The Boston Red Sox lost 9-0 to the New York Yankees on Tuesday in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series.
The final score looks ugly, but it was a tight game for most of the night. Payton Tolle gave the Red Sox 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball, but was pulled at 83 pitches with nobody on base in the fifth inning. Ben Rice was stepping up to the plate after striking out and doubling against Tolle in his first two at-bats. Chad Tracy decided to go to southpaw Erik Miller.
Rice homered to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. Alec Gamboa, Wyatt Olds and Brayan Bello combined to allow seven earned runs in the final two innings of work, capped off by a Rice grand slam off Bello in the eighth inning.
The Red Sox now face a 1-0 series deficit, facing Max Fried on Wednesday. Even with Sonny Gray on the mound, the odds do not seem to be in the Red Sox's favor after a poor showing, but Tolle is not ready to give up.
"I haven't heard the fat lady sing yet, so we're just going to keep going out there," Tolle told reporters after the game. "I believe in us."
It's not over until the fat lady sings is what they say, and Tolle seems to be a believer in the age-old saying. There's a reason these series are best-of-three, and the Red Sox have a chance to extend the series on Wednesday.
The Red Sox have had their backs against the wall for most of the season, so Tolle is right to think his team can come back.