We began this series on a soggy Friday night

by discussing how the playoffs had a lot to live up to match the excitement of the regular season’s final day. As we sit here less than a week later, we can officially say that the action thus far has exceeded expectations. It’s every baseball fan’s greatest dream: three decisive Game 5s in the span of about 24 hours, starting with tonight’s contest between the Tigers and Yankees in the Bronx.

Tonight’s game comes with plenty of intrigue.

The Yankees return home riding the momentum

of an emphatic 10-1 victory in Tuesday’s Game 4 and send rookie Ivan Nova to the mound for the biggest start of his young life. Detroit counters with Doug Fister, who, like Nova, will be making his first career postseason start. Remember, because of the kooky weather that forced the suspension of

Game 1, Nova’s and Fister’s outings

Saturday technically counted as a relief appearances, making them just the seventh and eight pitchers in baseball history to make their first start of a postseason series in a decisive game. It hasn’t happened since 1980, when Philadelphia’s Marty Bystrom started

Game 5 of the NLCS against Houston.

Also, at 24 years, 8 months and 24 days, Nova will become the youngest man to start a decisive game in a playoff series since the Angels’ Ervin Santana beat the Yankees in the 2005 ALDS.