The Red Sox offense went absolutely silent last night, managing only three measly hits, as Cam Schlittler proved utterly unhittable, leading the Yankees to a 9-0 blowout win in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series. This was the kind of beatdown that just rips the heart out of a team, especially when you’re kicking off a short series.
Schlittler Was Straight Up Filthy, And He Knew It
Dude, Cam Schlittler was something else. This guy, who’s already a Cy Young favorite, went out there and threw a career-high 117 pitches, dealing 6 ⅓ shutout innings. He racked up 10 strikeouts, making Boston hitters look completely lost. We’re talking 24 swings-and-misses, a career-high for him! He mixed up his pitches, threw way more curveballs, and just dominated, holding the Red Sox to just three baserunners, two singles and a walk. What’s even crazier? This is his second postseason outing against the Red Sox in the last year, and in 14 ⅓ shutout innings, he’s fanned 22 batters and given up only seven hits. He absolutely backed up any smack talk he might have had, and then some. The guy got Willson Contreras to line out, then gave up a single to Wilyer Abreu before getting pulled, with Paul Blackburn coming in to nail down an inning-ending double play. Talk about control.
Boston’s Bats Died a Slow, Painful Death as Injuries Mount
Man, for Boston fans, this was rough. All year, the word was their pitching staff was elite but the offense would be their downfall, and Game 1 made that painfully clear. After ranking dead last in a bunch of offensive categories in September, they came out and delivered just three hits. They couldn’t even get a runner to second base until the eighth inning, and only hit two balls harder than 99 mph all night. They were outhit 12-3, and while it was a 2-0 game for six innings, you just knew it was going to break. And break it did, in a massive way. To make matters worse, it looks like they lost Roman Anthony to a hand injury in the process. He played five innings in the field and struck out in both his at-bats before getting pulled for Monasterio, who also struck out. Afterward, Anthony wasn’t available to reporters and the Red Sox never announced anything, which is always a bad sign. Tracy confirmed he felt discomfort in the hand, near where he’d torn a ligament before. Just a brutal night all around for their lineup and depth.
Questionable Moves and a Grand Slam Seal the Deal
Then there’s the head-scratching management from Chad Tracy. It really felt like he wasn’t even chasing the win in Game 1 of a best-of-three. You gotta wonder why he pulled an effective Payton Tolle at just 83 pitches with two outs in the fifth. Erik Miller came in, and bam! Ben Rice launches his first home run. But the really wild stuff happened late. Trailing 2-0 after Greg Weissert got through a scoreless sixth, Tracy left intriguing bullpen options like Jake Bennett, Brayan Bello, and Garrett Crochet just sitting there. Instead, he handed the ball to rookie Alec Gamboa, who didn’t record a single out while giving up two runs. Then, Rice, who already had a solo shot earlier, absolutely blew the game wide open with a grand slam in the eighth. That made it 9-0 and felt like the final nail.
This was about as bad as it gets for the Red Sox. They now need to win two straight games, with Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez taking the mound, just to keep their season alive. Can they even recover from a beatdown like this? We’ll see what they bring in Game 2.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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