It didn’t take long for Red Sox vs. Yankees to remind New England baseball fans just how great and how intense postseason baseball is.

From the first inning to the white knuckle ninth, Game 1 of the Wild Card Series was a classic. It had all the drama and situational anxiety that defines the best of both this rivalry and October baseball, even if it was only Sept. 30.

Even fans who’d been disillusioned by Red Sox mediocrity for the past four years would have had a hard time not being captivated. At no point did either team feel fully confident or fully out of it. Every pitch mattered. Every decision mattered until Vaughn Grissom struck out with the bases loaded to end Boston’s 3-1 win.

It started with the pitching matchup right out of the gate.

Regular-season dominance often doesn’

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