moparbros

The Dodgers started the night well-fueled thanks to Buehler http://www.philliesfanproshop.com/authe ... hek-jersey , who fired seven impressive shutout innings in a game Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts called "must-win." The kid is 24 years old going on Legend. A year ago, he watched Game 2 of the World Series from an upper-deck seat in the left-field corner of Dodger Stadium. Friday night, he stared hard at his World Series debut...and the World Series blinked."Certain people can handle a moment like this and understand what was at stake tonight," Roberts said of Buehler. "And we needed his best effort. And we needed him to go deeper than their starter, log some innings. Some guys run from it. Some guys can't answer the bell."The bell answered to Buehler. Whenever that day comes when Kershaw is finished in Los Angeles, it will be Buehler who eases the sting for Los Angeles fans."You can't say enough about Walker," Freese said. "He's a playoff stud. I don't know what to say about the guy. He's just a bulldog. He's had the ball in some very meaningful games."He left with a 1-0 lead, but closer Kenley Jansen surrendered a game-tying home run to Jackie Bradley Jr. with two out in the eighth. Forced to play without a DH in the NL park, Cora opted to bench Andrew Benintendi instead of Bradley, and Bradley rewarded him.In the moment, it appeared as if that dagger could have been fatal to the Dodgers. No team has ever come back to win a World Series after losing the first three games, and Boston appeared to be gaining momentum.Also in the moment, nobody could know that they would be playing for, oh, another four hours or so."The seventh to ninth innings, I took a nap," quipped Freese, who, in pinch-hitting for reliever Dylan Floro, became the last position player to enter the game from either team as both Roberts and Cora emptied their benches."No," Freese continued. "I just stayed loose, man."This game was wild."By the time Freese entered, Eovaldi was well into what should have been a heroic evening. After twice coming back from Tommy John surgery in his career, Eovaldi was acquired by Boston from Tampa Bay on July 25 and will be a free agent this winter. He's already made himself a lot of money this month by emerging as one of Boston's most dependable and dominant pitchers, but he outdid himself Friday.Only three times in his 22 appearances this summer鈥?1 of which were starts鈥攄id Eovaldi throw more than the 97 pitches he fired in Game 3. He hit 100 mph when he entered in the 12th and was still clocking in the high 90s five innings later."Effort-wise...that was one of the best performances, probably Will Middlebrooks Jersey , in World Series history," Cora said.Bleacher Report BleacherReportWILD. (via MLB)dFyLgZ9uF1Eovaldi nearly left with a smile, and much earlier. Boston scored a run in the 13thinning when Brock Holt walked, was wild-pitched to second and then scored from there on Eduardo Nunez's infield single when pitcher Scott Alexander threw wild to first.But in the bottom of the inning, with two out and Muncy on second, Yasiel Puig drove a ground ball up the middle that Ian Kinsler ranged over, scooped up...and then threw wild to first, tying the game at 2-2."I had the last out in my glove, and we ended up playing however many innings, 18 innings, 19 innings, whatever," a dejected Kinsler said. "I had an opportunity to end the game right there, and it didn't happen."Kinsler's right foot slipped as he turned to make the throw, digging up a large divot in the Dodger Stadium turf. His mistake was in rushing, off-balance, rather than either setting himself to throw or simply deciding to hold the ball, which would have left runners at the corners with two out and Boston still leading.Bleacher Report BleacherReportPUIGGGGGG 馃憦(via MLB)8VqICyIdUZHe apologized to Eovaldi afterward, but the pitcher told him not to worry about it, that they are all in this together."We're a team," Eovaldi told Kinsler. "I know you've got my back."And, he added, "I've got his."It was such a gutty, gritty performance that Porcello, who started and surrendered one run and three hits in 4.2 innings, said it left him in tears."That was the most incredible pitching performance I've ever seen http://www.philliesfanproshop.com/authe ... hek-jersey Jersey ," Porcello said."Everybody definitely had my back...tonight," Eovaldi said. "That means a lot to me. As a player, that's pretty much all you can ask for, your teammates to have your back and things like that."If not for Muncy, who drove another ball into the seats but foul in the 15th, Boston may well be on deck to sweep this series, and we'd be talking about Eovaldi the rest of the winter.Instead, Muncy in the 18th whacked the first walk-off World Series home run since...Freese, for St. Louis, in the 11thinning of Game 6 of the 2011 World Series against Texas."That's cool," said Freese, who didn't know that until a reporter informed him after the game. "I'm just happy to be part of it."Not that he鈥攐r any other Dodger鈥攃ould remember many of the details."The 13th?" Kershaw repeated when asked about the clubs trading one run each in that inning to play even deeper into the night. "What happened in the 13th?""You know, to be honest, as the game kept going, you look up and see the 18thinning, and you're like, 'Holy cow, where did the game go?'" Muncy said. "But those last nine innings or so just kind of blended together."As the last several Dodgers batted, Dozier swung three bananas tied together by long shoelaces like a pendulum over the dugout railing in an apparent throwback to Hernandez's rally banana days from 2015.It was a bananas night. Long. Wacky. Tense. Surreal."Especially when you're on the outside looking in, kind of like a fan," Freese said. "Then you get in a handful of hours later鈥?"As he sat in the dugout waiting to be called, Freese continued to be amazed by what he watched around him, especially as Boston came so close to taking a 3-0 series lead and placing the Dodgers on the endangered species list."These guys are so relaxed," Freese said. "I haven't been around this group very long ... every now and then, they'll flip helmets or flip words, but man Jake Arrieta Jersey , they do a good job of turning the page.""Gut-wrenching game for both sides," Muncy said. "This is one of those games that whoever came out on top is going to have a lot of momentum going into tomorrow."A lot of momentum, but precious little sleep."Most people thought it was over when [Boston] scored their second run," Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger said. "I don't even know what inning that was."Scott Miller covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow Scotton Twitterand talk baseball. CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Bryce Harper drew big cheers, a pair of walks and an unusual defense in his spring training debut for the Philadelphia Phillies.Both times the slugger with the biggest contract in baseball came to the plate, the Toronto Blue Jays shifted to a four-man outfield, moved the shortstop on the other side of second base and gave the left-handed hitting Harper a wide-open left side of the infield.“I’ve never seen that. That’s intense,” Harper said, adding he hopes teams don’t do that to him often. “If they start playing ball like that, it’s definitely different.”Phillies manager Gabe Kapler didn’t want to discuss shift strategy but shared his advice for Harper.“Hit a lot of homers, drive the ball like you’re capable of, do exactly what you always do, be Bryce Harper,” said Kapler, who is known for using many shifts.The Cubs, Astros and even the Rockies have employed a four-man outfield but it was quite strange in an exhibition game.No surprise, however, was the loud ovation fans gave Harper when he walked up to the plate to Will Smith’s theme song from “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.”Wearing No. 3 on his uniform, eye black under his eyes and a white armband with “HEART” written in red letters around it, Harper dug into the batter’s box as “In West Philadelphia born and raised…” blared from the stadium’s speakers.“The ovation they gave me, I’m very humbled, very blessed to be able to get out there and play in front of a fan base like that,” Harper said, adding he’ll probably use a different walk-up song once the season starts. “Selling out a spring training game is pretty incredible to see. Just goes to show how great a fan base Philly is.”Batting third as the designated hitter, Harper didn’t go deep but jogged around the bases after Rhys Hoskins blasted a two-run homer off Jays right-hander Matt Shoemaker on the first pitch following the first walk in the first.“Rhys is a special player Nick Williams Jersey ,” Harper said. “Nice to see him jump on the first pitch and go deep. Having Rhys hit behind me, I’m very excited about it.”Harper took a mighty swing and missed on the first pitch he saw and fouled off the first pitch he faced in the third. He looked at eight balls outside the strike zone, including a few close ones. Though he is known for hitting home runs, Harper also is a patient hitter who knows how to work the count. He has a .388 career on-base percentage and had a career-best 130 walks last season.“It was fun to be out there, get some dirt on my cleats, get in the batter’s box and compete. That’s what I love to do,” Harper said. “I was able to see some pitches, take two swings early in the count, see some splits from a good pitcher, really happy where I was today.”Kapler was impressed.“That’s who Bryce Harper is,” the second-year manager said. “He took some strong cuts and the balls he was taking, he was comfortable taking them. It certainly didn’t look like his timing or rhythm was off. Looked like Bryce Harper as we saw him in a Nationals uniform last year and he looks much better in a Phillies uniform.”The six-time All-Star outfielder signed a $330 million, 13-year contract last week, surpassing the $325 million deal the Miami Marlins gave Giancarlo Stanton in 2014.Phillies fans have embraced the superstar since his arrival.Fanatics said Harper’s No. 3 Phillies jersey was the all-time best-seller for any athlete during the first 24 hours of launch. The team store quickly store ran out of letters and didn’t have any more R’s for adult jerseys in the first week. More than 340,000 tickets were sold within a week.The 26-year-old Harper played his first seven seasons in Washington. He joked about the red Phillies pinstripes making him look slimmer.“When you put Phillies across your chest, it means something to these people,” Harper said. “I’m excited about that. I’m very excited to be part of something bigger than myself.”NFL Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins, a Philadelphia Eagles legend, gave the Phillies an inspirational speech in the clubhouse before the game and got the fans even more fired up when he welcomed the team onto the field.Dawkins may be the most beloved athlete in Philly sports history. If Harper helps the Phillies win a few World Series championships, he could challenge for that title.“It’s been great being around the guys, being able to get into a clubhouse where everybody cares and really appreciates everything everybody does,” Harper said, perhaps taking a shot at the Nationals. “You can say that about the whole organization. People have been working here 20-25 years. It goes to show how much of a family it is here and how important people are to this organization.”