Eduardo Nuñez spent a good chunk of the 13th inning of Game 3 in the air, on the ground, and in the stands. First, came…
Eduardo Nuñez spent a good chunk of the 13th inning of Game 3 in the air, on the ground, and in the stands.
First, came the air, when he tried to avoid catcher Austin Barnes after the ball trickled away. Barnes charged forward to track it down, but Nuñez was in his path, so Barnes inadvertently upended him and Nuñez took a tumble.
In that same at-bat, Nuñez sent a nubber toward the mound, hustling down the line and diving into first base. It paid off, as the throw got away and Brock Holt came around to score the go-ahead run to make it 2-1 Red Sox.
Nuñez stayed on the ground for a bit, but he got up and proceeded to motor to third on a double from Sandy León. He was unable to score on the play.
In the bottom of the frame, Nuñez zoomed into foul ground to track down a pop up. He dove into the stands, à la Derek Jeter (OK, not quite, but it was a gutsy play, nonetheless), and came down with the ball. It was a significant play for two reasons – one because of the impressive athleticism after his body had already taken a beating, but two, because it allowed Max Muncy to tag up and go to second.
Muncy came around to score, as Ian Kinsler threw the ball away after a sharp grounder from Yasiel Puig. Nuñez stayed in the game and reached on another infield single in the 15th. In the bottom of the 16th, he staggered toward the mound, falling down while corralling a Puig pop-up.
