Watch Highlights of 2021 AL Wild Card game between Yankees and Red Sox

 Nathan Eovaldi was at his “Nasty Nate” best in Tuesday night’s American League Wild Card showdown with the Yankees, and he looked poised to carry his team through seven innings or so.

But Red Sox manager Alex Cora pulled the plug on his battle-tested righty at his first hint of trouble in the sixth inning.

It would have been a second-guessable moment if it backfired.

However, things tend to have a way of working out in October for Cora, who once again made all the right chess moves in a big game. His Red Sox responded by pulling out a 6-2 victory that vaulted them into the AL Division Series for a matchup with the Rays that will start Thursday night at Tropicana Field.

Eovaldi fired 5 1/3 tremendous innings on only 71 pitches, allowing four hits and a run while walking none and striking out eight.

Yankees vs Red Sox 2021 AL Wild Card Game Highlights

“It’s definitely frustrating, but obviously I understand the situation and everything,” said Eovaldi, who slimmed his career postseason ERA to 1.63 in seven appearances. “Third time through the lineup, it’s tough. Batters seeing you for the third time, they have a better understanding of what you’re going to do and a better idea of how you’re going to attack them. I get it.”

“Nate was great,” said Cora. “When I went to the mound, he gave me this look, like, ‘What are you doing?’ It’s a tough game to manage, of course. If it’s a five-game or seven-game series, we’ll keep him there. But the way our bullpen was and the way we feel about them, I felt like that was the time.”