The Boston Red Sox again took an early lead against the Houston Astros in Monday's American League Championship Series Game 3 (GameTracker). This time, Boston's efforts were aided by an untimely error on the part of second baseman Jose Altuve.
Altuve's misplay came with the bases loaded and one out in the second inning. The Red Sox had already plated a run when Christian Arroyo hit a potential double-play ball to Altuve. Alas, the ball ate up Altuve and evaded Houston's second baseman, allowing the Red Sox to score another run and turn over their lineup with the bases loaded.
Astros right-hander José Urquidy then fell behind 3-0 Kyle Schwarber before serving up Boston's third grand slam of the series on a fastball up and away. Take a look:
Schwarber's home run carried 430 feet and left the bat traveling at 114 mph, according to Statcast's calculations.
The Red Sox hit a pair of grand slams (becoming the first team do so in playoff history) in Game 2 to net themselves an early 8-0 lead. By the time the second inning was over in Game 3, the Red Sox led 6-0. What's more is that the Red Sox made postseason history by becoming the first team to ever hit three grand slams in a single playoff series. They're also just the second team to hit that many over the course of an entire postseason, joining the 1998 Atlanta Braves according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
The Red Sox and Astros entered Game 3 tied at 1-1 in the best-of-seven series. Historically, teams who have gone up 2-1 in best-of-seven series have gone on to win the series on more than 70 percent of occasions, making this a pivotal game for both teams' aspirations of advancing to the World Series.
