When a team allows a bunch of runs in the first inning, you can safely assume that they’re not going to win. Last Friday, when the Red Sox picked up four runs in the top of the first inning, the Yankees’ win expectancy in that game was just 19 percent. It went down to five percent when Boston added three more runs in the second.
On this day in 1998, the Yankees spotted the Rangers six runs in the first inning. They did not end up winning, but the fact that it even became a question is a testament to how good they were.