Austin Wells had a costly hit in the eighth inning of the New York Yankees’ 1-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the NLDS.
Rays ace Drew Rasmussen had a no-hitter going and was an out away from being able to take it into the ninth inning, with his team also up 1-0. Wells broke up the no-hit bid with a hard-hit ball down the first-base line.
That hit should have given the Yankees a runner in scoring position, but then Wells kept on running and got thrown out by a few feet while trying to stretch the hit into a triple. Inning over, via a full TOOTBLAN.
Austin Wells SPOILS Drew Rasmussen’s no-hit then gets tagged out at third 🤯pic.twitter.com/BKQWkgy9gV
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) October 4, 2026
The play was scored as a double with Wells getting thrown out at third, still enough to get the Yankees into the hit column.
With one swing, Wells cost Rasmussen the chance at the first postseason no-hitter since the Houston Astros’ combined no-no in the 2022 World Series. And with a little running, he cost his team a chance at tying a one-run game.
That still worked out to a win for the Rays overall. With the no-hit bid gone, closer Bryan Baker entered the game in the ninth inning and got the save for a 1-0 win. Rasmussen’s final line: 8 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs, 2 walks and 10 strikeouts on 101 pitches.
Had Wells made it safely to third base, it would have been his first MLB triple since April 6, 2025. Like many catchers, he is not known for his footspeed. It has also been a trying season for him overall, given his .186/.292/.332 slash line at the plate.