After an incredibly one-sided game on Saturday night, there was no doubt that Fenway Park was going to be rocking during game three of the ALCS. That rowdy environment led to another rough outing for the Houston Astros pitching staff on Monday night, allowing the Boston Red Sox to take control of the series with a 12-3 loss.
How It Happened
The Astros struggled early and after Eduardo Rodriguez struck out the side in the top of the second, it was all Boston Red Sox. Christian Vasquez started off a six-run inning with a line-drive RBI single to right field. The onslaught continued after a Jose Altuve error resulted in J.D. Martinez reaching home safely.
Then Kyle Schwarber lifted a 3-0 pitch out to right field for a grand slam to make it 6-0 before the third inning even began.
The onslaught continued with Vasquez hitting another RBI single, this time to left field to make it a 7-0 lead for Boston. Christian Arroyo followed that up with a two-run bomb to left-center to make it a 9-0 ballgame.
The Astros were able to make it a six-run deficit in the fourth with a three-run home run from Kyle Tucker, but the damage was done and the Red Sox weren’t done.
J.D. Martinez hit another home run in the series with a two-run blast in the sixth and Rafael Devers put the exclamation point on the contest with a solo shot in the eighth.
Big Number: 4
What the Red Sox did on Monday night was absolutely impressive, sending four balls out of Fenway, including the third grand slam of the ALCS from Schwarber
Player of the Game: Eduardo Rodriguez
While the Astros had to go with a bullpen game, Rodriguez put on a solid performance with seven strikeouts in six innings of work. He did allow three runs off of five hits, but what he did was more than enough to help the Red Sox take a 2-1 lead in the series
Next Up: Tuesday vs Boston Red Sox; First Pitch at 7:10