Category: Baseball

Newsday: The Yankees dropped Game 1 against the Rays on Saturday night. The story of the game was Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen, who completely shut down the Yankees, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning.

The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: The Yankees ended up sticking with Gerrit Cole to start game one of the ALDS, despite his struggles at points this season and despite Carlos Rodón’s impressive run to end the season. However, the reason they ended up going with Cole was that they plan on using all four starters during the series and they liked Cole in Tropicana Field and believe his “stuff” would play up better there. While he wasn’t perfect, Cole was hardly the reason the Yankees lost Game 1, allowing one run in five innings.

New York Post | Jon Heyman: Speaking of pitching, Matt Blake’s contract is reportedly up after the 2026 season. After leading the league in ERA this past season and having a pretty stellar pitching staff in general, the Yankees are unsurprisingly hoping to retain him.

MLB Trade Rumors | Mark Polishuk: There’s nothing that can be done at this point, but we did get some intel on the Yankees’ trade deadline, specifically around catcher Adley Rutschman, who ended up going from the Orioles to the Red Sox. Baltimore reportedly would’ve accepted a Yankees’ trade package, but the sticking point on the Yankees’ end was around prospect Yostin Pena, who rocketed onto the scene this past season.

Jacob Misiorowski did not have his best stuff tonight. Far from it, despite the 104.8 MPH velocity on the first pitch of the game. But even with the bumps, he kept things from spiraling too far out of reach and relied on his teammates to pick him up as the Brewers were able to secure the 3-2 win in Game 1 of the NLDS.

Things were looking shaky early with the Padres working Misiorowski’s pitch count up to 25 pitches in the 1st, then the Padres rattled off three straight singles in the 2nd inning to take an early lead. With runners at the corners, Jake Bauers couldn’t cleanly field a hot shot grounder and then threw the ball to home rather than step on first for a sure out. Contreras couldn’t catch it clean either and a run scored to make it 2-0 Padres.

Through one and a half innings, Jacob Misiorowski was at 58 pitches while Robbie Ray was at seven. The momentum was squarely in the Padres favor.

Then things turned in the 3rd inning, after a leadoff broken bat single from Garrett Mitchell, Jackson Chourio stepped to the plate and was swinging away at a first pitch slider.

Jackson Chourio slugged the fifth postseason home run of his young career, already giving him the most in Brewers franchise history. At just 22 years old, Chourio lives for these clutch moments.

“He’s gifted. He’s a beautiful spirit. He’s gifted mentally. He’s smiling every day and nothing gets him down.” Pat Murphy said.

“I’m the type of player that I’m always going to give everything I have. I’m always going to give 100 percent. I like playing in these scenarios. I like playing in these kinds of games.” Chourio said.

That brought the game even a 2-2 and the Brewers then had chances for more. Brice Turang and William Contreras had back-to-back walks, then Jake Bauers dropped in a bloop single and the bases were loaded with one out. Robbie Ray was on the ropes. Christian Yelich then hit a shallow fly to left, too shallow to score Turang, and then Craig Stammen went to his bullpen.

Cooper Pratt grounded into a force out to end the threat in the 3rd. However, both teams would have numerous more chances throughout this game to break the tie. The Padres had 12 runners left on base, the Brewers had nine. But no one could break through.

That was, until William Contreras came up with two outs in the bottom of the 7th against Adrian Morejon.

Contreras launched his third career postseason home run and each of them have been go-ahead blasts with two outs.

That pushed the Brewers lead to 3-2 and they again had chances to add on. Jake Bauers singled, then Andrew Vaughn pinch hit for Yelich and singled. With two on, and the chance for big insurance, Cooper Pratt struck out to end the inning.

Meanwhile, the Brewers bullpen was picking up Jacob Misiorowski, who lasted just 4 innings and threw 88 pitches. Antonio Senzatela ran into some trouble in the 5th taking over for Misiorowski, but Aaron Ashby was able to come in and get the final out of the inning. Ashby then cruised through the 6th and got the first out of the 7th before turning the ball over to Abner Uribe.

Uribe put some traffic on the bases, which led to DL Hall walking into a bases loaded, two out situation in the 7th inning. Hall got Jackson Merrill to pop out to left to end the threat with no harm done.

Trevor Megill was called upon to make a four-out save. He quickly dispatched Fernando Tatis Jr to finish off the 8th with three straight fastballs to punch him out. In the 9th, Dustin Harris led things off with a single, putting some tension on the big moments. Manny Machado, forever a villain in Milwaukee, struck out for the first out of the inning.

Then things got weird. Ty France lifted a rain-making fly ball down the left field line, it looked like it was probably hooking foul, but before it could, the ball hit the roof cables and was brought down right into the glove of Chourio in the left field corner. After a lengthy conversation from the umpires and review, the ball was judged to have hit the cable in fair territory and by the ground rules, it was a live ball and since it was caught, it was an out.

“Ueck decided to put his hand on it and swat it down so Chourio could catch it. So thanks, Ueck” Pat Murphy said.

“I thought I had a chance on that ball kind of the whole time off the bat. Then the only thing I kind of realized it changed direction a little bit, but i thought I had a beat on it for the majority of the time.” Chourio said.

It came down to the wire in this game, a 3-2 victory with the roof cable wires potentially wiping a home run off the board and for sure leading directly to an out in the 9th inning. They got the big hits when they needed them. The Brewers don’t hit a ton of homers and that’s been a talking point all season, but they hit two in Game 1 and they were the difference in the ballgame.

The Brewers will be back at it Sunday afternoon with a 3 PM first pitch for Game 2. Logan Henderson will be on the mound for the Crew.

After an off day on Sunday, the Yankees will be back in action on Monday night when they face Freddy Peralta and the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 2 of the ALDS on at Tropicana Field.

New York will aim to secure a win and not fall behind 0-2 in the best-of-five series, and in order to do that it will have to get through Peralta who totally turned his season around after getting traded by the Mets at the trade deadline and joining the Rays.

In 10 starts since leaving Queens, the veteran right-hander is 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA (1.01 WHIP) compared to a 4.99 ERA (1.48 WHIP) in 22 starts during his first season with the Mets.

So what's been the difference?

"This is baseball. Everything changed when I got traded. I said it before that I've been treated here as a king, and I feel really good about it. They're working me really well here," Peralta said.

The 30-year-old made sure to mention that he was "happy" with the Mets, but that the results just didn't come.

Now, Peralta has a chance to give his team a resounding lead in the series in a ballpark where he's pitched to a 1.69 ERA in four starts this year.

"I feel amazing on the mound, and in general here, but I'm looking forward to finding a way to give the opportunity to the team to get the win," Peralta said. "No matter how. Don't matter what I have to do or how I have to do it. Just to find a way to get it done."

Despite Peralta getting his season back on track and pitching his best at just the right time, the right-hander hasn't had the most success in the postseason -- something the Yankees would love to exploit.

In nine games (six starts) during the playoffs, all with the Milwaukee Brewers, Peralta is 1-3 with a 4.32 ERA. His team's record in playoff games he's pitched is a surprising 1-8. Meanwhile, in two career outings against the Yankees, Peralta is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA, including a start this year in which he allowed three earned runs on two hits and six walks as a member of the Mets.

A lot has changed for Peralta since then and he enters the playoffs with a 1.76 ERA over his last seven starts for Tampa Bay. He credits his teammates for their energy and welcoming him from the start and believes this opportunity to fight for a World Series with the Rays is "very special."

"Since I got here I felt something I was looking for, which is the energy, the way that the boys play the game, how they -- when they get into -- like, when I talk about the defense, they are amazing, the way they come into the field, the way they take their bats, too, when I talk about the offense," he said. "It's amazing, and I just -- we just need to keep it that way. Simple."

MILWAUKEE — William Contreras hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning and the Milwaukee Brewers hung on to beat San Diego 3-2 in their NL Division Series opener Saturday night after a potential go-ahead homer by the Padres’ Ty France hit the American Family Field roof and landed in outfielder Jackson Chourio’s glove for an out.

San Diego had a runner on first with one out in the ninth inning when France hit a towering flyball that struck a railing on the roof before Chourio caught it in fair territory on the left-field warning track.

Under the stadium’s ground rules, any batted ball striking the roof or one of its cables in fair territory is a fair ball that can be caught for an out, so Chourio’s catch retired France. The Padres unsuccessfully challenged that France’s drive was a foul ball.

Jackson Merrill then lined out to right to end the game.

Chourio also hit a two-run homer as the Brewers won for the 16th time in 19 games. San Diego lost for only the fourth time in its last 24 outings despite chasing Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski after four innings.

This best-of-five series continues Sunday with a Game 2 pitching matchup featuring San Diego’s Michael King (12-10, 3.21 ERA) and Milwaukee’s Logan Henderson (11-3, 2.47).

Contreras had gone just 1 for 20 against the Padres this season before delivering the biggest hit of the game on a 3-2 pitch from Adrian Morejon. As his 406-foot shot cleared the wall in right-center field, the three-time All-Star turned to face Milwaukee’s dugout and celebrate in front of teammates on his way to first base.

Contreras joined Boston’s Willson Contreras to become the fifth set of brothers to homer in the same postseason, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The others are Ken and Clete Boyer (1964), Sandy Jr. and Roberto Alomar (1997), Stephen and J.D. Drew (2007) and Bo and Josh Naylor (2025). Willson Contreras homered in Game 2 of Boston’s AL Wild Card Series loss to the New York Yankees.

San Diego wasted scoring opportunities all night, particularly late in the game.

The Padres loaded the bases in the seventh against Abner Uribe before DL Hall retired Merrill on a fly to left to end the threat.

San Diego also put runners on first and second with one out in the eighth after Hall issued a pair of walks, but the Padres again failed to capitalize. Austin Hays hit a fly to right against Hall that advanced pinch-runner Samad Taylor to third, then Trevor Megill struck out Fernando Tatis Jr. on three pitches to strand runners on the corners.

Megill then worked around a leadoff single to Dustin Harris in the ninth to pick up the save while getting a major assist from the roof.

Milwaukee was opening its postseason Saturday after winning a franchise-record 103 games to earn home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Misiorowski played a big role in that success by posting a 1.80 ERA, striking out 252 batters and limiting hitters to a .157 batting average to lead the major leagues in all three categories.

Misiorowski opened his first playoff start by throwing a 104.8 mph strike to Tatis, the fastest postseason pitch since tracking began in 2008.

But the 6-foot-7 right-hander left the game earlier than usual as the Padres fouled off 30 of his 88 pitches — 31 if you count Xander Bogaerts’ popup that was caught in foul territory.

San Diego took a 2-0 lead by scoring a pair of runs off Misiorowski in the second inning.

Bogaerts, Ethan Salas and Luis Campusano hit consecutive one-out singles, with Campusano’s base hit to right driving in Bogaerts. Jake Cronenworth then hit a broken-bat grounder, and first baseman Jake Bauers was unable to throw out Salas at the plate.

San Diego could have done even more damage that inning, but Manny Machado grounded out to leave the bases loaded.

The Brewers responded in the third thanks to Chourio, who already has established himself as one of the game’s top playoff performers at age 22.

With a runner on second and one out, Chourio delivered a 420-foot drive over the wall in left-center for his franchise-record fifth career postseason homer in his 13th playoff game. Chourio had shared the mark with Prince Fielder and Orlando Arcia.

According to MLB.com, the only other players to hit five playoff homers before their 23rd birthday are Kyle Schwarber and Juan Soto.

There’s more than one route through October.

Perhaps that’s the ultimate takeaway from what we’ll call the penultimate quadruple-header in Major League Baseball’s playoffs. Day One of the Division Series round saw all four matchups tipping off, and if you’re looking for a hard and fast maxim of What Works and What Is Smart, keep it moving.

Sure, you could pay $60 million a year for a guy to hit just one timely home run, and maybe more to come. Or enter the playoffs with virtually no starting pitchers. Or hand the ball to an ace that’s undergone three major arm surgeries.

All those maneuvers came up aces on Saturday, Oct. 3, when four teams got the jump in this best-of-five round.

Should all four series go at least four games, we’ll do this again Wednesday, when Game 3s in the American League and Game 4s in the National will transpire. For now, let’s isolate some key takeaways from the last guaranteed day of wall-to-wall baseball:

Rays-Yankees looks like the real ALCS

We’re not going to get on a soapbox about the “broken” playoff seeding system. Yeah, it’s not necessarily a great look that the two Division Series matchups will be intra-division battles from the cash-poor Central and the big-boy East.

And perhaps this Tampa Bay Rays-New York Yankees battle deserves the best-of-seven treatment to further separate the two best teams in  the game’s best division.

But MLB’s desire to preserve the sanctity of the division title is fairly worthy. It keeps a carrot dangling for good teams to chase throughout September. That the Cleveland Guardians may not truly be “the two seed” isn’t going to kill anybody.

With that said, this Rays-Yankees series will bring the AL playoffs to a premature apex.

You won’t find a finer-played baseball game than the 1-0 one-hitter Tampa Bay threw at New York in Game 1. So clean: There was a well-defined hero and goat, with Drew Rasmussen nearly no-hitting the Yankees until Austin Wells broke it up with a double down the line – and then got thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple.

Rasmussen, famously fighting for his career after three major arm surgeries, got 16 called strikes or whiffs on his changeup, and tied the Yankees up in knots all night. It was jarring seeing a club that scored 18 runs in the two-game wild-card series get held to zero.

The Yankees must rally quickly. Yet they also have undeterred ace Cam Schlittler going in Game 2 Monday, after an off day. He’s aligned to face Freddy Peralta, who pitched much better in Tampa Bay than with the New York Mets.

This series is probably going five games. Every one should be delectable.

Players and fans alike were left confused in the ninth inning at American Family Field in Milwaukee when Ty France's high fly ball – that might have been a go-ahead home run – struck the roof and was caught by left fielder Jackson Chourio.

Under the stadium's ground rules, a "batted ball striking roof, roof truss or roof cable over fair territory" is considered in play.

The San Diego Padres challenged the call on the field but the ground rules are explicit and the Milwaukee Brewers caught a massive break from their home ballpark to stay in the lead.

With two outs, Trevor Megill retired the next batter Jackson Merrill to end the game and secure the Brewers' 3-2 win in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. The second game in the best-of-five series is Sunday, Oct. 4 in Milwaukee.

Oh. My. Goodness.

This ball hit by France looked to potentially be a go-ahead home run, but it hit the roof and was caught, and was ruled an out. pic.twitter.com/E6pnoausP7

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 4, 2026

However, according to MLB Statcast – using exit velocity, launch angle and other data – the ball would have been a home run in just one of baseball's 30 ballparks: Houston's Daikin Park.

Talking to Fox after the game, Megill said he didn't previously know the ground rule.

"At first, it was, 'Oh, crap,' and then the home-plate umpire came up and said it was live no matter what," Megill said. "Four years in this stadium, I've never seen that before. Just glad it worked in our favor there."

Said Padres manager Craig Stammen: "We joked today at the umpires meeting about what would happen if the ball in the roof. It's unlikely, but it happens."

It's the second time this year that the Padres were victimized by a roof, as the catwalks at Tropicana Field obstructed a Xander Bogaerts drive in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

After review the call stands.

France is out.

Two outs now in the 9th.

Wow. pic.twitter.com/r211Q6SUxm

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 4, 2026

Without relitigating anything from Saturday, Sunday has to be treated as a game of the utmost importance for the Braves, with no pitching restrictions. All of the Braves’ top arms have had two days to rest now and with an off-day Monday, there is no excuse to hold back. Chris Sale or not, Walt Weiss needs to be aggressive with the bullpen and put the Braves in the best position to win this game going home at the margins.

Braves News

The Braves lost Game 1 of their NLDS matchup 5-3, with a late comeback bid falling short.

Walt Weiss was noncommittal about Chris Sale’s status for Sunday.

Many in Braves Country are looking for more urgency from Walt Weiss in his management, after what felt like a bit of a punt pitching strategy on Saturday.

Atlanta released their NLDS roster, including a few more pitchers than in the Wild-Card.

MLB News

Aaron Judge was excluded from the Yankees’ ALDS roster with his nagging calf injury.

The Rays shut out the Yankees and beat them 1-0, behind a brilliant Drew Rasmussen start.

The Cinderella White Sox took Game 1 in Cleveland for their ALDS in the wide-open AL.

Xander Bogaerts has a new approach at the plate and it’s making a difference. But his secret weapon is no longer a secret.

When NBC analyst Clayton Kershaw pointed out the split grip that Bogaerts was using in the NL Wild Card Series, most had not noted the new technique being used by the Padres shortstop.

During the worst offensive season of his career, with the hope of a postseason run on the horizon, Bogaerts took a suggestion from the coaching staff to try something different.

Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune was able to get some details about Bogaerts’ mechanical adjustment. 

In his Padres Notes on Oct. 2, Sanders traces the change to the road series in Colorado during mid-September. The Padres shortstop had repeatedly rolled over on pitches during the season, leading to weak grounders and lots of outs.

The staff suggested using a split grip on his bat. 

The grip change results in keeping the hands separated by 1-2 inches, which gives better bat control while also helping to keep the bat level through the hitting plane. This helps lift the ball rather than pounding it into the ground.

Clayton Kershaw noticed the grip

After pointing out the change, Kershaw explained the effect the split grip has on the action of the bat. It has been clear that the change has improved Bogaerts’ results late in the season. His incremental decline while a Padre has been discussed at length. Any improvement is welcome, especially for the postseason.

2026 futility

Prior to the All-Star break, Bogaerts was hitting .224 with a .648 OPS. His best month before September was the fast start he had in April, hitting .292 with an .854 OPS.

After slumping in May, Bogaerts has struggled throughout the season, with July being a new low when he hit .167 with a .523 OPS. Starting the season in the top five of the order, Bogaerts found himself hitting in the bottom three.

Blazing to the finish

With the mechanical change made in September, Bogaerts had a .315/.425/.479 batting line with a .904 OPS for the month. He was a vital contributor to the surge that landed his team in the postseason for a record-setting third straight season.

Reluctant to share the details

Bogaerts was one of the three Padres available to the media before their first game of the NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers. 

Along with manager Craig Stammen and starter Robbie Ray, Bogaerts answered questions about the upcoming series.

Except for any questions about his new batting grip.

When questioned about the origin of the new grip pointed out by Kershaw in the second game of the Wild Card Series, Bogaerts responded, “I don’t know,” he said. “It’s working, so let’s keep it going.”

When pressed further about whether it came out of nowhere, Bogaerts replied, “It didn’t come out of nowhere but it’s hopeful it continues, no?”

Known as a superstitious player, Bogaerts was clearly not keen to discuss the new grip. 

The results speak for themselves. 

Shortly after implementing the change, Bogaerts was a single shy of the cycle in Colorado and went on to hit .400/.500/.800 to finish the season.

When Saunders asked hitting coach Stephen Souza Jr. about the change, Souza said, “He started doing it and he started hitting lasers.”

The prior grip used by Bogaerts

The split grip used since mid-September

ST. PETERSBURG, FL − The loudest moments in Tropicana Field in years came in the third inning Saturday night. Jonathan Aranda launched a 417-foot homer and a sellout crowd of 40,542 lost its collective minds.

Drew Rasmussen missed it. He heard it through the bathroom door.

"Unfortunately, I was in the bathroom," the Rays starter said. "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 handled his business and the Rays' Saturday. He held the Yankees hitless for 7⅔ innings, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees 1-0 in Game 1 of the best-of-five American League Division Series. Aranda's homer was the only run either team scored. Rasmussen made it hold up from the mound, with a save from Bryan Baker.

Rasmussen threw eight scoreless innings and allowed one hit.

The Yankees' lone hit came with two outs in the eighth, when Austin Wells doubled down the right-field line. Wells then ran through his third base coach's stop sign and was thrown out at third.

Only three pitchers or staffs have finished a no-hitter in the postseason. Rasmussen's 7⅔ hitless innings tied Washington's Anibal Sanchez in 2019 for the longest individual bid since Roy Halladay no-hit Cincinnati in 2010. His 10 strikeouts tied a franchise record for the most in a postseason game.

Rasmussen said he never thought about a no-hitter.

"I wasn't worried about it," Rasmussen said. "I was just trying to execute every pitch."

White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami’s mind was racing after his first postseason home run on Saturday.

His exact thoughts, however, seemed to be a bit too lewd to share publicly.

Following Chicago’s 3-0 ALDS Game 1 victory over the Guardians, Murakami was asked what he felt when he turned and yelled to the White Sox’s dugout after hitting the blast.

“I can’t really explain it in words right now, but it was something a little bit dirty,” Murakami said through an interpreter.

It’s not clear what exactly the Japanese slugger meant by his comments, but they did draw a few chuckles from the press.

Murakami’s two-run homer in the fourth inning helped propel the White Sox to a shutout win over the Guardians as the club looks to reach its first ALCS since winning the World Series in 2005.

“I really wanted the first run at a very important game, so I’m just really happy that I got one,” Murakami said.

Murakami, who is in his first MLB season after playing eight seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan, has received nothing but praise from both his teammates and his opponents this postseason.

“That dude can swing it, and that’s No. 1,” Chicago catcher Kyle Teel said, according to MLB.com. “No. 2, I say as a guy in the clubhouse, a guy in the locker room, he’s a guy you want around for the culture as well.

“It’s rare you find superstars that also bring that to the table. It’s an honor to play with him.”

Even Guardians catcher Austin Hedges couldn’t hold back when talking about Murakami’s play.

“He’s just a stud,” Hedges said. “He can hit a home run in every pitch in every spot, so you’ve got to keep him off-balance as best as you can.

“Man, he’s fun to watch hit. Just not when he’s playing against us.”

Across 127 games this season — he missed 35 with a hamstring strain — Murakami posted a slash line of .207/.347/.478 with 35 home runs and 77 RBIs, earning an MLB All-Star appearance.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Austin Wells stood at his locker in the visitors’ clubhouse at Tropicana Field, still in the uniform he stained while trying to avoid the inevitable at third base Saturday evening. He waited there until the cameras came, ready to atone for the decision that ended the Yankees' only scoring chance in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Rays – but this was not to be an exercise in self-flagellation.

Wells, whose double with two outs in the eighth inning broke up Rays’ starter Drew Rasmussen’s no-hitter, said he was “trying to make something happen” when he took off for third and was thrown out by a damning margin. Given many chances to say he made a mistake, Wells never did.

“In the moment, I was being aggressive,” Wells said. “Like I said, we didn’t really have much going on there in the game. So every 90 feet matters.”

Certainly, if Wells were on second, Boone could have pinch-hit for Ryan McMahon, and maybe the Yankees would have scored. Then again, Wells’ double was not exactly the latest in a long line of hard contact. And while his manager Aaron Boone called the play “a mistake,” he pointed blame for the Game 1 loss elsewhere.

“Just obviously not a good decision there,” Boone said. “… But biggest issue is just Rasmussen shutting us down.”

Boone is not one to bash players publicly, so it should be no surprise that he did not throw the Yankees’ Game 1 loss on Wells’ back. But he was by no means just deflecting when he pointed to Rasmussen as the main reason the Yankees trail this best-of-five series, 1-0.

For the second time in as many weeks – though with far greater stakes this time – Rasmussen carved through the Yankees lineup so effectively that he carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Saturday, he took it into the eighth, pounding the strike zone with such effective stuff and command that even as Yankees hitters knew they would get pitches in the zone, they could not adjust to hit many of them well. They worked two walks, though none after the third, and struck out 10 times against him.

“I feel like he's got a lot of different ways to beat you. Starts with great command,” Boone said. “And when he has a presence on both sides of the plate and up and down, and you have to respect the four-seam on him, he was able to freeze us a lot on different sides of the plate, as well.”

Rasmussen generated 23 swings-and-misses, most in a postseason game by the swing-and-miss happy Rays since Statcast started tracking them. The 31-year-old had never generated more. Luis Garcia Jr. said it seemed like Rasmussen didn’t miss a single spot. Jazz Chisholm Jr. said the same thing, brushing off the idea that Wells’ play was decisive.

“If you’re watching him run the bases, you could see out of the box he was hustling like hell and just trying to get there to make something happen,” Chisholm said. “If they threw that ball away, you never know what happens. I feel like, just keep going. Pat him and say, ‘yeah. It happened. But who cares?’”

Wells, for his part, explained he did have good reason for defying the traditional baseball wisdom of not risking the final out of the inning at third base – so advised because generally, a base hit is needed to score with two outs and generally, a runner can score from second on a base hit just as easily as third.

But Wells said on the fast turf of Tropicana Field, which shoots the ball to outfielders more quickly than many surfaces, he felt he was not necessarily guaranteed to score on a base hit with two outs. From third base, he would.

“I thought I had a good chance to get there,” Wells said. “So can’t hang your head too much.”

The Yankees, too, have no immediate reason to sulk. They will throw Cam Schlittler in Game 2 against Freddy Peralta, a matchup that would seem to favor the Yankees, even though Peralta was the American League Pitcher of the Month after the Rays helped him rediscover his form in September.

The real problem they face, however, is that they now need to win three of the next four games – and will face Rasmussen again in one of them, potentially with their season on the line. The Rays have not lost a game Rasmussen started since July 9. That day, the Yankees scored six runs against him in 2.1 innings.

“I think we're due the next time,” Boone said. “We've done it before, and I know our guys are very confident. So the reality is, you know, you want to go deep in the playoffs, you've got to beat probably a great pitcher at some point. So we've got to find a way.”

Drew Rasmussen was so good Saturday night that he even exceeded the ridiculous playoff bar that Yankee arms have established for these playoffs. And it doubtless stings the Yanks that the Rays ace was able to silence their bats so thoroughly in Game 1 of the AL Division Series. 

But Gerrit Cole’s sharp stuff, another strong wave of pitching from the bullpen and the looming spectre of Cam Schlittler in Game 2 (and Game 5) are all evidence that this ALDS is far from over. Yes, even if the Yankees now have to win three times in four games with Rasmussen due for another start in this series.

“We got to get them tomorrow – well, Monday,” Cole told reporters at Tropicana Field afterward, looking ahead to Game 2. “It’s an opportunity to bounce back. We know they’re a tough opponent. Look, they’re going to land some blows and you’ve got to take blows in the postseason and dish them out, too.”

Cole delivered five solid innings, marred only by a terrific swing by the Rays’ No. 2 hitter, Jonathan Aranda. Aranda’s solo home run in the third inning was the game’s only run. Cole allowed five hits, struck out five and walked one and then Ryan Weathers (1.0 IP), Paul Blackburn (1.2 IP) and Brent Headrick (0.1 IP) combined for three scoreless frames of relief.

Rasmussen took a no-hitter into the eighth and got close enough to history that the game broadcast brought up Don Larsen and Roy Halladay. Cole wasn’t that electric. But he did put the Yankees in position to win.

“Gerrit’s had a really good year,” Aaron Boone said at the postgame podium. “I thought he threw the ball well. I thought they took some tough at-bats against him…Being a really tight game, it felt like it was leverage the whole game and he executed some really good pitches against some of their best hitters in the right spot.

“I thought he got us off to a good start. They made him work and then our bullpen picked it up from there. So I thought we did a really good job, obviously, on the mound, doing what we needed to do to give ourselves a chance to win.”

Yankee pitching has allowed three runs in 26 innings over three playoff games so far. That’s a 1.04 ERA. Opponents are batting .135 against Yankee pitchers, who have allowed only 12 hits.

Schlittler has certainly been the headliner and he will start Monday’s Game 2 at the Trop against Freddy Peralta, who Tampa Bay acquired from the Mets at the deadline. Schlittler overwhelmed the Red Sox for 6.1 shutout innings in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, a nifty follow-up to what was almost certainly a Cy Young regular season.

Should this series get to a deciding Game 5 in St. Petersburg, Fla., Schlittler would be on regular rest for the assignment.

“He’s been our guy all year,” catcher Austin Wells told reporters. “It was a great game, all around, for the pitchers (on Saturday). So I think we’re going to look forward to continuing that on our side and hopefully get to their guy.”

“It’s the playoffs,” Boone said. “Here we go. Every day’s important. Every win is an exhale and exciting, and the losses are gut punches. But you’ve got to just keep moving and know that you’re going to have some tough days, too.

“We’re obviously always thrilled when we hand the ball to Cam, and hopefully we can go out and put some points on the board to support him and come out of here with a split and head back home.”

We’ll see what Cole’s role will be the rest of the way. With Schlittler booked for two games, and Max Fried and Carlos Rodón pegged to start, in some order, Games 3 and 4, it’s probably in the bullpen or the next series, should the Yanks advance.

Aranda’s home run meant he suffered a hard-luck loss in Game 1. It came on a changeup that Cole wanted down and away. “It got to the edge, but it didn’t get down enough,” Cole told reporters at the Trop. “It’s a pretty steep price to pay. But he crushed it. That’s the way it goes.”

At the time, did Cole think one run could beat the Yanks? “No,” he replied.

As long as the Yanks keep holding opponents to one, this series should have some twists and turns coming. Even if Rasmussen has another start remaining. Even if the Rays have more quality arms beyond him.

“The reality is, if you want to go deep in the playoffs, you got to beat a great pitcher,” Boone said. “Hopefully, we get another crack at him and do better.”  

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — On a night perfection was required, mere quality was not enough for Gerrit Cole. 

The third of three Yankees aces, in his first start of this postseason, held down a strong Rays lineup and threw just one pitch he could regret in five innings. 

He was solid. He was not Drew Rasmussen. 

Cole allowed a home run to Jonathan Aranda that ended up being the difference in the game if not the story of the game. Against a Yankees lineup that had scored 18 runs over two wild-card contests against Boston, Rasmussen threw a one-hit shutout in a 1-0 Rays victory in Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday. 

Pitching on nine days of rest, Cole betrayed little rust, looked strong against the peskiest lineup in baseball and on most nights would have walked off the mound smiling. 

There was no grin because he blinked. 

With one out in the third inning, Cole aimed a 2-2 changeup down and away. It was away, on the edge of the strike zone. It was not down. 

“It’s a pretty steep price to pay,” Cole said after he allowed five hits and a walk with five strikeouts. “He crushed it. That’s just the way it goes.” 

Cole’s last batter of the game was the most entertaining at-bat of the night. Against Junior Caminero, the two stars battled for 11 pitches before Austin Wells ran to the mound to talk with Cole. After that breather, Cole turned to a 12th-pitch knuckle-curve that grazed the top of the zone to freeze one of the best hitters in baseball. 

One of the best pitchers of his generation walked off the mound believing he would return for the sixth. He did not. 

After 82 pitches, he talked with manager Aaron Boone, who had ridden Cam Schlittler and Max Fried longer in the wild-card series and pulled the plug early on Cole. 

“[Boone and I] left the conversation at the end on the same page,” Cole said, choosing his words carefully, of a move that would have gained more scrutiny if Ryan Weathers, Paul Blackburn and Brent Headrick had not combined for three scoreless, hitless innings in relief. 

Boone said Cole “got us off to a good start” but said the Rays “made him work,” which is part of the identity of a team that rarely strikes out. 

As early as the beginning of the fourth inning, after Cole gave up a leadoff single to Victor Mesa Jr., Boone began warming up a reliever (Blackburn in that case, and Headrick began throwing as the fifth inning began). On a night Cole allowed just one run but seven balls struck at least 95 mph, Boone may have seen warning signs. 

Cole won many battles Saturday, but not with his manager behind closed doors and not with Rasmussen. 

“That was a lot of fun,” he acknowledged of the battle of aces. “He was unbelievable.”

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The opportunity for Giancarlo Stanton finally arrived.

His first at-bat in five-plus months just did not turn into a moment, but what Aaron Boone saw in it was one of the few things he liked in the Yankees’ 1-0 loss to the Rays in Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday night at Tropicana Field.

With the Yankees trailing by a run in the top of the ninth, and Rays righty closer Bryan Baker entering from the bullpen, Boone sent Stanton up to pinch hit for the left-handed-hitting Ryan McMahon to lead off the frame.

Stanton, who last took an at-bat April 24 because of three separate calf strains, ended up striking out on five pitches. The veteran slugger fouled off the first pitch, took two balls and a strike, then foul-tipped a 96 mph fastball on the inner third into the catcher’s mitt for Strike 3.

“Baker’s obviously had a great year,” Boone said. “Really tough, really reverse [splits] guy. So not that I was going to hit for a lot of my lefties there, but felt the threat of Giancarlo — I thought he had a really good at-bat. I thought he was on all [five] pitches. I thought he was seeing the changeup well. I thought he got a good swing off right out of the bat.

“I liked what I saw. He took the right at-bat. He just didn’t clip it. So yeah, I’m going to take my shot with a hitter there and got [José Caballero] to run for him and we’ll take our shot right there.”

Stanton had been 5-for-7 with one strikeout in his career against Baker, with the potential to tie the game on one swing, though it did not come to fruition.

Ryan Weathers also made his first appearance since Aug. 22, relieving Gerrit Cole in the sixth inning and getting three groundouts to first base against three left-handed hitters.

“I felt super healthy,” Weathers said. “Felt good. Stuff was coming out really good.”

The lefty, who spent the last month-plus rehabbing a left forearm flexor strain, indicated he should be available for Monday’s Game 2, especially because he only needed nine pitches to retire the side Saturday.

The Yankees left Weathers off their roster for the wild-card series to give him more time to build up, hoping it would allow him to be available more often in the ALDS.

The other lefties in the Yankees bullpen are heavily used setup man Brent Headrick and the soft-tossing Ryan Yarbrough. Headrick lost some velocity late in the season, looking like he might be running out of gas, while Yarbrough is mostly on the roster to offer some length if the Yankees get into a tough spot.

To add Weathers, the Yankees took veteran utility player Amed Rosario off their roster to go with 11 pitchers and 15 position players.

The righty-hitting Rosario was on the wild-card roster against the Red Sox, but the Rays have fewer left-handed pitchers and the Yankees already have Paul Goldschmidt, Heliot Ramos and Stanton as right-handed pinch hitting options. Because Anthony Volpe is more of a threat on the bases and offers better defense at second base (and potentially third), Rosario became what Boone described as the “odd man out.”

“Tough call, because of how important he’s been to our team,” Boone said. “But he understands, too, and he’ll be the same Rosie he always is as far as what he means to the team and in that room.”