BOSTON — The Red Sox had manager John Farrell's news on their minds in their most lopsided win of the season.
Travis Shaw hit two home runs and Rusney Castillo hit one to carry Boston to a 15-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night, just hours after Farrell announced he's taking a medical leave to treat lymphoma.
Fighting back tears, the 53-year-old Farrell said that he had a ''highly curable'' form of cancer and has taken leave for the rest of the season.
''We as a group have been walking around with a heavy heart today,'' interim manager Torey Lovullo. ''Our leader, our friend and our manager shared some pretty devastating news with us today.
''We hit just about every emotion that you possibly can, that was topped off with a lot of excitement in the dugout. The guys did that for John. They fought hard and played hard for John today.''
Farrell said the cancer of the lymphatic system was discovered when he had hernia surgery in Detroit earlier this week. He's planning on being back for spring training.
Shaw had a two-run and solo shot, and Castillo's was a two-run homer in Boston's highest run total of the season. The Red Sox finished with a season-high 21 hits and scored in six of the eight innings they batted.
''We definitely wanted to win this for John,'' Shaw said. ''Getting that news earlier in the day, you realize it's hard and puts everything in perspective. You realize there's more than baseball.''
Brock Holt and Pablo Sandoval each had three RBIs with two doubles. Holt's first drove in two runs to cap a six-run third inning.
Starter Joe Kelly (5-6), who limited the Mariners to one run and four hits in six innings, didn't hear the news until after he came out.
''I came out and asked the team: `Where's Farrell at?,''' he said. ''I went in and talked to him after I came out.''
Nelson Cruz went hitless in three at-bats, halting his 21-game hitting streak. It had tied Troy Tulowitzki for the major's longest this season.
Kyle Seager homered for Seattle, which had won eight of 12.
Mike Montgomery (4-5) gave up nine runs on 10 hits in just 2 1/3 innings.
''I know it's emotional,'' he said of Farrell's news. ''That's a terrible thing to see. I think it was more just the baseball and how it played out. They were definitely locked in today.''
Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said Montgomery was hurt by poor command.
''He left a lot of balls up in the middle of the plate,'' he said. ''In this type of ballpark with those type of hitters, you're going to get hurt. Just was not a good outing.''
Leading 3-1, Boston broke it open with its six-run third. Sandoval had a two-run double, Shaw followed with his two-run homer into the Red Sox bullpen, and Holt had a two-run double over the head of leaping center fielder Austin Jackson.
Holt's second RBI double came in the fifth, Sandoval's second run-scoring double came an inning later and Shaw homered in the eighth.
Trailing 1-0 in the first, David Ortiz had an RBI double and Castillo followed with his homer.
Seager homered in the first to put Seattle up 1-0.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Mariners: Cruz was the DH after missing the last game on Wednesday with neck spasms. ''His neck is fine. Just going to balance it as much as I possibly can,'' McClendon said.
Red Sox: RHP Steven Wright was put on the seven-day concussion DL. He was hit in the neck by a batted ball during BP on Wednesday in Miami. ... OF Castillo left with a bruised left foot after fouling a ball off it.
NICE DEFENSE
Red Sox CF Mookie Betts made a long run before leaping to make a catch, crashing into the left-field wall. Jackie Bradley Jr. made a jumping grab deep in the right-fielder corner and second baseman Holt took a hit away from Cruz with a leap on a liner.
TAKE THAT
Ortiz has reached base in 30 straight games against the Mariners. It's the organization that originally signed him — in November 1992.
UP NEXT
Mariners: RHP Felix Hernandez (14-6) is scheduled to start the middle game of the three-game set. He has an 8-3 career record against the Red Sox.
Red Sox: LHP Wade Miley (8-9) is slated to start on Saturday. He's 0-1 in his past five starts.
