SAN DIEGO � The postseason would be different, the Yankees promised.
Flaws exposed during an inconsistent 2020 regular season could be straightened out by a healthy lineup.
And that 2-8 record against the Tampa Bay Rays?
Didn't mean a thing anymore, going against them in a best-of-five AL Division Series.
On Monday night, the Yankees' restored confidence was on wide display during a 9-3 Game 1 victory at neutral site Petco Park.
The No. 5 seed Yankees smashed three home runs off lefty starter Blake Snell, while ace Gerrit Cole (six innings) finished strong against the top-seeded Rays.
With the Yankees clinging to a one-run lead in the ninth, Giancarlo Stanton's grand slam broke things open during a five-run inning off reliever John Curtiss.
And the party was on.
"I think we're getting back to that Mojo and it's huge," Yankees first baseman Luke Voit said before the series began. "We're clicking at the right time."
New York Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka (66) is congratulated by third base coach Phil Nevin after hitting a solo home run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the fifth inning in Game one of a baseball American League Division Series Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
On cue, the Yankees established a new franchise mark with at least three homers in three straight postseason games, one game shy of Tampa Bay's MLB record of four games set in the 2008 AL Championship Series.
Back in the lineup for the first time since Sept. 26, Clint Frazier belted a long, solo homer in the third.
Fifth-inning solo shots by Kyle Higashioka and Aaron Judge gave the Yankees a 4-3 lead, forging a path that led to their third straight win this postseason.
