Nine thoughts on the Red Sox’ 5-4 victory over the Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Division Series . . .
1. Oh, right. It’s been awhile, but now we remember: This is what it’s like to play the Yankees in October. No early lead seems safe, every game seems to slow to a Buchholzian crawl when your rooting interest is ahead, and the tension is chronic. The Red Sox’ 109th victory overall this season and first of the postseason was undoubtedly their most grueling of 2018, and while winning meaningful games like this is satisfying once they’re complete, it’s also a reminder of this: We’d better learn how to cope now, because this is how it always is with the Yankees, and it’s how it is going to be until this series is over.