Rasmussen Carries No-Hit Bid Into 8th, Rays Take 1-0 ALDS Game 1 Over Yankees

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Drew Rasmussen took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays opened the American League Division Series with a 1-0 victory over the New York Yankees on Saturday night in Game 1 at Tropicana Field.

Jonathan Aranda supplied the game’s only run with a solo home run in the bottom of the third inning against Yankees starter Gerrit Cole, and Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

Rasmussen, Tampa Bay’s starter, was one out away from carrying the no-hit bid through eight full innings before Yankees catcher Austin Wells doubled down the right-field line with two outs in the eighth. Wells’ hit ended one of the most dominant postseason outings in club history, but the Rays still kept New York off the scoreboard when Wells was thrown out trying to stretch the play into a triple on a relay from Victor Mesa Jr. to Taylor Walls.

Rasmussen’s final line was 8 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs, 2 walks and 10 strikeouts on 101 pitches, 69 for strikes. He repeatedly worked ahead in the count and kept the Yankees from generating any sustained offense in a game defined by starting pitching.

“I’m a pretty big believer that it comes down to two things,” Rasmussen said, according to the Rays’ official recap. “Preparation and execution.”

Postseason no-hitters are exceptionally rare, which underscored how deep Rasmussen took the bid even though he did not finish one. There have been only three in major league postseason history: Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series, Roy Halladay’s no-hitter in the 2010 NLDS and Houston’s combined no-hitter in the 2022 World Series.

Bryan Baker recorded the final two outs for Tampa Bay and struck out both batters he faced to complete the one-hit shutout. Rays pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts and two walks.

Cole was nearly as sharp for New York but was charged with the loss after allowing the lone run. He went 5 innings, giving up 5 hits and 1 run with 1 walk and 5 strikeouts.

The game stayed tight throughout because Cole matched Rasmussen for much of the night, but Aranda’s third-inning drive was enough support for the Rays. In a series opener with little margin for error, Tampa Bay got the one swing it needed and protected it the rest of the way.

The win was the Rays’ first playoff victory since Game 1 of the 2021 ALDS, according to the club’s official recap. The Yankees were without Aaron Judge, who was not on the series roster because of a calf injury, according to The Associated Press.