Angst-ridden and anxious Yankee aficionados agonized as the Bombers autumn slide continued yesterday with the pinstripers losing Game One of the American League divisional playoffs, 5-3, to the As in Oakland.
“You gotta have faith,” said Janine Epstein, 35, a Bronx transplant who was in the stands at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum to watch the Yanks lose their eighth straight game.
“There’s still more time. I have no doubt they’ll win the whole thing.”
John Wheeler, 26, said he was still confident the Yankees can win the best-of-five series and continue their way to a third straight title.
“We still got ’em,” he said. “We have too much experience. We don’t have MVPs on this team, but we have good players who’ve been there before.”
But the Yankees’ losing ways made many fans nervous.
The Bombers lost 15 of their last 18 games in September, including the last seven games of the regular season.
“I’m starting to worry a little,” said Peter Katz, 43.
“This can’t keep going on like this.”
Robert Pina, 32, said, “It’s shaky. That was a big game.
“With the Rocket [starting pitcher Roger Clemens] losing, your guess is as good as mine as to what will happen next.”
The Yankees got a two-run lead early, lost it, then came back to tie the game at 3.
But when the A’s went ahead for good in the sixth inning, the Oakland bullpen shut down the Bomber offense and the Yanks suffered yet another loss.
The teams play Game Two tonight, then come to The Bronx for Game three Friday.
The Mets start their playoff run today across the bay in San Francisco against the Giants.
Some fans wondered how Yankee Boss George Steinbrenner will react if the Bombers keep on losing until they get knocked out of the playoffs.
“I don’t know what Steinbrenner will do now,” said Paul Mutolo, 28, a Yonkers native who lives in Oakland.
“He might do some drastic things if we get blown out early. This is not good.”
Ted Angelo, 31, wearing a Yankee T-shirt, said, “This was significant because of the slump. We’re in real trouble this time.”
Jeff Guttman, 36, who wore a Clemens jersey, was rooting hard for the Yanks but had a novel way to rationalize the loss.
“Every year the Yankees have won the World Series I’ve had a son born, and I can’t handle any more Yankee wins,” he said.