The Dodgers starter fired a panoramic homer to open the bottom of the 18th inning to lead Los Angeles to victory early Saturday night 3-2 over the Boston Red Sox and cut the World Series deficit to 2-1.
For a moment it seemed that this game was never going to end.
But Nathan Eovaldi finally made a mistake after six hermetic innings in relay work and Muncy stayed awake enough to take advantage of it, shaking a solo homer over the center field fence to finish the longest game in the Serie’s history. World and hit the first home run to win a Fall Classic game since his now teammate David Freese left the Rangers on the field in the 2011 series.
Muncy, who shot 35 home runs in the season after missing all season last in branch offices looking for a spot in the majors, is a vivid image of the fighting spirit of these Dodgers, who are looking for their first pennant in 30 years.
Down 2-1 in the 13th inning, it was Muncy who opened the inning by negotiating passport to Eovaldi and advancing to the middle on a clever play after the fly ball in the foul zone that third baseman Eduardo Núñez caught in the stands. Muncy prevented the Dodgers from going down 3-0 in the series by calling from second on the error of the intermediary Ian Kinsler to hit by Yasiel Puig .
The Red Sox had gone to the front in the top when Brock Holt started negotiating ticket to Scott Alexander, cheated the second mattress and scored in hit play and error Nunez, who took a hit to the pitcher, but Alexander shot wide deflected the initial and the versatile gardener ringer from second.
In what seems like an eternity ago, Jackie Bradley Jr _ MVP of the Championship Series against Houston _ he fired his third postseason home run to tie the board in the eighth inning and get the air out of Dodger Stadium, when the Dodgers were just four outs from the win and with the usually reliable closer Kenley Jansen on the hill.
But Jansen could not protect the solo homer of Joc Pederson, not only wasting the pitching jewel of rookie Walker Buehler, but giving rise to a marathon encounter that was decided providentially.
Buehler, who became the Dodgers’ youngest pitcher to open a World Series game since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 , had a phenomenal performance by hanging seven zeros in just two hits, saying goodbye amid a standing ovation from the legendary Sandy Koufax and the rest of the angelina fans.
As in 1981, the Dodgers lost the first two games before returning to Dodger Stadium. On that occasion, the rookie Valenzuela revived Los Angeles by launching the entire route. On Friday night, Buehler did his part.