The Boston Red Sox face elimination against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night.
The game follows a 9-0 defeat in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series.
Boston will start 36-year-old right-hander Sonny Gray, who posted an 18-5 record with a 2.72 ERA this season.
New York counters with left-hander Max Fried.
The pitching matchup comes after Yankees starter Cam Schlittler struck out 10 batters over 6 ⅓ shutout innings on Tuesday night.
Schlittler allowed only two hits and one walk.
"If you want to be a legend, which is obviously the goal, you have to do it in the postseason," Schlittler said.
He extended his career dominance over Boston to a 4-1 record and a 0.47 ERA across six appearances.
New York's offense backed him through Ben Rice, who drove in six runs with two home runs, including an eighth-inning grand slam.
The Game 1 loss marked the worst postseason shutout defeat in Red Sox franchise history.
"Now we have to win two games in a row," manager Chad Tracy said.
"It’s a challenge. That’s the challenge of a three-game series.
Now you have to win two in a row and you have to be aggressive to keep the season alive."
Historically, teams losing the opening contest of a best-of-three Wild Card Series have come back in only three of 24 instances.
