Yankees off to good start ending troublesome postseason skid

The Yankees’ unmatched October success, which includes 27 world championships, has made this franchise the gold standard for most of the past century.

But the number that stands out this season, above any other data point or statistical breakdown, is a sobering reality: 0-for-12.

Twelve years, zero titles.

Ending that streak is the Yankees’ mission this October, and it got off to a solid start Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Division Series. At least the part that followed Nick Swisher, wearing a No. 99 jersey, standing in centerfield and waving a giant NY flag with all the lights off at Yankee Stadium.

Yeah, that really happened.

“I was in the tunnel during the festivities with the lights and stuff, because I don't want to be doing that, walking in with Swisher running around,” Cole said afterward. “So yeah, outside of that, it was pretty normal.”

Cole, you may remember, was derailed by a tardy Billy Crystal on Opening Day. But aside from some early traffic on the basepaths and Steven Kwan’s solo homer, Cole was ace-quality into the seventh inning while Harrison Bader and Anthony Rizzo both homered to give the Yankees a 4-1 victory over the Guardians before a sellout crowd of 47,807 at the Stadium.

Only 10 more wins to go for No. 28.

“You just know things are going to happen, that you start scratching your head, like what is this, what's going on?” said Rizzo, whose two-run shot knocked out Cleveland start Cal Quantrill in the sixth. “But I think the more we stay together as a group internally, especially as it gets louder outside, the better off we'll be.”

Bader, famously known as the injured Cardinal who showed up in a boot, blasted to bits any lingering fondness for Jordan Montgomery with his tying 406-foot blast over the leftfield wall in the third inning. He also saved a run in the third inning by cutting off Jose Ramirez’s double in the gap, keeping Amed Rosario at third. Cole later escaped the bases-loaded jam by whiffing the former Met Andres Gimenez.

This is the Bader that GM Brian Cashman had in mind when he pulled off that trade. And for someone who believes in the importance of visualization, Bader was pleased to see it come to fruition as well.

“Any time there's a major league baseball game going on, I want to validate myself,” Bader said. “I want to play hard and I want to show my teammates and I want to show -- my parents are in the stands. I want to show them all why I earned that uniform, there's no doubt.”

Since the Yankees won, we considered letting Josh Donaldson slide for yet another doomed home-run-trot-that-wasn’t, but this was not a first-time offense. With the score tied at 1 in the fifth, Donaldson thought he dumped the go-ahead homer into the short porch in rightfield -- even slapping hands with first-base coach Travis Chapman on his jog by. But the ball caromed off the top edge of the wall, kicking back onto the field and the stunned Donaldson was thrown out scrambling toward first base.

“We have to make sure we're getting where we need to get to,” manager Aaron Boone said. “So I'm glad it didn't end up hurting us.”

The replay didn’t save Donaldson, but his teammates did. After Isiah Kiner-Falefa followed with a single and raced to third on a two-base error by rightfielder Oscar Gonzalez, Jose Trevino supplied a a sacrifice fly that put the Yankees in front for good anyway.

And they didn’t have to lean on Aaron Judge to do it.

The new AL home-run king had a relatively quiet playoff opener, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout and walk in his first game since hitting No. 62 a week ago against the Rangers at Globe Life Field. Judge did have a stolen base in the sixth, however, and scored on Rizzo’s homer.

After Judge finally passed Roger Maris, the Yankees have some of their own history to take care of this October. Since the New York Highlanders became the Yankees in 1913, only twice before has the winningest franchise in professional sports had a longer drought without a championship. The 17-year desert after the ’78 ring and a 14-year gap following the ’62 crown.

But it’s actually much worse, when you consider that the Yankees haven’t even appeared in the World Series -- once considered this team’s birthright -- after beating the Phillies in 2009. Total cost in payroll during that stretch: $2.45 billion.

For Cole, he’s saddled with the added responsibility of being the $324-million pitcher signed specifically to get the Yankees back to a World Series. Despite Cole throwing 62 pitches through three innings Tuesday night, he retired 11 of his final 13 before Myles Straw’s infield single with one out in the seventh finished his night (four hits, one walk, eight Ks). It was exactly how Cole needed this October to begin -- both for him personally and the Yankees.

“It was just a really awesome experience overall,” Cole said.

And one they hope is the start of something special that stretches into November.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.