Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

The game was essentially already over when the New York Yankees sent catcher Austin Romine to the mound in the ninth inning of Monday's blowout Game 3 of the American League Division Series.

While they were just playing out the string and preserving the bullpen, Brock Holt had history to make.

Holt launched a two-run homer into the right-field stands to cap off the scoring in the Boston Red Sox's overwhelming 16-1 victory at Yankee Stadium. In doing so, he became the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit for the cycle in a playoff game, per MLB Stat of the Day.

David Schoenfield of ESPN noted this isn't the first time the Red Sox second baseman hit for the cycle, as he did so in 2015 against the Atlanta Braves as well.

He said it was the first time he attempted to go deep in his career, but his success suggests he should have tried it in the past:

It highlighted a record-breaking performance from the offense. According to David Adler of MLB.com, Boston set the all-time record for runs scored against the Bronx Bombers in a playoff contest (previously held by the Arizona Diamondbacks with 15 in Game 6 of the 2001 World Series) and its own franchise record for runs scored in a postseason game.

Much of Boston's damage came in a seven-run fourth inning, which Holt appropriately started off with a single. He added a two-run triple later in the frame to break open the game at 10-0.

His double was also of the RBI variety and came in the eighth inning.

The offensive explosion was notable for the Red Sox, but it was also a continuation of what they did throughout the season. They led the league in runs scored and feature MVP candidates in Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez alongside impressive contributors such as Holt.

Perhaps more importantly in terms of their World Series fortunes, the Red Sox received a notable pitching performance from a starter other than Chris Sale. That remains an October concern since David Price sports a 5.28 playoff ERA and Rick Porcello's checks in at 5.33, but Nathan Eovaldi threw a gem with one earned run and five hits allowed in seven innings.

It is not difficult to envision the Red Sox winning the World Series if Eovaldi continues to pitch like that in support of Sale and Holt continues to hit like he did Monday in support of Betts and Martinez.</s>Brock Holt says that he was predicting a cycle and when he saw a position player on the mound for the Yankees he was grateful to take the plate. (1:44)

NEW YORK -- There have been 1,562 postseason games in MLB history.

Brock Holt did something nobody had ever done: He hit for the cycle. Holt completed history in the top of the ninth inning, putting the finishing touches on the Boston Red Sox's 16-1 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the American League Division Series, lining the first pitch from Yankees backup catcher Austin Romine into the right-field seats for a two-run homer.

The home run gave the Red Sox the largest road margin of victory in playoff history, tied for the second-largest ever (behind Boston's 23-7 win over Cleveland in 1999) and put them one win away from advancing to the AL Championship Series against the Houston Astros.

"This one I'll remember for a long time," Holt said. "Obviously, you don't go into the game expecting to make history or do anything like that, let alone score 16 runs against a good New York Yankees team. So it was a good night overall for everyone."

Holt is an unlikely hero. In fact, he didn't start the first two games. But searching for more offense from the bottom of the lineup and looking to get another left-handed bat in against Luis Severino, Sox manager Alex Cora inserted Holt at second base and the No. 7 slot. Holt went 4-for-6 with three runs and five RBIs.

Holt jump-started Boston's seven-run fourth inning with a soft liner to center field off Severino for a leadoff single. As the Red Sox batted around, he came up later in the inning against Chad Green and lined a triple over first base and into the right-field corner for his first two RBIs. After grounding out in the sixth, he belted a ground-rule double to deep right-center in the eighth off Stephen Tarpley, knocking in another run.

Then came the big blast in the ninth. "It was awesome. The type of guy he is, this is the guy you pull for," Red Sox first baseman Steve Pearce said.

"He's a grinder. Everyone in the dugout was pumped for him. It was awesome. Seeing that smile on his face as he rounded the bases."

Holt was actually a surprise All-Star back in 2015, Boston's lone representative in a 78-84 season, but had battled concussion and vertigo problems the past two seasons. He missed a month in 2016 after suffering a concussion and hit .200 in limited action in 2017 as he tried to play through dizziness and other symptoms before a concussion specialist finally advised he take some time off.

He rebounded with a solid season as Boston's utility guy, hitting .277/.362/.411 while starting at six different positions. He swung at Romine's first pitch, a 79-mph breaking ball of some sort. It didn't break enough.

"I knew I needed a home run. I saw Romine on the mound. So you get a little antsy when a position player is on the mound," Holt said. "I told everyone, 'Get me up. I need a home run for a cycle.' I was going to try to hit a home run, but I figured I'd ground out to first, be out in front of something.

"But I scooted up in the box a little bit, and I was going to be swinging at anything and try to hook anything. ... That's probably the first time I've ever tried to do that. I rounded the bases, and seeing everyone going nuts in the dugout was a pretty cool moment for me."

Boston's 7-9 hitters had gone 3-for-19 in the first two games. Cora also inserted Christian Vazquez in place of Sandy Leon at catcher and Vazquez delivered two hits. Along with Jackie Bradley Jr., the bottom three in the order went 7-for-15 with six runs and six RBIs.

Asked about the lineup changes, J.D. Martinez smiled and suggested, "You have to ask [Cora]. These guys have been doing it all year."

Indeed, Cora looked like a genius. "[Holt has] been swinging the bat well for a while now," Cora said after the game. "We felt the matchup was good for him tonight, although he was 0-for-whatever coming into the game against Severino. He's been able to catch up with fastballs headed the other way, breaking balls, and pull it with power.

"He's a good player. Last year was tough for him as far as being healthy and the whole thing that went on with him, but when healthy, he can help you out. Tonight was a great night for him."</s>Brock Holt triples to right field to unload the bases for the second time in the 4th inning for the Red Sox. (0:37)

Brock Holt became the first player in major league history to hit for the cycle in a postseason game in the Boston Red Sox's 16-1 rout of the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the American League Division Series on Monday night.

Holt capped his momentous day with a ninth-inning home run off of Austin Romine, a position player who was on the Yankee Stadium mound for mop-up duty.

Holt admitted the cycle was on his mind when he saw Romine take the mound.

"I knew I needed [a home run] and with a position player on the mound, short right-field porch, I was just going to be swinging at everything, trying to hook everything," he said on SportsCenter after Boston took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. "I told the guys to get me up -- I needed a homer for the cycle. I kind of scooted up in the box a little bit, I kind of figured I'd ground out to first, but it worked out."

After grounding out in his first at-bat, Holt singled to open the fourth, then hit a two-run triple later in the inning as the Red Sox broke the game open.

Holt added a ground-rule RBI double in the eighth inning. He finished 4-for-6 with 5 RBIs.

It was the second time Holt has hit for the cycle in his career -- he also did it June 16, 2015, against the Braves.

Romine became only the second pure position player to pitch in a postseason game -- not counting two-way players like Rick Ankiel and Babe Ruth -- after Cliff Pennington took the mound for the Blue Jays against the Royals in AL Championship Series Game 4 in 2015.

The 15-run margin is the largest victory by a road team in postseason history, the largest loss for the Yankees in the playoffs, and the second-largest playoff win for Boston, which also holds the record with a 23-7 victory over Cleveland in Game 4 of the 1999 ALDS.

The Yankees' 16 runs allowed are the most the team has ever given up in 396 postseason games.</s>Brock Holt Makes Confession After Hitting For Cycle In Game 3 Of ALDS

Was Brock Holt trying to hit a home run in his final at-bat Monday night? You bet.

Holt hit for the first cycle in Major League Baseball postseason history Monday as the Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees 16-1 in Game 3 of the American League Division Series. He completed the feat with a ninth-inning homer off Yankees position player Austin Romine, who was summoned to pitch with the game out of reach.

Holt isn’t exactly known for his power, totaling just 20 home runs in 2,000 career regular-season plate appearances, but Boston’s energetic utility man admitted after the blowout victory that he absolutely was trying to go deep in the final frame to complete the cycle. (He wasn’t aware until his postgame interview that it was the first cycle in MLB playoff history.)

“Well obviously yeah, I knew I needed to hit a home run,” Holt told reporters in New York. “I saw Romine was on the mound, so you get a little antsy when a position player is on the mound. I told everyone, ‘Get me up. I need a home run for a cycle.’ I was going to try to hit a home run, but I figured I’d ground out to first, be out in front of something. But I scooted up in the box a little bit, and I was going to be swinging at anything and try to hook anything. Obviously, you don’t expect to hit a home run, but I was trying to. I was trying to hit a home run. That’s probably the first time I’ve ever tried to do that. I rounded the bases, and seeing everybody going nuts in the dugout was a pretty cool moment for me.”

Of course, this isn’t the first time Holt has hit for the cycle. He also accomplished the feat during a regular-season game against the Atlanta Braves in 2015. But Monday’s performance was about more than just hitting a single, a double, a triple and a home run in the same game, especially when you consider the stakes and the 30-year-old’s ability to overcome both concussions and vertigo en route to again becoming a productive player for the Red Sox this season.

“This one I’ll remember for a long time,” Holt said. “Obviously, you don’t go into the game expecting to make history or do anything like that, let alone score 16 runs against a good New York Yankee team. So it was a good night overall for everyone. Like I said, this is one I’ll remember for a long time, and hopefully we can carry this over into (Tuesday).”

So, should Holt have tried to hit a home run in that situation? After all, the Red Sox were leading 14-1 in the ninth inning. It’s a conversation that’s even more interesting when you consider Ron Darling’s comments earlier in the TBS broadcast inferring Boston had broken baseball’s unwritten rules when Andrew Benintendi stole second base with the Red Sox leading 10-1 in the fifth inning.

In any event, the Red Sox’s win gave them a 2-1 lead over the Yankees in the best-of-five ALDS. They’ll look to punch their ticket to the AL Championship Series on Tuesday night when they face CC Sabathia in Game 4.</s>NEW YORK — Brock Holt became the first player to hit for the cycle in a postseason game and the Boston Red Sox routed the New York Yankees 16-1 on Monday night to grab a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five AL Division Series.
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Andrew Benintendi lined a three-run double and Holt tripled home two more in a seven-run fourth inning that quickly turned the latest playoff matchup between these 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 an ineffective Luis Severino and silenced a charged-up Yankee Stadium crowd that emptied out fast on a night when Red Sox rookie manager Alex Cora made all the right moves. By the ninth, backup catcher Austin Romine was on the mound for New York — he gave up a two-run homer to Holt that completed his cycle.

Game 4 is Tuesday night in the Bronx, where the 108-win Red Sox can put away the wild-card Yankees for good and advance to the AL Championship Series against Houston. Rick Porcello is scheduled to pitch for Boston against CC Sabathia.</s>NEW YORK (AP) — Becoming the first player to hit for a postseason cycle earned Brock Holt a return to the Boston Red Sox bench.

Ian Kinsler was back at second base Tuesday night for Game 4 of the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees and left-hander CC Sabathia.

Holt, a left-handed batter, had four hits and five RBIs in Boston's 16-1 rout Monday night, his first appearance in the series. His cycle came in the 1,562nd postseason game in major league history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

"I told him it's a tough league," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said with a smile. "I talked to him this morning, and he knew. He knew where we were going. Let's see how the game plays out. It's one of those that either we get to CC early and they bring (in) the righties, or we have to grind out at-bats against CC for five innings, and we need the righties. So he'll be ready."

The right-handed-hitting Kinsler is 3 for 9 in the series with one RBI and five strikeouts.

Cora inserted Eduardo Nunez at third base in place of Rafael Devers, who started Game 3. Christian Vazquez was behind the plate for the second straight night after Sandy Leon started the first two games.

"We've been doing this the whole season," Cora said. "We feel this is the best lineup to attack CC Sabathia. He's one of the best lefties in the big leagues. He's a lot tougher against lefties than righties, and we've got a group of righties that we feel we can match up with him and take advantage of the situation."

Steve Pearce was at first base for the second consecutive night; Mitch Moreland left Game 2 after hurting his right hamstring while running the bases.</s>NEW YORK — The game was so far gone when it happened that it almost seemed an afterthought, but Red Sox utilityman Brock Holt ensured his place in MLB trivia forever by becoming the first player in the sport’s history to hit for the cycle in a postseason game in Game 3 of the ALDS on Monday.

Holt sealed the feat with a ninth-inning homer off Yankees backup catcher Austin Romine that upped Boston’s lead to 16-1. After the game, he said he knew he needed the longball for the cycle, and admitted he was totally going for it.

“Obviously, yeah, I knew I needed a home run,” he said. “I saw Romine was on the mound. So you get a little antsy when a position player is on the mound. I told everyone, ‘Get me up. I need a home run for a cycle.’ I was going to try to hit a home run, but I figured I’d ground out to first, be out in front of something.

“But I scooted up in the box a little bit. I was going to be swinging at anything to try to hook anything. Obviously, you don’t expect to hit a home run, but I was trying to. I was trying to hit a home run. That’s probably the first time I’ve ever tried to do that. I rounded the bases, and seeing everyone going nuts in the dugout was a pretty cool moment for me.”

The cycle was not Holt’s first at the big-league level: He also singled, doubled, tripled and homer in a game in June of 2015. But neither he nor anyone else has ever done it on so grand a stage.

“Whenever you say first player ever to do something, I mean, that’s crazy to even think about,” he said. “I’m glad that my wife and little boy were here to watch it. So I can’t wait to get to them and give them a big hug.

“Tonight is something I’ll remember for a long, long time.”

With a 2-1 lead in the best-of-5 ALDS, the Red Sox have a chance to secure an ALCS berth Tuesday in Game 4 at Yankee Stadium.</s>NEW YORK (AP) - Brock Holt became the first player to hit for the cycle in a postseason game and the Boston Red Sox routed the New York Yankees 16-1 on Monday night to grab a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five AL Division Series.

Andrew Benintendi lined a three-run double and Holt tripled home two more in a seven-run fourth inning that quickly turned the latest playoff matchup between these 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 an ineffective Luis Severino and silenced a charged-up Yankee Stadium crowd that emptied out fast on a night when Red Sox rookie manager Alex Cora made all the right moves. By the ninth, backup catcher Austin Romine was on the mound for New York - he gave up a two-run homer to Holt that completed his cycle.

Game 4 is Tuesday night in the Bronx, where the 108-win Red Sox can put away the wild-card Yankees for good and advance to the AL Championship Series against Houston. Rick Porcello is scheduled to pitch for Boston against CC Sabathia.

Boston Red Sox's Brock Holt (12) motions to the Red Sox dugout after driving in two runs with a triple to right field against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning of Game 3 of baseball's American League Division Series, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)</s>If there was a statement to be made Monday night, the Boston Red Sox sure as hell made it.

With their American League Division Series even at one game apiece entering Monday’s contest, the Red Sox dusted the New York Yankees 16-1 at Yankee Stadium in Game 3.

Things were close up until a fateful fourth inning, when the Red Sox offense dropped a seven spot to go up by 10 runs. Boston’s offense ultimately combined for 18 hits, with every starter posting at least one base knock in the victory.

Of those 18 hits, four were from Brock Holt, who hit for the first cycle in Major League Baseball postseason history.

Though working with a comfortable cushion, Nathan Eovaldi was everything his team needed on the mound in his first postseason start.

The Red Sox now lead the series 2-1.

Here’s how it went down:

Boston inundated the Yankees with runs, overwhelming them and quickly putting the game out of reach.

ON THE BUMP

 — Eovaldi looked pretty sharp in his postseason debut. Over seven innings of work he allowed one run on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts.

The right-hander began his night with a 1-2-3 first inning, then he allowed a leadoff singles in otherwise clean second and third frames.

With the lead at 10, Eovaldi ran into his only trouble of the night in the fourth. He gave up back-to-back singles to Luke Voit and Giancarlo Stanton to start the inning, with the Stanton hit moving Voit to third. Voit crossed the plate for New York’s first run on a Didi Gregorius force out, but Eovaldi bounced back and got the next two hitters out to strand Gregorius and end the inning.

Eovaldi came back out in the fifth and retired the side in order. He allowed a leadoff single in the sixth but escaped the inning without issue, and he threw a 1-2-3 seventh to end his night.

— Heath Hembree took over in the eighth and retired the side in order, striking out one.

IN THE BATTER’S BOX

 — The Red Sox pounced on Yankees starter Luis Severino, chasing him after just three-plus innings of work.

Rafael Devers led off the second inning with a single and stole second during the next at-bat. With one down, Devers advanced to third on a Holt ground out. Christian Vazquez then hit a ball right back to Severino, which the pitcher could not get a hold of and in turn allowed the catcher to reach with a single and plate Devers, making it 1-0.

— Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi began the third with singles, and with both in scoring position, J.D. Martinez hit a sacrifice fly to score Betts. After Xander Bogaerts singled to put runners on the corners, Devers grounded into a force out, which allowed Benintendi to score from third and up the advantage to 3-0.

— Boston’s offense really went off in the fourth.

The bases immediately were loaded with singles from Holt and Vazquez and a Jackie Bradley Jr. walk — with the Bradley walk resulting in Severino getting pulled from the game for Lance Lynn. Betts worked a walk to bring in Holt, then Benintendi doubled to the corner in right field to clear the bases and swell the lead to 7-0.

Bogaerts singled to put runners on the corners, which resulted in Lynn getting yanked.

Devers popped up for the second out, but Steve Pearce singled to score Benintendi the next at-bat. Holt followed that up with a triple to score two more before Vazquez grounded out to end the inning.

All told, the Red Sox scored seven runs in the frame to turn their 3-0 lead to 10-0.

— Bradley got his first hit of the night in the seventh, smacking a one-out double down the left field line. With two down, Bradley came across when Martinez drilled a single, putting the Red Sox ahead 11-1.

— The Red Sox weren’t done, either.

In the eighth, Devers and Ian Kinsler roped leadoff singles to get things going. Holt then crushed another extra-base hit, this time a double to bring Devers in. Two batters later, Yanks reliever Stephen Tarpley threw a wild pitch behind Bradley that allowed Kinsler to score from third, making the score 13-1.

Bradley ultimately walked and Betts singled to center, scoring Holt and putting Boston ahead 14-1.

— The Yankees rolled out catcher Austin Romine to pitch the ninth inning, an opportunity Holt responded to well.

The Sox utility man roped a two-run homer to right field to secure the cycle.

— Holt’s four hits led all Red Sox batters. Which, as a reminder, is pretty historic.

— Betts, Benintendi, Bogaerts, Devers and Vazquez all had two hits.

— Martinez, Pearce, Kinsler and Bradley each provided one hit.

— Blake Swihart was hitless in his lone pinch-hit at-bat.

TWEET OF THE DAY

 When you crush your rival in a momentum-shifting playoff game, you’re entitled to throw plenty of shade.

UP NEXT

 The Red Sox and Yankees will meet for Game 4 of the best-of-five series Tuesday night. Boston will send Rick Porcello to the mound, while the Yankees will counter with CC Sabathia. First pitch from Yankee Stadium is scheduled for 8:07 p.m. ET.</s>FILE - Clockwise from top left: Boston Red Sox's Brock Holt connects for a base hit in the fourth inning, hits a ground-rule double in the eighth inning, hits a two-run triple in the fourth inning, and follows through on a two-run home run in the ninth inning, becoming the first player to hit for the cycle in a postseason game against the New York Yankees in Game 3 of baseball's American League Division Series in New York, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. The Red Sox beat the Yankees 16-1. (AP Photo/File)
Boston Red Sox player Brock Holt becomes the first player in MLB history to hit for the cycle during a postseason game.