NEW YORK — There was no sighting of Roman Anthony late Tuesday night. Inside the clubhouse, his locker sat vacant. His Red Sox teammates sat nearby, too, coping with the aftermath of a 9-0 drubbing by the Yankees in Game 1 of this best-of-three AL Wild Card series.
Yet the night carried an even deeper concern. Anthony's vacancy in the clubhouse mirrored his absence on the field. In the top of the sixth inning, the Red Sox's prized 22-year-old was removed from the game with the same hand and finger injury that cost him 101 games this season.
"The hand," Boston manager Chad Tracy said about Anthony in a low tone after the loss. "He took a check swing and then another swing and his hand flared on him. And it got uncomfortable, so we had to make a move there." It's bugged Anthony all season during a diluted second year in the majors.
Boston didn't expect Anthony to miss much time. But the injury never responded -- not to treatment, nor to the swing that had made him one of the best young players in the game. One the Red Sox were certain could carry a load, even as he continued growing into his slender shoulders.
The hand created so much dialogue. So many opinions over the course of this season. The partial tendon and ligament tear had some within baseball circles questioning Anthony's toughness.
The Red Sox even tried a change of scenery, sending Anthony to Fort Myers, Fla., in early July to continue his rehab at their spring training complex. Maybe that would push him along. The hand continued to bother him.
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