Drew Rasmussen looked a lot more like a pitcher Tampa Bay can ride in October than a starter on a leash Tuesday night.
The Rays needed every bit of it. Rasmussen carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finished with a career-high 114 pitches, striking out 11 and allowing just one hit in Tampa Bay’s 6-1 win over the New York Yankees to clinch the American League East. It was the Rays’ fifth division title and their first since 2021.
What stood out wasn’t just the dominance. It was the workload.
Tampa Bay has been careful with Rasmussen for most of the season, and that caution usually showed up in the form of an early hook. This time, Kevin Cash kept sending him back out there, letting his ace keep going deep into the game instead of turning quickly to the bullpen.
That matters because Tuesday may have offered a glimpse of how the Rays want to handle him in the playoffs.
If Tampa Bay gets into a tight October game and Rasmussen is sitting near 90 pitches in the sixth inning with a one-run lead, the choice gets simple fast: let him keep going or hand it to a fresh reliever. Cash has never been shy about making tough pitching decisions in the postseason, but Tuesday suggested his answer might lean toward Rasmussen.
The whole doubleheader had that October feel.
Carlos Rodón shut the Rays down in a 2-0 loss in the opener, and a few hours later Tampa Bay had to deal with another tough starter in Max Fried. The Rays didn’t win that one with power. They pieced it together with singles, walks, aggressive baserunning, and Taylor Walls dropping down a bunt that helped set up another run.
That was the same kind of grit Rasmussen showed on the mound: no wasted motion, no need for a home run swing, just execution when it mattered most.
And if the Yankees are the first team Tampa Bay sees in the postseason, Tuesday gave a pretty clear hint at how the Rays might want to attack October.
In Other News...
Rays Rookies Have Forced Their Way Into A Real October Debate
Ty Johnson and Brody Hopkins have turned a late-season promotion into something more meaningful for the Rays, making immediate impressions with the kind of pitching that can change how a playoff staff is built. Both rookies were recently brought up to the majors and quickly showed enough for pitching coach Kyle Snyder to highlight Hopkins exceptional pitches and Johnsons effective delivery, a notable endorsement at a time when Tampa Bay is looking closely at every arm it can trust.
Kevin Cash said roster decisions remain preliminary, and there are still spots open as the club weighs the readiness of other pitchers working back from injury. Even so, the way Johnson and Hopkins have pitched has pushed them into the conversation for the American League Division Series, which is exactly the sort of October problem the Rays were hoping to have, even if the final call is still hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Blow Four-Run Lead In A Frustrating Reminder Before October
Ian Seymour gave the Rays exactly what they wanted in a tune-up setting, carving through five scoreless innings while Tampa Bay spent the afternoon looking like a club with one eye already on October. With the AL East and top playoff seed secured, the Rays leaned on the game to rest key pitchers and sort through their playoff preparation, but the early cushion they built still made the eventual outcome sting a little more than a September exhibition ought to.
The trouble started once the bullpen took over, and a four-run lead entering the sixth inning unraveled into a 6-4 loss. The decisive blow came on a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth, turning a comfortable afternoon into the kind of reminder teams try to avoid right before the postseason, when every late-inning pitch gets a little more magnified. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Are Betting On One Bullpen Arm For October
Manuel Rodriguez is back on the Rays active roster after recovering from a low back strain, giving Tampa Bay another late-season bullpen option as the postseason arrives. To clear space, the club designated right-hander Jake Woodford for assignment, a move that underscores how tightly every roster spot is being managed with October in view.
Rodriguez is expected to be part of the bullpen mix in the playoffs, a boost the Rays will take with some other arms still unavailable for the ALDS. With Shane McClanahan among the injured pitchers, Tampa Bay is leaning on health and matchup value as it tries to line up the right relief help for the games that matter most. [Read more 🡒]