COMMENTARY
In some of their most desperate moments last October, the Boston Red Sox, a team that hadn’t known desperation all season until then, turned to Nathan Eovaldi. Each time, he rescued them – never more so than in Game 3 of the World Series, when, on one day’s rest, he delivered six innings of relief in an 18-inning marathon that served as the emotional pivot-point in the team’s triumphant series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
For all practical purposes, the 2019 Red Sox are facing their October right now. Unlike the 108-win version of 2018, whose American League East lead never dipped below six games after July 31, these Red Sox are facing a summer of desperation.