Sweens here to handle the live coverage tonight. Thanks for joining us.
BOTTOM NINTH: PITCHING CHANGE. E-Rod on for the Sox. Walker pinch-hitting for Voit. And he gets caught looking for a called third strike. Stanton grounds to third. The next hitter, Echeverria walks. he takes second on defensive indifference with Sanchez up and an 0-1 count. And on 0-2, Sanchez grounds to Bogaerts. That's the ball game, thanks for coming, drive home safely.
TOP NINTH: PITCHING CHANGE. Position player Austin Romine now pitching for New York, and Bogaerts grounds to third. Devers grounds 6-3. Kinsler walks. And Brock Holt drives the first pitch he sees into the right field seats for a two-run line drive home run, and that's the CYCLE for him. 5 RBIs for Holt tonight, the first cycle in postseason history. Vazquez lines out to Judge in right. RUNS: Boston 16, New York 1.
BOTTOM EIGHTH: PITCHING CHANGE. Hembree in for Boston. Gardner flies out to Kinsler, who tracked back to center to grab that one. McCutcheon skies out to Kinsler, who tracked back into right field for the catch. Judge K's. We go to the ninth, with Eovaldi and Hembree retiring 14 of the last 15 Yankees.
TOP EIGHTH: PITCHING CHANGE. Tarpley in for New York. Devers leads off and he gets a chopper between the dish and the mound, Tarpley can't field it cleanly and knocks it foul, but he touched it fair, infield hit. Kinsler up; 1 for 4 night with an RBI for Pearce, by the way. Kinsler goes 3-2 before he singles through the left side, Devers over to second. Holt with a ground rule double to the warning track in right center and into the bullpen. He's 3 for 5, missing the homer for the cycle. Devers scores, and that's a dozen runs for Boston tonight. Kinsler stays at third as Vazquez grounds to Voit at first. Wild pitch to JBJ gets Kinsler in, Devers to third.... threw that behind JBJ, accidentally... baker's dozen. JBJ walks, runners at first and third. Betts base hit gets Devers in. Swihart to pinch hit for Benintendi, he K's. Martinez up, he grounds to Gregorious who flips to second for the 6-4 FC force out. RUNS: Boston 14, New York 1.
BOTTOM SEVENTH: Eovaldi at 82 pitches so far. Kinsler now at second, Holt to first. 100 mph heat to get Sanchez looking at a called third strike. Andujar K's. Torres then grounds to Kinsler. We're through seven.
TOP SEVENTH: Vazquez flies to center, JBJ reaches on a ground-rule double, getting it down in fair territory down the left field line and bouncing into the stands. Betts up... hey, an outside strike! Whaddayaknow. #OpenTheZone... he grounds to short for the second out. Benintendi walks. JD with a flare to center, it scores JBJ from second, Benintendi to third. Tarpley now up and warming for the second time tonight. Bogaerts pops foul to first. Stretch time in the South Bronx. RUN: Boston 11, New York 1.
BOTTOM SIXTH: Judge opens with a base hit to right, and Voit goes 3-2 before Eovaldi fans him on a 97 MPH heater. Stanton lines out to left, and Gregorious flies out to left.
TOP SIXTH: PITCHING CHANGE. Holder in for the Yankees, Devers up, grounds to first. Holder giving the Red Sox a different look and a different velocity... about 10-15 MPH lower. Pearce K's, the Waterford Chimes go off. Goes 2-2 to Holt, and he grounds to third. And that's a 1-2-3 inning.
BOTTOM FIFTH: Torres leads off the frame, he lines right to Pearce. Eovaldi goes 0-2 to Gardner... "misses" outside on the third pitch, but it doesn't matter, he grounds to Holt. That's two outs, top of the order. And McCutcheon wastes no time, lines softly to Bogaerts. Just get the Yankees to the buffet.
TOP FIFTH: JBJ flies out to left, Betts grounds to third, full count to Benintendi and he walks. Benny on base for the third time tonight. Now Green losing location... on 2-2, Benintendi takes second. Open base on 3-2, he walks JD Martinez. Holder warming, Rothschild out to chat (translation: giving Holder more time to warm up). Bogaerts pops out to Andujar, and Green strands two.
BOTTOM FOURTH: Voit leads off, and he reaches on an infield hit. Eovaldi slips, may have gone off his hand... and they're reviewing this?! That's close. He's safe. Hard base hit by Stanton, Voit goes to third. Gregorious grounds to Holt, Stanton out at second, 4-6 FC, another review, Gregorious safe... someone buy first base ump Angel Hernandez a drink, please... Voit scores. Sanchez K's. Andujar grounds to Holt. RUN: Boston 10, Yankees 1.
TOP FOURTH: Holt leads off with a base hit to the right of second, he goes to second with the hit-and-run on, and Vazquez singles through the right side. Two on, no out. And Severino walks JBJ on four, Aaron Boone comes out to get Severino, and Lance Lynn in for the Bombers. PITCHING CHANGE. Betts up, ball five, ball six, ball seven... he loses his footing, takes a tumble. Ball eight, and Holt scores on the walk. Benintendi up, ball nine... foul... swing and a miss... ball ten, swing and a fair ball down the right field line, bases clearing double, and it's 7-0 to the Sox. JD bounces to Andujar, 5-3 for the out. Lynn can't find the strike zone right now, not even with two hands and a flashlight. But when he does... base hit for Bogaerts, Benintendi to third, and that'll do it for Lynn. PITCHING CHANGE. Chad Green in, he gets Devers to pop out to Torres at second for the second out, and with Pearce up, the Sox have batted around. He singles through the left side, Benintendi scores, and it's 8-0. Holt TRIPLES to right, Bogaerts and Pearce score, it's 10-0. A seven-spot. And Vazquez's dribbler goes to short, throw in time. That's the inning. RUNS: Boston 10, Yankees 0.
BOTTOM THIRD: HOLY BOGEY! Bogaerts ranges to his left, scoops Torres' grounder, throws to first... it looks like he has him, but Torres beats it out thanks to review. INF 1B for Torres. Now Eovaldi having difficulty finding the strike zone, goes 3-0 to Gardner... fights back to 3-2, Gardner drives one high, deep... and foul. He grounds sharply to Holt, great leather, fires a strike to Bogaerts, out at second, but no DP as Bogey drops it on the transfer. Gardner safe at first, 4-6 FC. McCutcheon flies to Betts in right, second out. Judge grounds to Bogaerts at short for the 6-4 FC, Gardner out. Eovaldi at 44-45 pitches so far.
TOP THIRD: Betts leads off with a base hit to left, before Benintendi drops a base hit to mid-range left -- AND BETTS GOES TO THIRD! Benintendi with a single, he goes to second. And J.D. is up. He flies out to left, sac fly, Betts scores. Sharp single through the right side by Bogaerts, Benintendi to third. Severino had difficulty in locating the first two hitters, Rothschild out to have a chat. Runners at the corners, Devers up. He grounds to second, Bogaerts made redundant at second, run comes home, Devers safe at first on the 4-6 FC. Tarpley and Lynn up warming. And Pearce flies hard to straightaway center, a little WTP there. RUNS: Boston 3, New York 0.
BOTTOM SECOND: Stanton with a base hit just out of reach of Bogaerts. Bunt single for Gregorius, Eovaldi looks to second, fires to first, Didi beats it out... or does he? They're going to review this. And they need to reverse that, should be out... and he is, SAC 1-3 for your scorebook. Sanchez ground to Bogaerts, and he gets Stanton over to third for the second out. Andujar bounces to Holt, and that's that.
TOP SECOND: Severino goes full to Devers before the kid singles to right; he thinks about going to second, but Judge's cannon sees him retreat to first. Pearce K's, but Devers is going on the pitch and he steals second. Holt grounds to second and does his job, moves Devers to third. 2-2 to Vazquez, he singled through the box and off Severino's glove... he slows it down, and Devers comes in. JBJ then K's, stranding Vazquez. RUN: Boston 1, New York 0.
BOTTOM FIRST: McCutcheon grounds to third for the first out, before Judge works the pitch count; he lines to Betts in right. Eovaldi then fans Voit on three pitches; the first two swings, Voit's head was in Harlem.
Quickie observation: This home plate ump looks like he's not giving the outside corner to both Eovaldi and Severino. He wants it right down Broadway to go up with the right hand.
TOP FIRST: Betts drives the first pitch to the 408 sign in straightaway center, Gardner hauls it in for out No. 1, before Benintendi flies out to center on Severino's fourth pitch of the game. Martinez goes full (that third pitch looked good enough for a called strike), before he walks. Bogaerts then goes 2-2 before flying out to Gardner is left-center to end the frame. 15 pitches for Severino to start that one.
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- After predicting that he wouldn't make a lot of changes to the lineup, Alex Cora inserted four different players into Game 3's batting order, subbing Steve Pearce for Mitch Moreland, Christian Vazquez for Sandy Leon, Brock Holt for Ian Kinsler and Rafael Devers for Eduardo Nunez. "It's the guy on the mound,'' said Cora of New York starter Luis Severino. "We can talk about the numbers (Holt is 1-for-15 and Devers is 0-for-12) obviously, but Brock swung the bat well in (September). And with Christian, his ability to put the ball in play is important. There's a few things we think we can do.''
- Cora said he "very concerned,'' about Moreland, today "less concerned but still concerned. For him not to play is a lot. He was here (Sunday) and the treatment was very aggressive. If we use him we use him. With him, it's treatment the whole day, then see how it feels. It's tough to see him that way.'' Cora half-jokingly predicted "a Kirk Gibson-moment'' for Moreland, who is hobbled by a tight right hamstring but is available for potential pinch-hit situations.
- Cora said David Price, shelled in his Game 2 start, is available to pitch out of the bullpen in Game 3 and "is in good spirits. We'll see how it goes. He still made a start two days ago. It's great that everybody's all in, but at the same time, I have to be smart about it. He told me that he's all-in. We'll see how it goes. We'll use him however we need him. Like he said, (Game 2) wasn't good, but he's ready to go. He still believes he can get people out.'' Cora alluded to issues with not enough "separation'' between his fastball and secondary pitches -- the same issue that plagued him back in June.
- Cora ruled out moving up Chris Sale for Game 4 if the Sox lose tonight. Asked if he would consider using Sale in relief, Cora smiled and said: "That's a great question. If you ask him, he'll pitch today. That's the nature of the playoffs. The mentality of these guys is, 'Push, push, push' and 'grind, grind, grind.' But we have to be smart. We've got other guys we feel can do the job.''
- Somewhat lost in Game 2 was the work of Joe Kelly, who pitched 2.1 scoreless innings with one hit allowed. "He's been throwing the ball well for a while now, but I think (that success) was important for (his confidence),'' said Cora. "There are certain matchups that are good for him. He was good -- really, really good. It felt like he could have kept throwing, but we've got more games to play, so we had to be careful.''