The Boston Red Sox have suffered a devastating back-to-back injury blow, leaving their offense completely dismantled on the brink of playoff elimination against their fiercest rival.

Following a lifeless performance in Game 1 of the Wild Card Round against Cam Schlittler, manager Chad Tracy confirmed that utility weapon Romy Gonzalez remains sidelined with an elbow injury. The nightmare escalated almost immediately as breakout star Roman Anthony was abruptly pulled after injuring his hand on a swing, sidelining him for Game 2 and leaving Boston’s lineup drastically shorthanded.

The timing could not be more disastrous. Boston is forced to face Yankees ace Max Fried, who has utterly dominated the franchise throughout his career with a microscopic 0.92 ERA over his last five starts against them. Without Gonzalez one of the team’s top left-handed hitters who holds a career 1.016 OPS against Fried the Sox are forced to rely on reserve options like Nate Eaton to salvage their season.

With Gerrit Cole waiting on deck and the offense completely paralyzed by injuries, Boston needs an absolute miracle in the next 24 hours to keep their October dreams alive. Stay tuned as this elimination-game thriller unfolds!