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It would have been enough to humiliate
The Evil Ones with their worst playoff loss ever (✓). And, it would have been just fine for
Nathan Eovaldi to hurl seven dominant innings against
The Pinstriped Posers (✓). Finally, it would have been wicked cool for
Brock Holt to deliver
the first cycle in MLB playoff history (✓). How about
all three? (✓) The Red Sox moved to within one win of advancing to the ALCS with
a really satisfying 16-1 shellacking of the Yankees at their own mausoleum. Holt went 4-6 during his historic game—knocking in five runs. He ambushed catcher
Austin Romine's first
pitch for the home run that cemented the cycle in the 9th. As amazing as Holt's night was, the biggest blow may have been
Andrew Benintendi's three-run double that extended Boston's lead to 7-0. And, of course, Eovaldi's brilliant pitching performance—seven innings, five hits, one run,
no walks, five strikeouts. Others who had multiple hit games in the 18-hit attack were:
Mookie Betts (2-5, 2 RBI, 2 R);
Xander Bogaerts (2-6, R);
Rafael Devers (2-6, RBI, 2 R);
Christian Vazquez (2-6, RBI, R). This was about as pleasurable a win as the Red Sox have delivered in
years—shutting up the front-running "fans" at
The Concrete Bunker On 161st Street almost from the start. With one more win—either tomorrow behind
Rick Porcello or on Thursday/Friday (given the weather) behind
Chris Sale—they advance to the ALCS, and bring about
Yankee Elimination Day.
