Theres still hope for Yankees even if that World Series loss was as devastating as it gets
You don’t always get Game 1s like this one.And when they bite you, it hurts.
This one’ll hurt.The Yankees were one out away from the most remarkable win you’ll ever see.
Instead Freddie Freeman hit one to Santa Barbara.Freddie Freeman, longtime Mets killer.Freddie Freeman, newfound Yankees killer.His grand slam ended this one, turning a 3-2 Yankees lead it into a 6-3 Dodgers win.
It really was something.Nobody makes declarations about winning the first game of the World Series.That’s supposed to be the beauty of a seven-game series, after all: you can stub your toe early and still recover.
There have been enough teams to stub their toes early twice and still recover.We have seen it time and again.Still, taking the opener is a nice step.
Since the wild-card era began in 1995, the team that has won Game 1 has gone on to win 23 out of 29 times.That’s a percentage of .793, and that’s pretty definitive.
It’s happened five of the last six years.It’s a thing.But it’s not everything.And no postseason relationship underlines this more than the Dodgers and the Yankees.
In this case, winning Game 1 is basically a 60-40 chance for the winner, and in the two most recent examples the eventual winner not only lost the first game but the first TWO games.And still recovered.Taking a look backward:Game 1: Yankees 5, Dodgers 3Series: Dodgers 4, Yankees 2The Yankees had come flying into the World Series playing their best ball of the season, swiping a do-or-die Game 5 of the strike-mandated ALDS from the Brewers and then smoking the Oakland A’s of Billy Martin in three straight.
They kept it up in the Series, winning 5-3 behind Ron Guidry and 3-0 behind Tommy John at Yankee Stadium.But the Yankees blew leads in three straight games at Dodger Stadium, and then the Dodgers hammered the Yankees 9-2 in Game 6.Game 1: Dodgers 11, Yankees 5Series: Yankees 4, Dodgers 2Davey Lopes hit two home runs and the Dodgers jumped to an 8-0 lead before cruising in Game 1, th...