Series previews are boring. Every writer and telecaster put out every single detail of the New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals before last night’s Game 1, ensuring that every casual fan can hold their weight in a conversation before the first pitch is thrown.

The test of a true fan is knowing what to look for after the first game of the World Series is played. With last nights 14-inning heart attack behind us, we can now see more clearly the kinds of things that will make or break this World Series for both sides.

Mets: Starting Pitching Efficiency- This has been a strength of the team all postseason long, and it actually helped them out last night as well. Matt Harvey went 6 innings on 80 pitches, leading to the Reed-Clippard-Familia bridge, but probably could’ve gone longer if manager Terry Collins needed him to. In a series as evenly matched as this and after a 14-inning Game 1, saving the bullpen is going to be key from here on out. Jacob deGrom gets the ball in Game 2, and he’s been lights out so far this October, and if he is tonight, the bullpen will thank him a ton.

Royals: Middle-of-the-order Production- While they were able to squeak out a win on an Eric Hosmer sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 14th, the Royals should’ve had more chances if their deep lineup lived up to its expectations in the opener. The 3-4-5 part of the order was a combined 3-20 (.150 average) against six Mets pitchers. It doesn’t figure to get any easier for the likes of Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, and Kendrys Morales with the souped-up pitching rotation of New York, but they need to turn it around if they want to reverse their fortunes from last year’s Fall Classic.

Mets: Hitting Approach- This is a variety of problems all wrapped up in one. They’ve struck out 109 times in 10 postseason games so far and currently sport a .232 batting average and a .295 on-base percentage. The team looks to inflate pitch counts the first time around the order, which is fine, but they need to get back to what they were doing in mid-August and attack the first pitch strike. They’re taking too many strikes, which is forcing them to swing at pitches out of the zone later in the at-bat. It seems like every time they’re at the plate, their trying to hit one 400 feet, which is not how they’re going to win this series. The Mets need to work on putting good, level swings on strikes to string together rallies and score runs in bunches, a la the first inning of Game 4 on the NLCS against the Cubs.

Royals: Run More- Every series preview had the Travis d’Arnaud- KC Baserunners matchup as one of the most intriguing storylines to watch. It proved to be pretty important last night, as the only Royals stolen base led to a run to tie the game at three in the 6th. On the other hand, they only had one stolen base, very rare for the team that can take advantage of their speed the most in the American League. They can create chances for the middle of their order if they take advantage of the young Mets rotation’s inability to hold runners on (Noah Syndergaard has admitted to being anxious with runners on base, while most of the “Fearsome Foursome” rarely throws over to first).

Both: Don’t Make Mistakes in the Field- This came back to bite both teams last night. The Royals and the Mets have made so few mistakes this postseason that it was disappointing to see Michael Conforto and Yoenis Cespedes miscommunicate in the first inning and allow an inside-the-park homer to Alcides Escobar and Eric Hosmer let a grounder past him to give the Mets a 4-3 lead in the 8th. It’s going to be a series that will be decided by whoever makes the fewest mistakes physically, not mentally, because both teams have good enough athletes to overcome mental errors.

I have a feeling that this is going to be a World Series for the ages, and based on Game 1, we’re in for a treat. If both teams play to their strengths and keep these keys in mind, every game might go to extras.