Kyle Schwarber hit a grand slam — Boston’s third in two games — and the Red Sox routed the Houston Astros for the second straight time, winning 12-3 on Monday night to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven AL Championship Series.
One game after J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers each cleared the bases, Schwarber hit a second-inning 3-0 pitch 430 feet into the right field grandstand. Boston is the first team ever with three slams in a post-season series.
Martinez and Devers each homered again, Christian Arroyo also hit one, and Kike Hernandez had two more hits for Boston, which could advance to the World Series with victories at Fenway Park in Games 4 and 5 on Tuesday night and Wednesday. The Astros need to win at least one to send the series back to Houston.
BOSTON SLAM PARTY! <a href=”https://t.co/dIp9svKzGp”>pic.twitter.com/dIp9svKzGp</a>
—@MLB
Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez gave up five hits, including Kyle Tucker’s three-run homer, and struck out seven. He retired Carlos Correa to end the sixth and walked off the mound tapping his wrist to clap back at the Astros shortstop, who used the same gesture after a tiebreaking homer in Game 1 to signal that it was Houston’s time.
Things have changed.
Capitalizing on two Astros errors and the struggles of Houston starter Jose Urquidy, the Red Sox opened a 9-0 lead for the second game in a row.
Rodriguez, who missed all of last season with COVID-related heart problems, retired the first six batters before running into the trouble in the third, when Tucker made it 9-3.
Rodriguez’s effort enabled Red Sox manager Alex Cora —celebrating his 46th birthday — to keep Nick Pivetta fresh for a Game 4 start. Urquidy gave up six runs, five earned, on five hits and two walks, striking out one in 1 2/3 innings.
Right fielder Hunter Renfroe ended the game with a diving catch on Correa’s liner.
Altuve struggles
To the delight of the Fenway fans, who targeted him with profane chants for his role in the Astros 2017 cheating scandal, Jose Altuve struggled at the plate and in the field.
The Red Sox, who only had three grand slams during the regular season, matched the 1998 Atlanta Braves as the only clubs to hit three in a single post-season. Boston has 20 homers this post-season, matching the 2004 Astros for the most through the first eight games of the playoffs, per MLB.com.
Altuve also waved at a throw from Martin Maldonado on Hunter Renfroe’s stolen base in the third; the error went to the catcher. The throw to third was also wild, but the Astros were saved another error when the ball missed the dugout and bounced off the padding back toward the field.
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