ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Drew Rasmussen entered the interview room as manager Kevin Cash showered him with praise.
“That’s the best thing you’ve ever been to me,” Rasmussen said after greeting Cash.
The powerful right-hander deserved all the superlatives.
Rasmussen didn’t allow a hit until there were two outs in the eighth inning, Jonathan Aranda homered off Gerrit Cole and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees 1-0 in their AL Division Series opener Saturday night.
“He was dominant before the break,” Cash said of Rasmussen. “He’s been elite all season long. He’s really done that since he was with the Tampa Bay Rays, coming here, and his contributions. It feels like he continues to get better.”
Rasmussen retired 15 straight batters before Austin Wells doubled with two outs in the eighth, ripping a line drive just inside the right field line on an infield sinker.
Wells attempted a triple but was easily thrown out on a relay from right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. to shortstop Taylor Walls and third baseman Junior Caminero. Wells ran through a stop sign from third base coach Luis Rojas, who raised both arms before Wells rounded second.
Rasmussen dominated a lineup that scored 18 points in a two-game Wild Card Series sweep of Boston and was still missing three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge, sidelined since Sept. 16 with a calf injury.
“You say the word dominate. Man, I feel like I’m grinding out there,” Rasmussen said. “I mean, it’s the same no matter the lineup. If you’re running one day, hitting is really hard. And so it’s just one of those things, can I go out and throw a strike and can I execute in a zone with two strikes?”
Rasmussen, 31, struck out 10 and walked two in eight innings. He threw 69 of 101 pitches for strikes, getting 23 swings and misses against a batting order that threw eight left-handed hitters.
“I thought he was really sharp,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I thought his changeup was good for him and for the game. Obviously with our left-handed hitters, it looked like he had the cutter going when he needed it. Then the good four-seamer where he mixed in some sinkers. His command is really good and that’s kind of what sets him apart. He’s got a great arsenal. The ability to throw to both sides of the plate and up and down obviously makes him tough and we had a hard time solving him.”
Bryan Baker pitched a perfect ninth for the save, finishing the hit. He retired pinch hitter Giancarlo Stanton, in his first plate appearance since April 24 after recovering from a calf injury, iced out Ben Rice with a changeup for a called third strike and retired Cody Bellinger on a grounder to secure Tampa Bay’s first playoff victory since 2021.
The Rays haven’t won a playoff series since losing the 2020 World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Baker converted 41 of 44 save chances in the regular season, including his last 30.
Game 2 of the best-of-five series will take place Monday night at Tropicana Field.
Aranda drove Cole’s 2-2 changeup several rows deep into the right-center stands for his first career postseason hit.
“We know the rival we have against the Yankees and the opponent they are,” Aranda said. “It’s important to win the first game, but we feel really good and I felt really good with that hit.”
In his first playoff game since undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2025, Cole allowed one run and five hits in five innings with five strikeouts. It wasn’t enough, as the Yankees lost a playoff game 1-0 for the first time since Hall of Famer Don Drysdale threw a three-hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1963 World Series.
A loud, boisterous crowd rang bells and drowned out Yankees fans in the quirky Trop, which hosted its first postseason game since Hurricane Milton blew the roof off in October 2024. The Rays were forced to play their 2025 season across the bay, at Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees’ spring training home.
“It’s the best crowd noise I’ve ever seen in a stadium,” Cash said.
Rasmussen was 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA for the Rays and made the All-Star team for the second straight season. He underwent surgery twice for a torn elbow ligament in college and required an internal bracing procedure in July 2023 that forced him out for more than a year.
His 10 strikeouts tied Tyler Glasnow’s franchise record for most in a playoff game.
Rasmussen has had success against the AL East rival Yankees throughout his career. He entered with a 1.81 ERA in 10 career starts and one relief appearance against New York, and on September 22, he earned a no-hit bid in the seventh against the Yankees in the victory that clinched the AL East title for the Rays.
“What wasn’t elite? I mean, he was just incredible and he did that at Yankee Stadium the night we were lucky to clinch,” Cash said. “It looked like he came out and doubled down tonight. It was pretty easy to sit back and watch and take some decisions out of our hands.”
RHP Cam Schlittler, the favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award, will start Game 2 for the Yankees. RHP Freddy Peralta will take the mound for the Rays.
—
See the AP’s complete MLB coverage here
Copyright 2026 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and the Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
Gn sports
