ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Dirt was still streaked across Austin Wells’ gray jersey as he spoke Saturday night, a mark left by a costly, over-aggressive decision.
Trying to stretch an eighth inning double into a triple, Wells ran into an easy third out.
In a measured tone, Wells repeatedly said he was “trying to make something happen”with Rays starter Drew Rasmussen dominating the Yankees in Game 1.
“Just obviously not a good decision there,” Yanks manager Aaron Boone said of Wells’ baserunning “mistake” in the 1-0 loss, starting this best-of-five American League Division Series.
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“I think that’s a play that he would want back,” teammate Ben Rice said quietly.
But that’s not how Wells saw his gamble, though “obviously, the risk was wrong” due to the outcome.
Austin Wells’ risky baserunning play backfires
For a moment, Wells was the Yankees’ salvation.
Rasmussen was four outs away from a no-hitter at fired-up Tropicana Field when Wells lashed the only Yankee hit against him – a liner to the right field corner.
Rays right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. had to wait on the carom and Wells kept running, even with third base coach Luis Rojas raising the stop sign.
“I was passing second base, I saw (Rojas) with his hands up,” said Wells. But, “I was already committed.”
Mesa relayed to Taylor Walls, who easily gunned down Wells, making a too-late head first slide into third.
“I thought I had a good chance to get there,” said Wells. “You can’t hang your head too much. They pitched incredible tonight.”
And the Rays defenders are “an athletic bunch,” said Wells. “Felt like if I got to third there, it was almost guaranteed that if we got another ball on the turf that we were going to score a run and tie the game.”
Instead, Wells succeeded in making Yankees Universe wonder about the in-the-moment baseball judgment of a player whose judgment is mostly good.
As a catcher, one of his specialties is stealing strikeouts for pitchers on ABS challenges, as he did to help Gerrit Cole out of a first inning spot Saturday.
Wells did the same for Cam Schlittler to end the first inning of Tuesday’s Wild Card Series opener against Boston.
Schlittler gets the ball in Monday’s Game 2, and he’ll be in line for a potential Game 5. But the Yanks will see Rasmussen again, too.
“He wasn’t giving in, he wasn’t leaving (anything) in the middle,” Jazz Chisholm Jr. said of Rasmussen’s one-hit, 10-strikeout performance over eight innings, with two walks.
Yankees Universe left with what-if scenarios
Bryan Baker quickly saved it in the ninth, and the Yanks were left with what-might-have been scenarios after Wells’ decision.
Rasmussen was at 101 pitches, so he might’ve faced at least one more batter.
Ryan McMahon (0-for-2) was on deck and despite the lefty advantage, you’d think Boone would pinch-hit for him; he’d tried to bunt for a hit leading off the sixth.
Boone had only right-handed hitters on his bench, one being Giancarlo Stanton – whose last MLB at-bat was on April 24.
Probably Jose Caballero pinch runs for Wells.
That left Stanton (who would strike out in the ninth), Anthony Volpe, Paul Goldschmidt and Heliot Ramos as pinch-hitting options (not counting backup catcher Ali Sanchez).
Aaron Judge, as you’ve heard, is a spectator in this series with a strained calf.
Maybe you send up Goldschmidt in that spot, and maybe Rays manager Kevin Cash brings in Baker there – or not.
At that point, you’re a batter away from leadoff man Ben Rice.
“I have full trust in the guys behind me,’’ said Wells. “But I was trying to make something happen.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: What was Austin Wells thinking on costly Yankees baserunning play?