There wasn't a better way for the Red Sox to send a message in Game 2. It wasn't only impressive, but it was historic.
Both J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers each managed grand slams Saturday against the Astros, marking the first time in postseason history a team has hit two bases-loaded homers in a single game. In this case, they came in the first two innings.
For starters, Martinez made sure Nathan Eovaldi had some breathing room even before the Red Sox starter took the mound.
The Sox’ designated hitter quickly quieted the Minute Maid Park crowd thanks to a grand slam off Houston starting pitcher Luis Garcia with two outs in the first inning.
The blast, which gave the visitors a 4-0 lead heading into the bottom of of the first, scored the three left-handed-hitting Red Sox who had reached vs. Garcia - Kyle Schwarber (double), Rafael Devers (walk) and Alex Verdugo (walk).
Garcia, who worked at a snail’s pace (with the half-inning taking just more than 20 minutes), had dominated righty hitters for much of the season while struggling against lefties. The 363-foot blast to right field by Martinez was just the seventh homer hit by a right-handed hitter against the Astros’ hurler, who held righty batters to a .182 batting average and .548 OPS. Lefty hitters, however, came into the game hitting .282 with an .827 OPS against the 24-year-old.
Garcia ultimately came out after one batter in the second inning after a visit from the Houston training staff. He was replaced by Jake Odorizzi. That set the stage for Devers, who launched an Odorizzi cutter into the right field seats with Christian Arroyo, Kevin Plawecki and Kiké Hernandez on base.
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