing innings and then there were 11 more innings after that.  Buehler would be in line to pitch Game 7.  That could change if they use people on short rest or whatever.  But if it gets to Game 7 with Walker Buehler pitching, I like the Dodgers’ chances.

One of my concerns going into the postseason was Kenley Jansen.  He was shaky for much of the regular season, but he had been good in the playoffs until he blew the save last night.  He blew the save in Game 2 of the World Series last year.  The Dodgers lost that game, and that changed the momentum of the series.  But the Dodgers won this game.  If you’re going to blow a save in the World Series, it doesn’t mean too much if your team can find a way to win.

You had Mary Hart making fun of Craig Kimbrel.  That was fantastic.  He does look ridiculous with that pose on the mound.

After Jansen, the bullpen pitched nine innings and gave up one run.  Cody Bellinger saved Pedro Baez in the 10th.  It was a shallow fly ball and I thought Bellinger had a good chance to throw out the runner at the plate.  His throw was so far off line that my dad and I both reacted when it was still in the air like the runner was going to be safe.  But the throw was so strong that it didn’t matter how far off line it was.  The run the Red Sox got in the 13th was pretty silly.  The Dodgers got a silly run in the bottom of the 13th to stay alive.  With Max Muncy on second, Puig hit it sharply up the middle (Cora should have walked Puig to face Barnes).  Off the bat, my dad and I thought it was a hit, but Ian Kinsler was there.  He stumbled and made a bad throw that allowed Max Muncy to score.  If not for that, the game is over and the Dodgers are down 3-0.  Kenta Maeda made a huge play when he got the force out at third on the sacrifice bunt attempt in the 15th.  He had to whirl and throw to third all in one motion and he made a perfect throw.  In the bottom of the the 15th, Max Muncy hit a long fly ball.  Off the bat, I didn’t know if he hit it hard enough.  But as it was in the air, I could tell it had the distance.  I said something like “It’s gone” when I realized it had the distance.  I didn’t think it was going to be foul, but it was just barely foul.

Max Muncy got another chance in the 18th.  He drove it out to left center.  Off the bat, I didn’t know if it had the distance, but it just kept going.  It was gone and it was awesome.  Former Dodger Nathan Eovaldi was outstanding.  He pitched six scoreless before giving up the home run to Muncy.  And now he’s out of the picture for Game 4.

If the Dodgers lost, they would have been in big trouble.  Nobody has ever come back from down 3-0 in the World Series.  I have no idea what is going to happen.  Red Sox in five, Dodgers in six (ideally), something else, anything is possible.  It was the longest World Series game ever.  It took more time than the four combined games of the 1939 World Series.  Since 1908, it was the third longest game by time at 7 hours and 20 minutes (three minutes off from the second longest and 46 minutes off from the longest).  If it doesn’t go the Dodgers’ way, at least they didn’t get swept and they won a classic World Series game.  But thanks to last night, it can still go the Dodgers’ way.  They are alive.  Three more to go.  Let’s Go Dodgers!