Brock Holt First To Hit For Post-Season Cycle In Boston Rout; George Springer Leads Astros; Manny Machado Powers Dodgers Into NLCS

Players of the Day for Monday, October 8, 2018

Holt hits for cycle

American League

Brock Holt became the first player ever to hit for the cycle in the post-season, completing his historic feat in the ninth inning with a home run off Yankee emergency reliever, catcher Austin Romine.

Romine was called to the mound due to the game's out-of-control condition, as Boston handed the Yankees the worst post-season loss in their long history, whipping the home squad 16-1.

Holt, batting seventh, didn't begin his assault on Yankee pitching until the fourth inning. After grounding out harmlessly in the second, Holt led off the fourth with a scratch single to center and later scored on a bases-loaded walk to Mookie Betts. Later in the frame, he tripled in a pair of runs as the Red Sox plated seven runs.

After grounding out to first in the sixth inning, Holt lashed a ground rule double to center in the eighth, driving in two more runs and smacked his homer with one on base in the ninth.

The win left the Yankees down in the series two games to one, facing elimination when the teams meet at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night. Game time is 8:07 pm ET. C.C. Sabathia goes to the mound for New York. Rick Porcello is the starter for the Red Sox.

Springer: 2 HR, 2 RBI

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Houston will be returning to the AL championship series for the second straight year after sweeping the Indians, finishing off the Central division champs with an 11-3 romp.

George Springer led a 13-hit attack with two solo homers and a single in six at-bats. He hit .429 over the three-games of the divisional series.

The Astros completely outclassed the Indians in the sweep, outscoring their opponent by a combined score of 21-6.

Machado: 2-4, HR, 4 RBI

Houston awaits the winner of the Boston-New York series in their quest to win a second straight AL championship.


National League

The Dodgers dusted off the Braves in game four of the divisional series with a 6-2 victory, as Manny Machado led the way, going 2-for-5 with four RBI.

Machado got the Dodgers going with an RBI double in the first, driving in Max Muncy, and finished off the Braves with a three-run homer in the seventh.

LA returns to the NL championship series for the third straight season, meeting the Brewers for the right to go to the world series. The best-of-seven series begins Friday in Milwaukee.