Schilling was bothered by a bruise on the ankle earlier in the season but overcame the pain by receiving the marcaine injections before his starts. The ankle flared up again last week however, forcing him to receive further injections, including one before Game 1, and to wear a combination of a brace and tape. He said he had a terrible session in the bullpen before the game.
"Once I realized that I couldn't rear back and get everything out of my pitches," he said, "I concentrated on just making good pitches and hitting spots."
Unfortunately, when Schilling took the mound, he felt the ankle "popping" while he pitched, which he said prevented him from focusing properly on his pitches. It showed. His fastballs were often four or more miles below his normal velocity, and he uncharacteristically missed catcher Jason Varitek's target several times while the Yankees battered him for six hits and six runs in three innings.
Worse, Schilling made no prediction that the ankle would improve for a possible start later in the series. Asked to estimate his chances of returning, he replied, "I have no feeling. We'll see how it feels tomorrow."
"He just didn't look right," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "We were trying to give him every opportunity because his heart's so big and he has the ability to reach back, and we talked when he came out. I don't think he was hurting; he just wasn't right, wasn't driving and we'll talk later."