Francisco Lindor will not only be the likeliest candidate to make that happen, he’ll also be the Mets’ first option when he leads the game off against whichever reliever of choice Dave Roberts

That can mean a host of things: fashioning a new pitch, steadying mechanics, out-scheming the opposition, solving for what the opponent is trying to do before they do it, and so on. It ought to go without writing that every player and every team has to make some kind of adjustments throughout the season.

Historically, teams that win Game 1 of a best-of-seven have gone on to win the series 64% of the time. That jumps to 68% when the team with home-field advantage wins Game 1. The Dodgers had the best record in baseball during the regular season and thus have home-field advantage in the NLCS, and throughout October.