It was just about 13 months ago. In his Yankee Stadium debut, Roman Anthony delivered a standout performance, capping the night with a crucial two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning to seal the Red Sox victory. His stat line read 2-for-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, and 1 SO. Quickly, the caption went out: “THE ROMAN EMPIRE HAS TAKEN OVER NEW YORK.” The title “Face of the Red Sox Franchise” was also relatively new at the time.

However, fast-forward to September 29, 2026. The venue and the opponent were still the same, but no one is talking about the “Roman Empire” now. Why?

Roman Anthony left the stadium because of injury 

Well, on Tuesday, the New York Yankees defeated the Red Sox 9-0 at Yankee Stadium in Game 1 of the MLB Wild Card round. Anthony went 0-for-2.

Roman Anthony was there when the Yankees’ Cam Schlittler threw the first pitch. The stadium was loud, and there were also loud boos when his name was announced at the top of the Red Sox lineup. But later, Anthony left the stadium.

Lou Merloni, the baseball analyst, shared his take on the situation.

He said, “That’s not a good sign. We saw Roman Anthony out there just doing sprints (before the game), and he had that right hand that had him miss 101 games, it was wrapped, we hadn’t seen that in the last couple of weeks.

There was a check swing (in Sunday’s game vs Cubs) where we weren’t sure what we were seeing. It looked like he was shaking it out a little bit. Obviously, hasn’t been right, and there’s something going on with it.” 

He was injured, but didn’t explain his injury before leaving the stadium. However, after the game, Chad Tracy, the Red Sox manager, said that Anthony left because his hand “flared on him” and became “uncomfortable” during a check swing. Notably, it was the same hand that landed him on the IL for three months this season.

Now, talking about the performances, the Red Sox offense literally collapsed yesterday, and a major reason was Cam Schlittler’s dominant outing.

Cam Schlittler exited to a standing ovation

Yesterday, when Cam Schlittler exited the game, he received a standing ovation, with fans chanting “MVP.” At that moment, the Yankees were leading 2-0 in the seventh inning. So, what did the ‘Walpole, Massachusetts kid’ do in the game?

Well, he racked up 10 strikeouts while allowing just two hits and issuing a single walk. Additionally, after Adley Rutschman hit a first-inning single, Schlittler retired 13 consecutive Red Sox batters, completely stifling any momentum. Ultimately, Schlittler consistently generated swing-and-miss stuff, keeping Boston hitters off-balance and chasing pitches outside the zone.

Such an outing made him the first player in Yankees history with multiple postseason outings of 10 strikeouts and zero runs allowed, and both came against the Red Sox.

His performance was so impactful that Boston Herald’s Gabrielle Starr wrote on X, “The Red Sox will never get past the Yankees in a postseason series until they figure out Cam Schlittler.” 

However, there was Ben Rice, too, in the game.

Ben Rice hit a grand slam

With Aaron Judge sidelined because of a calf injury, Ben Rice carried the offense and put together a historic night at the plate yesterday.

With New York clinging to a 1-0 lead, Rice first launched a 423-foot solo shot off Red Sox reliever Erik Miller into Monument Park in center field to extend the lead to 2-0. He then added another insurance run with a bases-loaded RBI single off Alec Gamboa. Ultimately, Rice capped his memorable night by crushing a bases-loaded grand slam off Brayan Bello to blow the game wide open at 9-0.

Ben Rice ended the night with two milestones. His six RBIs tied the Yankees’ single-game postseason franchise record. Moreover, his eighth-inning blast marked the 16th postseason grand slam in Yankees history.

Apart from Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice, there were a few more reasons behind the Red Sox’s offensive collapse.

The Red Sox had major issues

Actually, the Boston Red Sox brought their late-season offensive slump straight into October. Over their final eight games of the regular season, they averaged fewer than two runs per game, and that cold stretch continued against New York’s pitching.

Also, returning from a right-hand injury, Willson Contreras went 0-for-4. The problem was compounded as key bats at the top and middle of the order failed to build any sustained rallies or drive in baserunners.

Not to forget, while the game remained close early on at 1-0 through four innings, Boston never mounted a serious counterattack. Once the Yankees pulled away with four runs in the seventh and another four in the eighth, capped by Ben Rice’s grand slam, the shutout was sealed.

But in such a situation, the only hiccup for the Yankees was Aaron Judge.

Aaron Judge was left out

Ahead of Game 1, Judge was seen on the field at Yankee Stadium performing running and throwing drills as he continued working toward a potential return if the Yankees advance to the ALDS.

However, during introductions, the Yankees introduced all of their players, including those who were not on the 26-man roster. Judge was not introduced. Later, manager Aaron Boone explained the reason for leaving Judge off the Wild Card roster.

“[Taking BP yesterday was] a significant step for him and a sign he’s shown real improvement over the last couple of weeks. We had an honest conversation last night. I just felt like he wasn’t quite ready,” he said. 

The decision worked out for the Yankees. However, Yankees fans will want to see Aaron Judge back on the field soon.