Yankees news: The Wild Card Series begins

MLB.com | Sarah Langs : The Yankees got off to a great start in the Wild Card Series opener, blanking the Red Sox 9-0 to move one win away from advancing. For much of the night, the clear-cut star of the show was the same man who slammed the door on Boston in their playoff showdown last year: Massachusetts native Cam Schlittler . ( Ben Rice had a heck of a ballgame, too.) We turns it over to Langs, the queen of the fun facts, for seven of her favorite ones from Schlittler's 6.1 brilliant innings of 10-K ball. Here's one: Of the 56 pitchers to have ever made at least two playoff starts against Boston, only two have fanned 10 Red Sox twice. One is Cam; the other is the legendary Bob Gibson. Not bad!

Yahoo Sports | Bob Klapisch : On Monday afternoon, Judge made one last attempt to prove he was ready for the postseason, taking batting practice off Elmer Rodríguez (the projected starter for Sunday's cancelled game) and Ryan Weathers . It was, unsurprisingly, unsuccessful, as the right fielder was only 13 days out from an injury that usually takes 4-6 weeks to heal. And yet, the fact that he can even make an attempt at all is the result of a somewhat-experimental medical procedure, PPP (platelet poor plasma) injections. Early indications suggest that these injections — the inverse of the platelet-rich plasma injections that have been used to treat tendons and ligaments — may help speed the process of soft-tissue injuries.

Also, on the topic of injuries, Red Sox leadoff hitter Roman Anthony had to leave Wild Card Series Game 1 in the sixth inning for a pinch-hitter. The 22-year-old missed nearly four months with various hand and wrist issues, and Boston manager Chad Tracy said they flared up again after an uncomfortable check-swing. There's no word yet on whether the Red Sox will replace him on their roster or keep him around to see if he bounces back at all.