Expect nothing.

 

How invigorating, that first-game win for your New York Yankees!  

And...how many times have we seen that before, only to be disappointed. A lot, actually.

Throwing out all the one-game "series" (Talk about an oxymoron! And I don't mean George Costanza!), over the last 20 years, from 2002 on, the Yanks are just 6-8 in playoff series when they won the first game.

Ouch!

By contrast, during the years of the Last Dynasty, 1995-2001, the Yankees went 9-2 in playoff series after winning the first game.  

What all this means? Well, just this: it reflects the pitching depth of the old, championship teams, able to follow up their No. 1 with starters who were nearly as good, and deep bullpens.

Does this team have the same? We'll see—but I wouldn't count on it.