After a dismal outing on Saturday, Alex Cora knew he had to make some changes to this lineup, and fast. Luckily, he had the most underrated player waiting in the wings, the man we all wanted to see, Brock Holt.
The infusion of Holt, Christian Vazquez, and Rafael Devers totally reinvigorated the Sox, who absolutely demolished the Yankees in their own house, 16-1. The three lineup additions combined for 6 runs and 8 of the Sox 18 hits. With Nathan Eovaldi on the mound throwing an absolute gem for 7 full innings, the Sox offense absolutely exploded.
It was an entertaining game from top to bottom, with highlights ranging from Severino getting rocked to a billion Red Sox hits to position player Austin Romine coming in to pitch the 9th.
But the ultimate highlight of the game was the man who’s been the unsung hero of the team this season. Brock Holt, captain of the Jimmy Fund, Rally Dad, and Official Hugger of Just Dingers Martinez, had one of the greatest nights of any player in postseason history.
No, wait. He made history, becoming the first player ever to hit for the cycle in a postseason game.
Holt went 4-for-6 with 5 RBIs. Each of his hits came off a different Yankee pitcher. After hitting both a single and triple in the fourth inning, and a double in the 8th, his 2-run homer in the 9th topped the Sox off at an astounding 16-1, a new record for most runs ever scored against the Yankees in a postseason game.
if anyone needs me, I’ll be watching Brock Holt hit for the cycle for the rest of my goddamn life #DoDamage pic.twitter.com/SLw7BhdFSC
— Gabrielle (@gfstarr1) October 9, 2018
It was truly such a joy to see the boys play joyful baseball. And seeing Yankee Stadium empty out like a room that just had stink bombs pumped into the vents was just a lovely added bonus.
This was exactly the kind of night I needed, and undoubtedly the kind of night this team needed. Winning on your enemy’s turf is a big confidence boost; absolutely owning them there is another story completely. The Red Sox knew they had to dominate tonight, and they did. We didn’t see that kind of fight in them in the last two postseasons, and it’s an immense relief to see it now. This series is ours to take, and we better damn own it.
Photo: Getty Images
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