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ALCS Game 3: Sox rout Houston in homer-filled victory as ERod goes 6 innings strong

By David Souza, Boston 25 News
By David Souza, Boston 25 News

BOSTON — The Red Sox played home run derby at Fenway Park Monday night, launching four round-trippers en route to a 12-3 drubbing of the Houston Astros in ALCS Game 3.

Kyle Schwarber broke the contest open with yet another Boston grand slam, stretching a 2-0 Sox lead into a 6-0 advantage in the second inning with his shot to right field. That homer capped off a six-run inning for Boston, who opened the scoring with a bases-loaded single by Christian Vazquez before Christian Arroyo followed that up with a groundball that ate up Jose Altuve, prompting another Boston run to score.

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An inning later, Arroyo struck again, launching a homer into the monster seats with a runner aboard to push the Boston lead to 9-0 after a towering single by Vazquez a batter before scored Hunter Renfroe from third.

And while Kyle Tucker put Houston on the board with a three-run shot of his own in the top of the fourth, J.D. Martinez joined the long-ball party with a two-run bomb over the monster in the sixth. Not to be outdone, Rafael Devers launched a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth to round out the home run parade and the scoring.

Starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez earned the win, finishing the day with 6 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 7 K. The seven strikeouts were a career-playoff high for ‘ERod.’ The loss in the blowout went to Houston righty José Urquidy, who yielded six runs – five of them earned – across 1.2 innings while walking a pair, including Verdugo to start Boston’s one-out rally in the second.

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The Sox own a 2-1 advantage in the ALCS and will look to take a stranglehold on the series Tuesday night in Game 4 at Fenway Park. That’s set to get underway at 8:08 p.m. with all the action available on FS1.

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Live Updates:

11:27 p.m.: Red Sox win Game 3, 12-3, as Sawamura closes out victory.

11:16 p.m.: Rafael Devers gets in on the home run fun in the bottom of the eighth, driving a blast into the monster seats to push Boston’s lead to 12-3.

10:47 p.m.: The day is officially over for Rodriguez as Hansel Robles comes on in relief to start the seventh. ERod’s final line reads: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7K. The seven strikeouts were a career-playoff high for the lefty.

10:45 p.m.: On just the second pitch from the Astros’ newest pitcher, Phil Maton, J.D. Martinez launches a 2-run shot over the monster to push Boston’s lead to 11-3.

10:40 p.m.: After finishing what was likely his last inning of work, Eduardo Rodriguez mocks Houston’s Carlos Correa’s Game 1 celebration, drawing the ire of manager Alex Cora...at least for a brief moment before the two embraced in the dugout following the top of the sixth.

9:45 p.m.: Kyle Tucker drills a 3-run homer over the bullpens in the top of the fourth. 9-3 Boston now.

9:27 p.m.: Christian Arroyo adds to the big Boston lead, crushing a 2-run shot onto the monster to push the Boston lead to 9-0.

9:25 p.m.: Vazquez earns his second RBI of the contest, hitting a bloop single to left field that scores Renfroe from third. 7-0 Sox.

8:55 p.m.: Kyle Schwarber crushes a grand slam to deep right field, ripping open the contest early and making it 6-0 Boston.

8:52 p.m.: A ball seemingly meant for a double play produced another Boston run when it was mishandled by Jose Altuve, scoring JD Martinez and leaving the bases loaded still in the second with just one out. 2-0 Sox.

8:50 p.m.: A Christian Vazquez single into LF with the bases loaded gives Boston a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second with Alex Verdugo coming home from third.

8:35 p.m.: ERod strikes out the side in the second and we head to the bottom half of the inning still scoreless.

8:20 p.m.: The game is underway at Fenway Park! ERod sits Houston down 1-2-3 in the top of the first.

6:00 p.m.: Doors open at Fenway Park as fans begin to make their way inside ahead of ALCS Game 3.

3:30 p.m.: The teams have announced their starting lineups for Game 3 as the ALCS shifts to Fenway Park in Boston. Here’s how the Sox will come out against Houston:

  1. Kyle Schwarber, 1B
  2. Kiké Hernandez, CF
  3. Rafael Devers, 3B
  4. Xander Bogaerts, SS
  5. Alex Verdugo, LF
  6. J.D. Martinez, DH
  7. Hunter Renfroe, RF
  8. Christian Vazquez, C
  9. Christian Arroyo, 2B

And here’s how Houston will stack up against the Red Sox:

  1. Jose Altuve, 2B
  2. Michael Brantley, LF
  3. Alex Bregman, 3B
  4. Yordan Alvarez, DH
  5. Carlos Correa, SS
  6. Kyle Tucker, RF
  7. Yuli Gurriel, 1B
  8. Jose Siri, CF
  9. Martín Maldonado, C

Here’s the schedule for the remaining games ahead:

ALCS Game 4: Tuesday, 8:08 p.m. at Fenway Park and on FS1.

ALCS Game 5: Wednesday, 5:08 p.m. at Fenway Park and on FS1.

Boston 25 News will be there for all of it. Watch for our team’s ALCS coverage live from Fenway Park.

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