MLB playoffs: Red Sox embarrass Yankees in Bronx blowout

Brock Holt hit for the cycle — capped by a tworun homer off Yankees backup catcher Austin Romine in the ninth — and the Red Sox moved to within a win of reaching the AL Championship Series with a 16-1 blowout victory on Monday night.

Game 4 in the best-of-five division series goes Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. C.C. Sabathia is the scheduled starter for New York, Rick Porcello for Boston.

Romine was the sixth Yankee to pitch on a night when the Red Sox scored seven runs in the fourth inning and never looked back. Boston outhit New York 18-5.

With right-hander Nathan Eovaldi starting for the Red Sox, Christian Vazquez was the catcher over Sandy Leon.

“With Christian, we feel like offensively he can do a few things in the bottom of the lineup that can help us win a ball game,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.

As it turned out, Eovaldi went seven strong innings, allowing one run on five hits, and Vaz- quez did chip in at the plate with a pair of singles, an RBI and a run.

First baseman Mitch Moreland was left out of the Red Sox starting lineup after suffering a hamstring injury in Game 2. Right-handed hitter Steve Pearce manned first and batted sixth against righty Luis Severino, who lasted three innings.

Rafael Devers was at third base for Boston instead of Eduardo Nunez, with Holt playing second rather than Ian Kinsler.

“The guy on the mound has to do a lot with it. You look at the numbers, and they don’t look great, but if you look at his numbers throughout his career, lefties have done better against him,” Cora said. “He’s still a tough matchup, but the way Brock was swinging the bat, we do feel he can put good at-bats against him. Hopefully, he can get a hanging slider to right field and put it into the stands. That was the reason.”

For the Yankees, centre fielder Aaron Hicks remained out of the lineup, also with a hamstring injury. New York manager Aaron Boone said Hicks was doing “considerably better.” Brett Gardner was back in centre for the Yankees, batting ninth, and first baseman Luke Voit hit third again.