Sox deliver opening win
Nunez HR caps off Game 1
In the aftermath of their ALCS-clinching victory last week, the Red Sox — one after another — sung the praises of Alex Cora and the belief and trust he’s put into his players.
So when the first-year manager plugged Eduardo Nunez, who’s had a forgettable postseason, in as a pinch hitter for the scorching hot Rafael Devers in the seventh inning of a close game, it made all the sense in the world that it worked.
With two runners on, Nunez stepped in for Devers, who already had an RBI single, and delivered possibly the biggest home run of his career, a three-run blast to the Green Monster seats that sealed an 8-4 Red Sox victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series at Fenway Park.
Game 2 is tonight at Fenway.
Nunez was a career .182 hitter and had produced just one RBI as a pinch hitter prior to stepping to the plate. He had three hits this postseason and was benched in Games 4 and 5 of the ALCS for Devers, who’s had a terrific postseason. None of it mattered.
The Red Sox led by a run when Andrew Benintendi hit a ground-rule double to lead off the seventh. After Mitch Moreland struck out, J.D. Martinez was intentionally walked. Xander Bogaerts struck out for the second out.
But Cora played the matchups when the Dodgers sent out lefty Alex Wood, and substituted Devers with the right-handed Nunez. The second pitch, a knuckle curve was launched by Nunez and it quickly exited to the first row of the Monster seats.
Nunez let out a scream rounding the bases after hitting his first career pinch-hit homer. It was the first pinchhit homer in a World Series game since Hideki Matsui hit one for the Yankees in 2009.
The homer gave enough breathing room for the Red Sox, as Nathan Eovaldi and Craig Kimbrel closed the deal in the ninth inning.
The game was tight until that homer after a highly-anticipated pitching matchup turned to a dud. Chris Sale didn’t have a poor outing, pitching four-plus innings, giving up three runs and striking out seven in his World Series debut, but he wasn’t efficient and he lacked command. With the Red Sox leading 3-2, Sale was hooked in the fifth after walking leadoff batter Brian Dozier, who eventually came around to be the tying run.
In eight starts since his return from the disabled list on Sept. 11, Sale has pitched at least five innings just once.
Opposite Sale, Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was hit hard early. The Red Sox chased him in the fifth as well before taking the lead against L.A.’s bullpen.
After the Dodgers tied it at 3, Kershaw led off the fifth by walking Mookie Betts and giving up a single to Andrew Benintendi, which forced his hook. Ryan Madson then came on and walked Steve Pearce on four pitches before striking out Martinez in three pitches.
Madson then induced a double-play ball to Xander Bogaerts, but the shortstop beat the throw to first to score the go-ahead run. That brought up Rafael Devers, who came up with another big postseason hit, ripping an RBI single to right to make it 5-3.
Sale was mostly sharp to begin the game -- with a fastball averaging around 94 mph and a slider the Dodgers swung and missed on repeatedly -- but he missed on a pitch in the second. His 3-2 four-seamer was too easy to spot and Matt Kemp crushed it over the Green Monster for a solo homer.
After retiring Brian Dozier to begin the third, Sale gave up three consecutive singles -- the last one coming from Manny Machado that drove in Justin Turner to tie the game. Sale responded to strike out Chris Taylor before getting Kemp on a soft grounder back to himself.
Sale threw 72 pitches through the first three innings as he missed with his fastball and the Dodgers worked him for long at-bats.
The Red Sox retook the lead in the third. Steve Pearce was initially ruled out at first on an inning-ending double play ball, but the Sox challenged the call and it was reversed. That brought up Martinez, who smoked a 2-2 slider from Kershaw off the garage door in center field to score Pearce.