OAKLAND – The Yankees will board a flight after Game 2 of their Division Series against the young, wild A’s either standing on equal footing with them or standing in quicksand.

In the wake of last night’s 5-3 Game 1 loss, Yankees manager Joe Torre, so skilled at putting a positive spin on things, did not engage in denial about the importance of tonight’s Game 2. It pits A’s veteran Kevin Appier, making his postseason debut, against October-seasoned left-hander Andy Pettitte.

Torre did not fall back on cliches about a team needing three games to win a best-of-five series. He did not backpedal from the pressure that confronts his team tonight.

“Obviously, we’re down one game to none in a five-game series,” Torre said. “We need to come out here and split it (tomorrow).”

It is a test of how much the aging Yankees have left in their tanks.

“This is something we need to do,” Torre said of winning Game 2. “And it is a test. There’s no question.”

And if they don’t win?

“If we lose, I’ll come up with a reason why it doesn’t matter, you know,” he said. “But we’re going to fight every day and hopefully we win three games before they do.”

Torre will come with a reason why a two-games-to-none disadvantage is no time to panic, but even he won’t believe himself.

“We knew that coming in, that they were a very patient ballclub,” Torre said. “That’s sort of what we would like to do, go out there and make the pitcher throw strikes.”