Holt’s cycle sparks the Red Sox
Utility man becomes first player to accomplish the feat in a postseason game, leading 18-hit attack.
Holt leads rout: Utility man is f irst to hit for cycle in postseason.
NEW YORK — Brock Holt put the finishing touch on Boston’s blowout victory by etching his name in the record book.
The utility man became the first player to hit for the cycle in a postseason game and the Red Sox routed the New York Yankees 16-1 on Monday night to grab a 2-1 lead in a best-of-five American League Division Series.
“It was a fun night. We were clicking on all cylinders,” said Holt, unaware of his achievement until told after the game. “Tonight’s a night I’ll remember for a long time.”
Andrew Benintendi lined a three-run double and Holt tripled home two runs in a seven-run fourth inning that quickly turned the latest playoff matchup between the longtime rivals into a laugher. Handed a big early lead, Nathan Eovaldi shut down his former team during New York’s most lopsided defeat in 396 postseason games.
Boston battered right-hander Luis Severino and silenced a Yankee Stadium crowd that emptied out fast.
By the ninth inning, backup catcher Austin Romine was on the mound for New York and gave up a two-run home run to Holt that completed the cycle. The only other position player to pitch in a postseason game was Toronto infielder Cliff Pennington against Kansas City in the 2015 AL Championship Series.
The Yankees were 7-0 at home the last two postseasons. The Red Sox were hardly intimidated.
Holt, making his first playoff start this year, opened the fourth inning with a single against Severino and capped the 26-minute outburst with a triple to right field. Holt doubled home a run in the eighth inning and finished with five runs batted in.
“He’s been swinging the bat well for a while now,” manager Alex Cora said. “We felt the matchup was good for him tonight.”
Every starter had at least one hit for the Red Sox, who piled up 18. They only time they scored more runs in the postseason was a 23-7 win over Cleveland in 1999.
Eovaldi pitched for the Yankees in 2015 and 2016 before injuring his elbow, which required surgery. Boston acquired him from Tampa Bay in July and the hard-throwing right-hander compiled a 1.93 earned-run average in four starts against New York this season, three with the Red Sox.
Bumped up a day in front of Rick Porcello, Eovaldi gave up one run and five hits in seven innings in his first postseason appearance.
Benintendi, who hit .351 with eight doubles and 12 RBIs in 19 games against the Yankees this year, was on base four times and scored twice.
Severino began warming up only 10 minutes before the game and looked out of sorts from the start in misty weather. He left with the bases loaded and nobody out in the fourth inning and was charged with six runs and seven hits.
“He had plenty to warm up,” manager Aaron Boone said. “So it wasn’t an issue.”