NEW YORK _ Oh, they were having a blast in the Bronx.
A full house of revved-up fans made sure they were seated for Monday night's player introductions before AL Division Series Game 3, razzing every Red Sox player _ except David Price, cheered for his Game 2 contributions.
Tino Martinez received a royal welcome, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium.
And then Luis Severino threw his first pitch, a 400-foot fly out to center field by Mookie Betts.
Soon, the gasps turned to groans, the groans turned to boos.
By the end, a numbing indifference had replaced the early electric current, and the Red Sox had shoved the Yankees to the brink of elimination.
Riding a seven-run fourth inning, the Red Sox sailed to a 16-1 victory before 49,657 stunned and agitated fans.
Granting starter Nathan Eovaldi to a 10-run lead by the bottom of the fourth inning, Boston eased its way to a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five ALDS, making Tuesday night an elimination game for the Yankees.
Forced to pitch Austin Romine in the ninth to save the Yankees' bullpen, the backup catcher yielded a two-run homer to Brock Holt _ a hit that completed the cycle for the Red Sox second baseman. It was the first postseason cycle ever.
It'll be Yankees veteran lefty CC Sabathia against Red Sox right-hander Rick Porcello in Game 4, with the champagne on ice near the visiting clubhouse.
If the Yankees are to win this series, they'll have force a deciding Game 5 on Thursday night at Fenway Park.
From the start, something was off about Severino, who lasted just three innings.
And it appeared that the Yankees starter was late to his pregame warmup, as evidenced by TBS video.
The network showed footage of pitching coach Larry Rothschild apparently telling Severino it was 7:40 p.m. start _ eight minutes before the scheduled first pitch.
Not long after Betts jumped on the first pitch for a loud out, Severino walked. J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts sent center fielder Brett Gardner to the vast left-center field warning track to flag down the third out.
Severino yielded three runs on five hits over the next two innings, but manager Aaron Boone allowed him to face the Red Sox's 7-8-9 hitters to open the fourth.
In short order, a 3-0 deficit became a blowout situation.
Severino failed to retire any of the three batters he faced in the fourth, yielding two singles and a walk.
All three inherited runs would score, charging six runs against Severino in just three innings. He gave up seven hits and two walks, using a whopping 70 pitches.
The hard-throwing, ex-Yankee Eovaldi lasted seven innings, yielding one run on a night when the Red Sox' questionable relief corps was a non-factor.
Tasked with stopping Boston's momentum, Lance Lynn immediately let things get out of hand.
After walking Betts on four pitches to force in a run _ slipping on the mound during the at-bat _ Lynn surrendered a three-run double by Andrew Benintendi.
Chad Green allowed three more runs in, two on Holt's triple to right.
The only person having a rougher night than the Yankees pitchers was first base umpire Angel Hernandez, who had three calls reversed on replay challenges, and nearly had a fourth go against him.
Hernandez will have the plate in Tuesday's Game 4.
Yankees' Game 1 starter J.A. Happ threw only 44 pitches and could be available to pitch Game 4, though the plan might conceivably to quickly transition to the bullpen after Sabathia.
None of the Yanks' key relievers _ David Robertson, Dellin Betances, Zach Britton or Aroldis Chapman _ were used in Monday's fiasco.
Both Happ and Game 2 winner Masahiro Tanaka would be on full rest for a Game 5, if necessary.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora made a few significant alterations in Game 3.
Holt replaced Ian Kinsler at second base, catcher Christian Vazquez replaced the light-hitting but defensively-strong Sandy Leon, and ailing lefty-hitting first baseman Mitch Moreland (hamstring) was replaced by Steve Pearce.
"Hopefully, (the lefty-hitting Holt) can get a hanging slider to right field and put it in the stands," Cora said before the game. "That was the reason."
Holt got the home run in his final at-bat.
