Drew Rasmussen takes no-hit bid into eighth, silences Yankees in ALDS Game 1 originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Yankees finally got a hit against Drew Rasmussen. They still could not keep a runner on base.
Austin Wells doubled to right with two outs in the eighth inning Saturday, ending Rasmussen’s no-hit bid in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. But Wells was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple, bringing the inning to an end and preserving Tampa Bay’s 1-0 lead. It was a fitting finish to eight innings in which New York struggled to find any opening against the Rays’ right-hander.
Rasmussen allowed one hit, walked two and struck out 10 through eight scoreless innings at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. He threw 101 pitches, including 69 strikes, carrying a no-hitter within four outs of completion before Wells broke through. That was his final pitch before he gave way to closer Bryan Baker.
Jonathan Aranda’s third-inning home run supplied the only run through the top of the eighth. That left Rasmussen pitching with almost no margin for error for most of the night. He kept answering the challenge, turning a narrow lead into a showcase of how thoroughly one starter can control a postseason game.
Even the Yankees’ first hit ended in an out
Rasmussen retired the first three Yankees he faced, then worked around a second-inning walk to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and a third-inning walk to Ben Rice.
Tropicana Field was ROCKIN’ after this play 😤 https://t.co/cyobBPbSK1pic.twitter.com/l1lCL2hnCI
— MLB (@MLB) October 4, 2026
After that, New York’s lineup had little to show for its trips to the plate. Rasmussen struck out Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. in the fourth inning, then fanned Chisholm and Trent Grisham in the fifth. Cody Bellinger struck out looking in the sixth, and Jones went down swinging again in the seventh.
The Yankees entered the eighth still searching for their first hit.
Chisholm grounded out to first and Grisham grounded out to second before Wells finally drove a ball into right field. The double ended the pursuit of a no-hitter, but the out at third prevented New York from building anything around it.
Tampa Bay surrendered its first hit and completed another scoreless inning on the same play. For Rasmussen, the historic possibility disappeared. The pitching line remained exceptional.
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Aranda gives Rasmussen one run to protect
The Rays were hardly overwhelming New York’s pitching staff, either. Gerrit Cole allowed five hits and one run over five innings, striking out five and walking one. His biggest mistake came in the third, when Aranda drove a solo home run 417 feet to right-center field. Ryan Weathers and Paul Blackburn followed Cole with a scoreless inning apiece, keeping the Yankees close despite their offensive struggles.
Tampa Bay had five hits through seven innings and was 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Aranda’s swing therefore carried enormous weight.
Rasmussen made that single run hold up through eight. With two walks and one hit allowed, he gave New York few opportunities to manufacture a rally. His strikeouts repeatedly removed the possibility of advancing a runner or forcing Tampa Bay’s defense to make a play.
The Rays still needed the final three outs to secure Game 1 when the eighth inning ended. Baker did the job, but Rasmussen had already delivered the kind of performance teams hope for when they hand a pitcher the ball to open a playoff series: eight scoreless innings, double-digit strikeouts and an opposing lineup left searching for answers.
Tampa Bay leads the series 1-0 with Game 3 coming Monday.
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