ARLINGTON, Texas — Five years after his legendary relief appearance in the longest game in World Series history, Nathan Eovaldi is finally getting the opportunity to start a game in the Fall Classic.
The 33-year-old right-hander will take the ball in Game 1 for the American League champion Texas Rangers, who host the upstart Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 1 at 8 p.m. ET on Friday.
The game comes five years and one day after Eovaldi pitched the 12th through 18th innings for the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of the 2018 World Series before giving up a walk-off home run to Max Muncy in a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Eovaldi’s relief appearance, which came on the heels of him pitching one inning in Games 1 and 2, is revered among modern pitchers, who have come to regard it as one of the finest pitching performances of this century, even in a losing effort.
“I’m very grateful for the past experiences,” Eovaldi said Thursday. “Just being able to participate and get into the World Series was big. I kind of had my moment there.
“It’s more so just getting back into the World Series. It’s such an unbelievable experience and moment. That’s what you play every year for.”
Texas, the No. 5 seed in the AL, will face a Diamondbacks team that hasn’t been to the World Series since beating the New York Yankees in 2001. Pitching in his home state of Texas, Eovaldi will headline the rotation for a Rangers team looking to win its first championship in 63 years of existence.
“That would mean the world,” Eovaldi said. “It’s an amazing experience. Again, to be able to say you that were part of the first one, you kind of set the foundation for the years to come.”
Despite going 68-94 last season, the Rangers entered the winter looking to round out its solid lineup with frontline pitching. They signed former New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom to a five-year, $185 million deal and added left-handed Andrew Heaney as well.
With Eovaldi still available toward the end of December, Rangers general manager Chris Young negotiated a two-year, $34 million deal around Christmas.
And Eovaldi has been the gift that keeps on giving. He was one of the best pitchers in the AL in the first half, and after struggling following his late-season return from an arm injury, he has turned into Playoff Nate, the dominant force capable of carrying teams with a five-pitch mix.
Eovaldi has thrown at least six innings in all four of his starts this postseason: one in the wild-card series clincher, another in the division series clincher and a pair in Texas’ ALCS victory to go 4-0.
His coup-de-grace game, however, remains from 2018.
The Red Sox had taken the first two games from the Dodgers, and manager Alex Cora was pushing for another. In came Eovaldi, the Red Sox’s ninth pitcher of the day, to throw a scoreless 12th. Boston scored in the 13th, only to see a throwing error from Ian Kinsler — now a Rangers special assistant — allow the Dodgers to tie it.
Eovaldi threw four more shutout innings before allowing a Muncy walk-off home run in the 18th inning on his 97th pitch. Long removed from two Tommy John surgeries, Eovaldi has settled into an elder-statesman role, and his bona fides are clear. But that won’t tamp the excitement down — or prevent him from doing what he does so well.
“It’s more so trying to control the adrenaline and the emotions out there,” Eovaldi said. “Make sure from the first pitch on I’m trying to settle in as fast as I can into the game to go out there and try to go as long as I can.”
