Roman Anthony Exits ALWCS Game 1 With Hand Soreness

Playoff baseball is stressful enough without watching your left fielder suddenly exit the most important game of the year because his hand hurts.

According to MLB Trade Rumors, Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony was forced to leave Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series with what the team is calling hand soreness.

"Hand soreness" is exactly the kind of vague medical terminology that makes a fanbase sick to its stomach. In May, a sore hand gets you a routine day off and some ice in the dugout. In the opening game of a short October series, a player only comes out of the lineup if he physically cannot grip the bat or throw the baseball.

You do not pull a crucial piece of your roster in the Wild Card round for a minor scrape. Anthony has been a staple in left field for Boston, and losing him mid-game completely changes the math for the manager's bench rotation.

Live betting markets absolutely hate this kind of sudden uncertainty. When a starter exits early in the postseason, live moneylines swing wildly, player props get complicated, and the entire series price gets put on ice until the sportsbooks know exactly how bad the damage is.

Now Boston has to sweat out the postgame imaging and medical updates. If Anthony is compromised for Game 2, the Red Sox lose a massive piece of their identity right when the margin for error has officially dropped to zero.