Ranking comeback chances of the four teams that lost Game 1

MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince ranked the comeback prospects of the four teams facing elimination after dropping Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. Highlighting that only three teams have ever recovered from an opening loss in 24 previous best-of-three series, Castrovince evaluated the Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Phillies on a difficulty scale ranging from 1 to 10.

Castrovince ranked the Red Sox with the best recovery outlook despite a 9-0 loss to the Yankees, followed by the Astros, who lost 6-3 to Chicago. The Cubs, shut out 8-0 by the Padres, were rated next, while the Phillies were ranked in the worst position after blowing an eighth-inning lead in a 5-3 defeat against the Braves.