Kyle Schwarber’s grand slam, Eduardo Rodriguez’s huge start lead Red Sox to ALCS Game 3 victory over Astros

Eduardo Rodriguez walked off the mound as he retired Carlos Correa for the final out of the sixth inning and pointed to his wrist.

Three nights after Correa declared it his time as he lifted the Astros to a Game 1 victory, the tables have turned in this American League Championship Series.

It’s the Red Sox’ time right now.

And with a Game 3 victory on Monday night at an electric Fenway Park, they’re in full control. Fueled by six outstanding innings from Rodriguez, backed by a six-run second-inning outburst that included yet another grand slam, this time from Kyle Schwarber’s bat, the Red Sox don’t look like they plan on letting up any time soon after their 12-3 victory gave them a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-seven ALCS.

The Red Sox have been inconsistent in certain areas all season, but they couldn’t have played much better on Monday night. A relentless offensive approach led to four homers, Rodriguez was outstanding when he needed to be. Two wins away from the World Series, they might be peaking at just the right time.

“Today was as close as we’ve been to a perfect game, to be honest with you,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We pitched well, played great defense, we ran the bases. We were very aggressive in a lot of aspects, so tonight is one of those that you feel good about.

“But at the same time, like we always do, we turn the page. We’ll be ready for tomorrow. That’s a really good team out there. It’s never comfortable with them. We got to be ready.”

And here’s this: In ALCS history, the series has been tied 24 times. The winner of Game 3 has gone on to the World Series in 18 of the previous 23 (78 percent) occasions.

Two days after a pair of unprecedented grand slams helped them to a decisive Game 2 win, the Red Sox’ bats stayed hot on a cold October night at Fenway.

After a quiet first, the Red Sox returned to their regularly scheduled programming in the second. They sent 11 batters to the plate as they put yet another hurting on an Astros starter, sending Jose Urquidy to the showers after he recorded just five outs.

One at-bat seemed to create a domino effect for the Red Sox’ explosive inning. With one out in the inning, Alex Verdugo fell behind Urquidy 0-2, but battled back to earn an 11-pitch walk.

Then, as Cora likes to say, the line kept moving … and moving … and moving.

J.D. Martinez doubled off the wall, Hunter Renfroe walked and Christian Vazquez struck first with an RBI single. Then, they got a little help from the Astros. Christian Arroyo hit a sharp grounder to second base, but Jose Altuve booted the ball — much to the delight of the sold out Fenway crowd — and everyone was safe.

And then the floodgates opened. Schwarber made Altuve pay, getting ahead on Urquidy on a 3-0 count before demolishing a fastball into the right-field grandstand for the grand slam. There was no doubt as the ball traveled 430 feet, sending the Fenway crowd into complete pandemonium.

It all started with Verdugo’s walk

“I think the biggest thing is people get caught up in the big swing or whatever it is, right?” Schwarber said. “People kind of forget about what led up to it, right? The at-bats beforehand are what set up the big moments, and those are things that you can’t take for granted. …

“Next thing you know you got another guy coming up, and they’re going to keep grinding you out. They’re going to keep grinding you out. It’s relentless. That’s what we want to be as an offensive group, relentless.”

The Red Sox made more history with Schwarber’s slam. A game after becoming the first team in postseason history to hit two grand slams in one game, the Red Sox are now the first team ever to hit three grand slams in one playoff series.

Astros manager Dusty Baker, after Xander Bogaerts singled to become the eighth Red Sox to reach in the inning, mercifully pulled Urquidy after 1 2/3 innings as the Astros’ pitching woes continued. In three games to start the series, their starters have combined to go just 5 1/3 innings.

And the Red Sox weren’t done going yard, either. Christian Arroyo hit a two-run blast in the third for his first career postseason homer and first since July 16, J.D. Martinez hit a two-run shot in the sixth and Devers went deep in the eighth for good measure. The Red Sox now have 20 homers this postseason, matching the 2003 team for the most in club history.

“Offensively this is the best we’ve been the whole season, and they’re locked in right now,” Cora said.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, was dealing on the mound in one of the best starts of his career. He threw a 96 mph fastball in the first — the hardest pitch he’s thrown all season — and never slowed down. He allowed a three-run homer to Kyle Tucker in the fourth, but bounced back with 1-2-3 innings in both the fifth and sixth to complete a massive performance, resting the bullpen further and allowing Nick Pivetta to start Tuesday’s Game 4.

“For me it was really important to go throw six innings today because I know the lineup we have, and they can score a lot of runs, and the power we have in the lineup,” Rodriguez said. “I just feel like I go out there and do the best to keep the other team from scoring too many runs because I know we can do the job.”