Rays' Drew Rasmussen shows Yankees who's boss in Game 1 of ALDS

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- It was showtime at The Trop.

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen was dealing and showed the New York Yankees who was boss in a 1-0 victory in Game 1 of the American League Division Series at Tropicana Field.      

It didn’t matter what he threw  — cutter, changeup, sinker and four-seamer — the Yankees couldn’t touch Rasmussen. He lasted eight innings, recorded 23 swings and misses, struck out 10 batters and had a no-hitter going until the eighth inning, when Austin Wells doubled down the right-field corner with two outs. 

Wells, however, was erased seconds later when he tried to stretch the double into a triple. It wasn’t even close. Right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. grabbed the ball and threw it to shortstop Taylor Walls, who then made a perfect throw to Junior Caminero at third base to nail Wells. 

“I know Vic took a peek to see where the ball was at and where the runner was headed as it was going to bounce into the corner,” Rasmussen recalled. “I mean, he threw an absolute seed to Wallsy. And then, we laugh about it. We joke about it. Anything you can do to get the ball in Number 6's hands (Walls) is a really, really good option. Taylor had the opportunity to make a relay on the play, and just as he always is, so sure-handed, so accurate with his throws, and it was a great way to end the outing.”

What was Wells thinking? New York was down by a run. It would have been wise to stop at second base.    

“Just obviously not a good decision there,”  Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters. “Not sure if he saw something on his way between first and second that caused him to go there. But, obviously, you know, a mistake (was made) there.

“But the biggest issue is just Rasmussen shutting us down. Obviously, a handful of guys hit some balls on the screws. Austin being one of them a couple times there. But we just didn't generate enough, obviously.” 

Drew Rasmussen rose to the occasion against Yankees

Rays manager Kevin Cash has seen Rasmussen rise to the occasion many times, but this game was different.  

“It seemed like he went out and doubled down tonight. He made it pretty easy to sit back and watch and take some decisions out of our hands,” Cash told reporters. 

Rasmussen’s performance should not come as a surprise because he has been dominating since the All-Star break. During that span,  he is 9-0 with a 1.86 ERA in 12 starts. One of those wins came against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 22, when the Rays won the American League East Title. Rasmussen also had a no-hitter going in that game, too, until Heliot Ramos doubled down the left-field line in the seventh. 

“In all honesty, relatively similar,” Rasmussen said.  “At that point, we had the opportunity to win the division. Obviously, this one's a postseason game so both meaningful, both impactful. But I mean, I think my heart rate was a hair higher tonight than it was.” 

The adrenaline was so high on Saturday that Rasmussen didn’t call a single pitch. He let catcher Liam Hicks do all the work.  

“I just tried my best to execute, in all honesty, whatever pitch Liam called, " Rasmussen said. “He was incredible. He was on top of it. Our catchers do so much work to be prepared coming into every single series. Shoot, other than me missing middle on a front hip sinker to Wells, I think he did an excellent job.”

Rasmussen received his only run in the third inning, when Jonathan Aranda hit a solo homer off right-hander Gerrit Cole. Rasmussen didn’t see the dinger. He had to take care of some personal business.

“I was in the bathroom so I missed it. It would have been a really cool time to be in the dugout. But, no, I had to take care of my own business,” Rasmussen said  “But, I mean, he's done it all year for us. … What a special night for him. What a special moment. It was so much fun.”

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.