What the Red Sox said about Brock Holt’s cycle
"This is the guy you pull for."
Brock Holt did it differently. Instead of using the silent strategy baseball players employ when closing in on a rare achievement, the Red Sox utility man asked his teammates for a boost as he chased the cycle on Monday night.
Boston led 14-1 in the ninth inning when Holt stepped into the box to face Yankees backup catcher Austin Romine. Holt, who started at second base in Game 3, already had a single, double, and triple to his name.
“Usually when stuff like that’s going on, you don’t really talk about it,” Red Sox leftfielder Andrew Benintendi said. “Everybody knows, but they don’t talk about it. Brock is going around, ‘Get me up. I need a homer.’ He wasn’t shy about it. Everybody was rooting for him.”
We are all witnesses. 🔁#Brocktober pic.twitter.com/70nkChsaCx
— Red Sox (@RedSox) October 9, 2018
Holt rewarded his dugout fan club with a two-run home run to right field. He became the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit for the cycle in a postseason game.
“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.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who inserted Holt into the lineup after Boston struggled at the plate in Game 2, noted the utility man can “help you out” when healthy.
“Tonight was a great night for him,” Cora said.
Boston’s first baseman Steve Pearce enjoyed the smile plastered on Holt’s face as he made his victory lap around the bases.
“It was awesome. The type of guy he is, this is the guy you pull for,” 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.”
