Nick Pivetta and All Hell Breaks Loose
Crazy moments define postseason greatness and define how people remember those games years later. The Red Sox ALDS Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Rays will be one of the most memorable playoff games in recent history due to Nick Pivetta’s superb outing out of the bullpen and the play that would ultimately end the game before a Christian Vasquez 2-run Home Run did.
Nick Pivetta was nails for the Red Sox in Game 3, much as he has all postseason. His ERA fluctuated throughout the year due to a few bad outings but was solid for most of it. He has a fastball that gets by hitters, a looping curveball over the top that hitters can’t see before it drops in the zone, and a sneaky slider that is his third best pitch. Pivetta was acquired in the Heath Hembree and Brandon Workman deal during last year’s trade deadline, along with prospect Connor Seabold, and Pivetta has been a durable strikeout machine all year.
Game 3 was a different story where on 2 days rest was supposed to be the Game 4 starter, before Alex Cora implemented a win-at-all-costs mentality and stuck Pivetta in during extra innings. Like Nathan Eovaldi in Game 4 of the 2018 World Series, it was Nick Pivetta or bust and the team was ready to live or die by their solid innings eater. They sure lived after he threw 3 innings devoid of any runs and gained life after a fluke play in which a Kevin Kiermaier hit ball went off the wall, off Right Fielder Hunter Renfroe, and into the stands. Much has and will be discussed about this play, but according to the MLB rulebook, the play was diagnosed correctly, which was stated multiple times on the MLB Network broadcast. Rays fans may not be happy, but the rules are what they are and they should take it up with the 2021-22 MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Christian Vasquez was the Game 4 hero that propelled the Red Sox to a win over the Rays with a walk-off Home Run in the bottom of the 13th inning.
If the subject is Game 3 of the ALDS, you can’t forget about Christian Vasquez, who hit a walkoff Home Run against rookie Luis Patino in the 13th inning after the ground rule double. He was hit in the elbow when he was catching, so it’s a testament to his durability that he not only toughed it out, but later hit the game winning hit. This was a superb win and means everything going into a Game 4 where the Red Sox could eliminate the Rays. For now, it’s easy to live high off one of the most obscure games, but momentum, which can be fluky, is in the right direction for the Boston Red Sox.
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