Drew Rasmussen pitched 7⅔ scoreless innings and Jonathan Aranda hit a home run, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 1–0 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday night at Tropicana Field. Rasmussen allowed just one hit and struck out 10 batters, anchoring a pitching performance that kept New York scoreless before Bryan Baker closed out the final out.
The win gives Tampa Bay a 1–0 advantage in the best-of-five series. Game 2 is scheduled for Monday night in Florida at 8 p.m. ET, according to game recaps from lenouvelliste.ca and USA Today.
Jonathan Aranda Provides the Game’s Only Run Against Gerrit Cole
The decisive swing came in the bottom of the third inning in front of a sellout crowd of 40,542. Jonathan Aranda drove a 417-foot home run off Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole, sending the ball deep to provide the only scoring of the evening. USA Today noted that the home run sparked one of the loudest ovations seen at Tropicana Field in years.
Rasmussen admitted he missed the moment entirely. “Unfortunately, I was in the bathroom,” Rasmussen told USA Today. “It would have been a really cool time to be in the dugout. But, no, I had to take care of my own business.”
Drew Rasmussen Nears Postseason History Before Late Hit
Rasmussen retired 15 batters before yielding a two-out double down the right-field line to Austin Wells in the eighth inning. Wells attempted to stretch the hit into a triple, but right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. retrieved the ball and fired a relay to shortstop Taylor Walls, who tagged Wells out at third base. Luis Rojas, the Yankees’ third-base coach, had given Wells the stop sign, lenouvelliste.ca reported.
The 7⅔ hitless innings marked a dominant outing for Rasmussen, who tied Washington’s Anibal Sanchez in 2019 for the longest individual hitless postseason bid since Roy Halladay no-hit the Cincinnati Reds in 2010. His 10 strikeouts also tied a Tampa Bay franchise record for a postseason game.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised the right-hander’s pitch mix after the game. “He was very solid,” Boone said, as reported by lenouvelliste.ca. “His change-up served him well, and with all our left-handed hitters [eight], his cut fastball too. And also his classic fastball, especially before breaking balls. He really isn’t comfortable to face.”
Rasmussen Limits Effort to Maintain Control
Rasmussen revealed after the game that his adrenaline was running high throughout the night. “My heart rate was at a thousand beats per minute,” he said to USA Today with a laugh. Around the third or fourth inning, he told pitching coach Kyle Snyder that he was operating at roughly 50% effort because anything harder risked a major misfire.
To manage the workload, Rasmussen leaned heavily on catcher Liam Hicks. “I just tried my best to execute, in all honesty, whatever pitch Liam called,” Rasmussen said. “He was incredible.”
Rays manager Kevin Cash lauded his starter’s consistency following the win. “What wasn’t elite?” Cash asked, per USA Today. “He was dominant before the All-Star break. He has been elite all season. I feel like he continues to get better.”
Yankees Play Short-Handed Without Aaron Judge
The Yankees played without three-time American League Most Valuable Player Aaron Judge, who remained sidelined with a right calf injury. Judge has been out of the lineup since September 16. He also missed significant time earlier in the year, sitting out from May 31 to September 8 due to a fractured rib. In 66 games this season, Judge batted .241 with 18 home runs and 41 RBIs.
ALDS Continues Monday with Starters Unannounced
The American League Division Series continues Monday at 8 p.m. Neither team has officially announced their Game 2 starting pitchers in the sourced reports.
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