The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs have endured plenty of postseason heartbreak over the years. On Tuesday night, they both endured horrendous playoff losses.
Both teams were crushed on the road in Game 1 of their respective wild card series. The Red Sox imploded in the Bronx, losing 9-0 to the New York Yankees as Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice dominated them.
Across the country, the Cubs suffered a similarly embarrassing defeat at the hands of the San Diego Padres, losing 8-0.
According to OptaSTATS, it was the first time in MLB postseason history that there were two shutouts by at least eight runs on the same day.
Fortunately for baseball fans, the other two games on Tuesday's slate were closer and more exciting. The first one was the best, featuring a back-and-forth nail-biter between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies that the Braves won, 5-3.
That was followed by the Chicago White Sox cruising to a relatively easy 6-3 win over the Houston Astros.
Boston and Chicago will need to put Tuesday's ugly losses behind them if they want to bounce back on Wednesday and even their series. Their bats need to wake up and their pitching needs to be sharper, or else they're doomed.