Eduardo Nunez answers call with 3-run pinch-hit homer for Red Sox in World Series

BOSTON — With the first World Series swing of his life, Eduardo Nunez carved himself a spot in Red Sox lore forever.

Nunez’s three-run home run in the seventh inning of Game 1 on Tuesday pushed the Red Sox to an 8-4 win against the Dodgers, an Alex Wood curveball at his feet turning into a game-changing line drive over the Green Monster in leftfield. What had been a tense, one-run game was all but over at that point.

Consider it the magic of October. Nunez, a 31-year-old utility infielder who said he signed with the Red Sox for the chance to play on this stage and who has been sharing time with Rafael Devers at third base, was the hero in the biggest game of the season to date.

“That’s weird, because I don’t care about being a hero,” Nunez said. “As long as we have the win, that’s all that matters. We are here to win and lose together. Who cares who’s the hero that night? As long as we have a hero, that’s a good feeling because we have the win.”

Nunez’s at-bat was the product of very specific planning and communication by manager Alex Cora. Normally, Nunez starts against lefthanded starters, but with Clayton Kershaw on the mound, Cora opted for Devers because he felt Devers “was going to hang in there” against Los Angeles’ lefty ace.

“And having [Nunez] on the bench, it was going to pay off,” Cora said. “He wasn’t upset, actually, that he wasn’t playing,” Cora said. “I told him, ‘Be ready, man. You might have a big at-bat tonight and do your thing.’ And he did.”

Before the game, Cora advised Nunez on the sort of situation in which he would pinch hit: late in the game, if the Dodgers brought in a lefthander to face Devers. That happened. With the Red Sox up by a run and Devers stepping to the plate, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called on Wood. Whether the Red Sox stuck with Devers or subbed in Nunez, Roberts said, “I still liked Alex in that spot.”

It was the Red Sox’s first pinch-hit homer in the World Series since 2007, when Bobby Kielty blasted what stood as the eventual difference-making run in the series-clinching Game 4. It was Nunez’s first postseason homer since 2012, when he was playing in the ALCS for the Yankees.

“It looked like he hit it off his ankles,” said Andrew Benintendi, who went 4-for-5 and scored on Nunez’s homer after a double. “That was a good hit right there.”

Cora called Nunez, who has dealt with knee and ankle issues this season, “one of the leaders in the clubhouse.”

“He wasn’t a hundred percent throughout the season. He struggled defensively, we know that, at second, but he always had a positive attitude,” Cora said. “For him to show up today and put up a big swing, that’s his first World Series swing, it’s very gratifying to see him do that.”