Red Sox fans know the story by now.
The Red Sox made Nathan Eovaldi an offer this offseason. He declined it. The pitcher was attached to a qualifying offer, meaning whatever team signed him would have been required to surrender a draft pick. Eovaldi showed interest in taking the Red Sox’ initial offer. The Red Sox said the offer has changed. Eovaldi ultimately signed a two-year, $34 million deal with the Rangers.
Now, we have the reminder.
Eovaldi is a 33-year-old pitcher who is the kind of postseason presence teams should always pay good money for. Yes, he will help you get to those meaningful games in October, as he did this season by going 12-15 with a 3.63 ERA in 25 starts with the Rangers. (He would have tied Brayan Bello for the most outings for any Red Sox pitcher of five or more innings, managing 21 of them in the regular season.)
But it’s once you have landed in those playoffs that the real payoff comes around.
All those concerns about midseason arm problems, and the bubbling up of those yearning to scream ‘I-told-you-so’, were shut down once again Tuesday night. That was thanks to yet another appearance by Playoff Nate, who this time led the Rangers to an American League Division Series-clinching, 7-1 win over the Orioles.
Seven innings. One run. Five hits. Seven strikeouts. No walks. Did you expect anything else?
The quest for teams to uncover pitchers who have that get-on-my-back mentality through postseason runs is a very real thing. You can guess that a postseason newbie will emerge into such a presence. For instance, many did with Sonny Gray, especially after he shutout Toronto for five innings in his first playoff start win 2017 just last week. But then came the four-inning, eight-hit, five-run outing against the Astros. Lesson learned. You just never know … unless it involves Eovaldi.
Eovaldi has now pitched in 13 postseason games, with his team winning 10 of them. The losses? You might remember some of them. The first came during the 18-inning World Series classic at Dodger Stadium in which he pitched six innings (throwing 97 pitches) in relief, getting a standing ovation from his teammates after. The second was another relief outing - in Game 4 of the 2021 ALCS - one in which he probably would come away with the win if not for a blown call by home plate umpire Laz Diaz. And the last one was a start in that same ALCS in which he only gave up one run in 4 1/3 innings three days after making that aforementioned relief outing.
What the Rangers have been able to revel in during this postseason run shouldn’t come of any sort of a surprise. In his first two playoff starts for Texas, he has allowed two runs over 13 2/3 innings, not walking a single batter while striking out 15.
For his postseason career, Eovaldi has a 2.31 ERA in eight starts, going at least five innings in every one of them while never giving up for than three runs (which happened just once).
He got his curtain call. He got the chants of “Evo! Evo!” He got another champagne shower. And, in return, the Rangers got one of the most valuable pieces of any postseason puzzle - a starter who you have a pretty good idea will win.
That seems like a pretty good investment.
“We knew we needed to give him rest,” Rangers general manager Chris Young told MLB.com. “We knew that he would heal and that with time, he would be back out there. That’s exactly what’s happened, and he’s picked us up at a time we need the most. ...That’s what winners do.”
“These are the moments you play for as an athlete,” Eovaldi said. “I love pitching in these big moments. … I enjoy having these big games that are the big deciding games on the line.”