Grand slams are not too rare, but the Boston Red Sox achieved only three of them in the 162-game regular season. But when the American League Championship Series arrived, the Red Sox did the impossible.
In the last two games of the series – and in only 11 innings – the Red Sox hit three grand slams to establish a record for most bases-loaded homers in a postseason series. Kyle Schwarber then finished off in the second inning sending Boston to a 12-3 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the A.L.C.S.
Boston has taken a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven series and will host the next two games at Fenway Park, which are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Offensively, this is the best we’ve looked all season,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, “and they’re locked in right now.” Boston added home runs by Christian Arroyo, J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers as part of the 11-hit barrage.
After his final out in the sixth, Eduardo Rodriguez walked off the mound with a six-run lead. He had a message for Carlos Correa, the Astros’ second baseman, and the rest of the Houston Astros by tapping his wrist to mimic Correa’s Game 1 celebration. The taunt made the Red Sox manager visibly angry and scolded Rodriguez from the dugout steps.
“It’s not that I’m mad at him,” said Cora. “We don’t act that way. We just show up, we play, and we move on, and he knows. I let him know. We don’t have to do that. If we’re looking for motivation outside of what we’re trying to accomplish, we’re in the wrong business. The only motivation we have is to win four games against them and move on to the next round.”
It will be difficult for the Astros. They will send Zack Greinke to the mound to start Game 4 against Nick Pivetta, hoping that it is not deja vu all over again.
