Drew Rasmussen spent most of Saturday night making the Yankees look like they were chasing shadows.
The Rays right-hander carried a no-hit bid into the eighth inning of Game 1 of the American League Division Series before Austin Wells finally broke through with a two-out double to right. Even then, New York couldn’t turn it into anything bigger. Wells was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple, and the inning ended with Tampa Bay still ahead 1-0.
That was the story all night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg: one clean escape after another for Rasmussen, and almost nothing from the Yankees to show for it.
Rasmussen finished with one hit allowed, two walks and 10 strikeouts over eight scoreless innings. He needed 101 pitches, 69 of them strikes, and didn’t give way until after Wells’ double became his final pitch. Bryan Baker handled the ninth, but Rasmussen had already done the heavy lifting for Tampa Bay.
Jonathan Aranda gave him the only run he’d need with a third-inning home run, and that slim edge forced Rasmussen to work with almost no cushion. He never blinked.
New York’s first few chances came and went quickly. Rasmussen opened by retiring the first three hitters he faced, then navigated around a second-inning walk to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and a third-inning walk to Ben Rice. From there, the Yankees’ lineup kept missing.
Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. struck out in the fourth. Chisholm and Trent Grisham went down on strikes in the fifth. Cody Bellinger was caught looking in the sixth, and Jones struck out swinging again in the seventh.
By the time the Yankees came up in the eighth, they still didn’t have a hit.
Chisholm grounded out to first and Grisham grounded out to second before Wells finally sent a ball into right field. The double ended the no-hitter chase, but New York still couldn’t cash in. Wells was thrown out at third, and the Rays escaped with the shutout intact.
Tampa Bay’s offense didn’t exactly light it up, either. The Rays had five hits through seven innings and were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, which made Aranda’s homer all the more important.
Gerrit Cole was charged with the loss after allowing five hits and one run over five innings. He struck out five and walked one, and his lone real mistake came in the third when Aranda sent a 417-foot shot to right-center. Ryan Weathers and Paul Blackburn each followed with a scoreless inning, but the Yankees never found enough offense to back them up.
In the end, Rasmussen turned one run into a full-night command performance. Eight scoreless innings, 10 strikeouts and a lineup left empty-handed for most of the evening - that was enough to put Tampa Bay up 1-0 in the series. Game 3 comes Monday.
In Other News...
Rays Just Got The ALDS Jolt Yankees Fans Feared Most
Drew Rasmussen gave Tampa Bay exactly the kind of October start that can change a series in a hurry. In Game 1 of the American League Division Series, he worked a complete-game shutout against the Yankees, carrying a no-hit bid into the eighth inning and striking out 10 while walking two in a 1-0 Rays win.
Rasmussen retired 15 hitters in a row before a double finally broke up the no-hit attempt, and by then the damage was already done. The Rays now hold a 1-0 lead in the series, with one outing serving as an early reminder that New York may have to solve Tampa Bays pitching the hard way. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Just Added Another Problem For The Yankees In This Series
Drew Rasmussen gave the Rays exactly the kind of October start that changes a series, carrying a no-hitter into the eighth inning before Austin Wells finally broke it up in Game 1 of the ALDS. Tampa Bay still walked away with a 1-0 win over the Yankees, and the result only sharpened the pressure on a New York lineup that spent most of the night chasing a pitcher who never seemed to lose command.
Giancarlo Stantons return added another layer to the Yankees situation, with the slugger coming off the bench in the ninth inning for his first game action before striking out against Bryan Baker. Aaron Boone pointed to Stantons preparation afterward and left open the possibility of more appearances in the series, which gives New York one more variable to manage as it tries to answer a Rays staff that already has the upper hand. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Brosseau Explains Why That Rays Yankees Moment Still Hits Hard
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What makes the memory linger is how neatly it fits the Rays identity from that era: a roster built on underdogs, timing and the ability to turn one pitch into something much bigger. Brosseau also touched on his recent retirement and a few personal-life updates, giving the story a more human edge beyond the highlight reel. And while the current Rays are being discussed through salary projections and prospect rankings, that 2020 swing remains a reminder of how quickly one player can become part of the teams permanent history. [Read more 🡒]