Game 3 longest game in postseason history
LOS ANGELES — The Latest on the World Series (all times local):
11:42 p.m.
The longest game in postseason history is headed to a 16th inning at the World Series.
Boston and Los Angeles are tied 2-all after 15 innings and more than six hours of play in Game 3.
During the bottom of the 15th, the game surpassed the Giants' 18-inning, 6-hour and 23-minute win over Washington in the 2014 NL division series.
The Red Sox nearly got another run in the 15th against Kenta Maeda, the Dodgers' sixth reliever. Boston got their first two batters on base, but Maeda made a gutsy forceout throw to get Eduardo Nunez at third before striking out Sandy Leon and Mookie Betts, who didn't like the called third strike.
Max Muncy came ever so close to ending it in the bottom half, but his long drive down the right field line hooked a few feet short of the pole.
11:09 p.m.
The longest World Series game ever headed to the 15th inning Friday night with the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers tied at 2.
Both teams scored bizarre runs in the 13th that kept Game 3 going. Fans were still standing at packed Dodger Stadium after six hours of baseball.
The Red Sox were oh-so-close to taking a huge 3-0 lead. But second baseman Ian Kinsler's wild throw on a two-out grounder by Yasiel Puig in the 13th let Los Angeles score the tying run.
Twice before had Series games lasted 14 innings — Mets-Royals in 2014 and White Sox-Astros in 2005.
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10:53 p.m.
Game 3 of the World Series is headed to the 14th inning after both teams scored bizarre runs in the 13th.
Boston went ahead when Brock Holt scored from second on a bad fielding exchange between Dodgers reliever Scott Alexander and second baseman Enrique Hernandez. Alexander fielded Eduardo Nunez's tapper back to the mound, but his throw to a hustling Hernandez flew away and Holt scored.
In the bottom half, Max Muncy drew a leadoff walk and tagged up on Cody Bellinger's foul pop. Yasiel Puig then hit a two-out grounder to second.
But veteran Ian Kinsler botched the throw to first, and Muncy ran all the way around to score when it rolled away.
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10:08 p.m.
Game 3 of the World Series is going to the 13th inning in a 1-1 deadlock.
Neither the Boston Red Sox nor the Los Angeles Dodgers got much going in the 12th — no surprise for a game dominated by pitching. Nathan Eovaldi, who had been set to start Game 4, made his third relief appearance of the week and pitched a perfect inning, topping 101 mph with his fastball.
Boston leads the best-of-seven Series 2-0.
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9:44 p.m.
Game 3 of the World Series is going to the 12th inning in a 1-1 deadlock.
Neither the Red Sox nor the Dodgers got much going in the 11th — no surprise for a game dominated by pitching.
Pedro Baez completed his second scoreless inning of relief for the Dodgers, only giving up a two-out walk to pinch-hitter Steve Pearce.
Heath Hembree then came on as Boston's eighth pitcher and got 10th-inning hero Cody Bellinger on a grounder to second. Austin Barnes drew a two-out walk, but 2017 postseason hero Chris Taylor struck out.
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9:22 p.m.
Dodgers center fielder Cody Bellinger made a sensational throw to nail a runner at the plate in the 10th inning, and Game 3 of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles was still tied at 1 Friday night.
The Red Sox lead the Series 2-0.
Manny Machado had a chance to win it in the bottom of the 10th, but Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel got him to pop up with two outs and a runner on second.
Bellinger saved the Dodgers in the top of the 10th, catching a flyball at medium depth and throwing out pinch-runner Ian Kinsler at the plate for an inning-ending double play. Bellinger was 275 feet from home when he caught pinch-hitter Eduardo Nunez's fly, Statcast said.
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8:47 p.m.
Game 3 of the World Series is heading to extra innings — Red Sox-Dodgers, tied at 1. LA had a chance in the bottom of the ninth, but pinch-hitter Brian Dozier fouled out with runners on first and second to end the inning.
Boston manager Alex Cora made all sorts of moves, trying to help his team take a 3-0 lead.
Fresh from starting and winning on Wednesday night at Fenway Park, lefty David Price came out of the Red Sox bullpen to pitch the ninth. He gave up a leadoff single to Cody Bellinger, then picked him off with one out — Bellinger was tagged after a long rundown that led to all nine Boston players nearby, ready to take part.
After a two-out walk, Craig Kimbrel relieved and walked Chris Taylor. Kimbrel kept it tied by retiring Dozier.
Cora reworked his outfield in the eighth when Manny Machado came up with two outs and a runner on first, guarding against the slugger pulling a ball. He shifted stellar defender Jackie Bradley Jr. from center to left, moved Mookie Betts from right to center and slid J.D. Martinez —the weakest of the three— from left over to right.
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8:12 p.m.
Jackie Bradley Jr. has tied up Game 3 of the World Series.
The Boston outfielder hit a two-out homer off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen in the eighth inning, evening the score at 1-1.
The Dodgers went to Jansen to attempt a six-out save after rookie Walker Buehler overwhelmed Boston for seven innings. Instead, Jansen had another World Series game to forget when Bradley connected to right for his third homer of the postseason.
All 10 of Bradley's RBIs in the postseason have come with two outs. Boston manager Alex Cora started Bradley over Andrew Benintendi in Game 3 in a mild surprise, but Bradley delivered a third-inning single and that enormous homer.
Jansen has been largely solid in this postseason, but his woes in last year's World Series allowed the Astros to rally late in Game 2 and in Game 5.
Boston reliever Matt Barnes kept it even in the bottom of the eighth, striking out Manny Machado with a runner on first to end it.
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7:39 p.m.
Walker Buehler was removed with a 1-0 lead over Boston after seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball, the longest World Series outing for a Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher since Clayton Kershaw in the 2017 opener.
Buehler retired his final 14 batters, striking out seven and walking none. The 24-year-old rookie right-hander fanned his final batter, major league RBIs leader J.D. Martinez, with a 98 mph pitch. Buehler's 108 pitches were his high as a professional.
Closer Kenley Jansen relieved to start the eighth.
Joc Pederson's home run off Rick Porcello in the third inning remained the difference. The Dodgers are trying to rebound after losing the first two games in Boston.
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7:10 p.m.
Walker Buehler is pitching quite a gem.
Summoning all the poise and polish of Koufax, Hershiser, Kershaw and every great Dodgers moundsman over the years, the 24-year-old rookie has thrown two-hit ball through six innings against the highest-scoring team in the majors.
The Dodgers still lead 1-0 — they need this game, down 2-0 to the Boston Red Sox.
Sandy Koufax clapped along with a pumped-up crowd at Dodger Stadium when Buehler got Mookie Betts to look at strike three for the second time tonight. Buehler is at 93 pitches, and good hitters are coming up in the seventh. For now, Buehler isn't going anywhere except back to the hill.
In one single section of the stands behind the plate, fans are wearing jerseys of Koufax, Valenzuela and Kershaw. Someday, who knows, they might be filled with Buehler's No. 21.
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6:49 p.m.
Walker Buehler has taken his mastery of the Red Sox through five innings in his World Series debut, and he'll get a chance to keep going.
Boston starter Rick Porcello is done after 4 2/3 innings, but Eduardo Rodriguez was able to keep the Red Sox's deficit at 1-0 heading to the sixth.
Buehler has retired eight straight from Boston's powerhouse lineup after a 1-2-3 fifth. The Dodgers' rookie right-hander has completed five innings of scoreless two-hit ball with 79 pitches.
Buehler then was allowed to bat for himself in the bottom half, although he struck out against Porcello while attempting to bunt. He was unable to move along Yasmani Grandal, who led off the fifth with the embattled catcher's first hit for the Dodgers since Game 3 of the NLCS.
Rodriguez relieved Porcello and struck out Joc Pederson, whose third-inning homer represents the only run in Game 3.
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6:26 p.m.
Joc Pederson's third-inning home run off Rick Porcello ended a streak of 74 consecutive plate appearances without an extra-base hit for the Dodgers. That was the most in the World Series since the 1986 New York Mets did not have any extra-base hits in their first 74 plate appearances before Lenny Dykstra's home run off Oil Can Boyd leading off Game 3, according to STATS.
Walker Buehler got three swings and misses in the fourth inning, matching his total in the first three. He had allowed two hits with three strikeouts and no walks, throwing 68 pitches.
Porcello allowed two hits, struck out four and walked one through four innings. He threw 54 pitches.
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6:10 p.m.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have some lefties who can hit home runs. Who knew?
Joc Pederson jumped all over a changeup from Rick Porcello for the Dodgers' first hit of the game, a drive over the right-field wall that made it 1-0 in the third inning.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts started all righty hitters at Fenway Park against a pair of Boston lefties, and got nothing to show for it. That bit of matchup strategy drew a lot of criticism as the Dodgers dropped both games.
Pederson, Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger and Yasmani Grandal all swung from the left side against Porcello — they combined for 109 of the Dodgers' NL-leading 235 homers this season.
Dodgers rookie Walker Buehler has been in control so far. The Red Sox tried to rattle him after Jackie Bradley Jr. singled in the third — Bradley took off for second while Buehler was in the stretch, and the righty calmly stepped off and threw him out.
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5:50 p.m.
Nobody has a hit through two innings in Game 3 of the World Series on a postcard-perfect night at Dodger Stadium.
J.D. Martinez grounded out to second leading off the second, but even being in the lineup was a success for the Boston slugger. The major league RBIs leader turned his ankle in the Series opener, but was deemed healthy enough to play in the field in the NL ballpark, where he couldn't be a designated hitter.
Walker Buehler had another 1-2-3 inning for the Dodgers, although the rookie right-hander has already thrown 39 pitches.
Rick Porcello also retired the Dodgers in order, striking out Yasmani Grandal in the Dodgers catcher's first start of the World Series.
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5:35 p.m.
The temperature at game time Friday was 78 degrees, an increase of 31 degrees from Game 2 in Boston but 25 below the oppressive heat for last year's opener at Dodger Stadium.
Boston ran up rookie Walker Buehler's pitch count in a 1-2-3 first inning that included 11 foul balls, with Mookie Betts and Mitch Moreland seeing eight pitches each and Xander Bogaerts 10. The Red Sox had just two swings and misses.
Rick Porcello retired Joc Pederson and Justin Turner, extending the streak of consecutive outs for the Dodgers to 18, then walked Max Muncy. Manny Machado hit into a forceout, ending Porcello's 19-pitch opening inning.
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5:10 p.m.
Game 3 of the World Series has started in a spectacular setting at Dodger Stadium.
It was sunny and 78 degrees as the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers lined up for introductions as the crowd began to get loud. Brad Paisley strummed a guitar as he performed the national anthem, and a flyover got the fans jazzed.
Longtime Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda threw out the first ball — the 91-year-old got it to the plate, albeit on a few bounces. Dodgers part-owner Magic Johnson, who beat Boston teams for championships in another sport, and longtime LA first baseman Steve Garvey joined Lasorda for the ceremony.
Sure looked a lot different than the first two games at Boston, when it was rainy and temperatures dropped into the 40s at Fenway Park.
The Dodgers are hoping a change of scenery can change their luck. They're down 2-0 and have turned to rookie Walker Buehler. With fans chanting and cheering, he threw a called strike to Mookie Betts to begin the game.
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5:09 p.m.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred and players' association head Tony Clark made a joint appearance before Game 3 to announce the renaming of the annual Elite Development Invitational youth program as the Hank Aaron Invitational.
Their appearance together is a sign there could be progress in negotiations this offseason on pace-of-play and other changes to the sport's labor agreement and rules.
For much of 2017 and 2018, Manfred and Clark were unlikely to appear together. Players were angry over the slow pace of free agent negotiations last offseason and refused to agree to any of the initiatives Major League Baseball proposed, such as a pitch clock.
Manfred said this week a dialogue had started between himself and Clark that he hoped would prepare for negotiations this offseason.
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4:45 p.m.
With no designated hitter in the National League city, J.D. Martinez was in left field for Game 3 of the World Series on Friday.
Martinez turned his right ankle in the opener, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora had said Thursday he would wait a day before he decided whether he could play the field.
"Definitely the trainers put me through a little bit of a workout testing it out," Martinez said. "And it's something that obviously it's a little discomforting, but I'm comfortable with playing, and definitely going to go out there and do our best."
Martinez and Milwaukee's Christian Yelich were presented Hank Aaron Awards prior to Game 3 as the top hitters in each league as determined by a panel of several Hall of Famers and fan voting.
Major League Baseball, the players' association and USA Baseball announced their Elite Development Invitational held annually in Vero Beach, Florida, will be renamed the Hank Aaron Invitational.
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2:27 p.m.
Boston benched left fielder Andrew Benintendi to make room for major league RBIs leader J.D. Martinez in the outfield as the World Series switched to the National League city for Game 3, resulting in the loss of the designated hitter.
With right-hander Rick Porcello on the mound for the Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Robert restored his top four home-run hitters to the lineup: left-handed-hitting Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson and Max Muncy along with switch-hitting catcher Yasmani Grandal.
Lefties Chris Sale and David Price started the first two games for Boston and the Dodgers became the first team in World Series history to start a batting order of nine right-handed batters, none of them switch hitters.
Boston also benched first baseman Steve Pearce in favor of Mitch Moreland and second baseman Ian Kinsler in favor of Brock Holt.
Martinez turned his right ankle in the opener, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday he would wait a day before he decided whether he could play the field. Boston led 2-0 in the Series and was two wins from its fourth title in 15 seasons.
Right fielder Mookie Betts was hitting leadoff for the Red Sox, followed by shortstop Xander Bogaerts, Moreland, Martinez, Holt, third baseman Rafael Devers, center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr., catcher Christian Vazquez and Porcello.
Pederson led off and was in left field for the Dodgers, followed by third baseman Justin Turner, Muncy at first, shortstop Manny Machado, Bellinger in center, right fielder Yasiel Puig, Grandal, second baseman Chris Taylor and rookie right-hander Walker Buehler.
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2:19 p.m.
Game 3 of the World Series is set to start at Dodger Stadium under sunny skies with temperatures in the 80s, quite a contrast to the matchups at Fenway Park.
The Dodgers were taking batting practice Friday on a perfect afternoon for baseball. Music was wafting over the sound system and players were warming up in shorts.
The Boston Red Sox hold a 2-0 lead in the Series. Batting practice was canceled before Game 1 at Fenway because of a cold, steady rain, and temperatures dropped into the mid-40s for Game 2 on Wednesday night.