The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the New York Yankees 1-0 on Saturday night in Game 1 of the American League Division Series at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Rays starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen delivered a dominant performance, holding the Yankees to just one hit over eight innings.
Rasmussen retired 15 consecutive batters after issuing a third-inning walk to Ben Rice, striking out seven in that stretch.
The Yankees' only hit came in the eighth inning when catcher Austin Wells doubled down the right-field line at 107.8 mph.
Wells attempted to stretch the hit into a triple but was thrown out at third base after a relay by the Tampa Bay defense.
Despite third-base coach Luis Rojas signaling him to stop, Wells rounded second and was tagged out to end the inning.
"Trying to make something happen, be aggressive, with not much going on in the game," Wells said. "After I was passing second base, I saw his hands up.
Was already committed."
The Rays executed a 9-6-5 relay to complete the out, ending New York's primary scoring threat.
"The field plays fast here," Wells said. "Guaranteed to score on a single there at third versus maybe not so much from second base.
That was really the only benefit."
Wells defended his aggressive turn, noting that any minor defensive error could have allowed him to reach third safely.
"Anything can happen — it’s baseball," Wells said. "Takes one bobble there and I’m safe.
A little offline target there and I’m safe. They made two good throws right on the money and got me."
Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged the mistake but noted that Wells typically plays with more caution on the basepaths.
"He’s usually a little more risk-averse on the bases," Boone said. "But obviously, it’s a mistake and it does happen."
The series continues with Game 2 scheduled for Monday following an off day on Sunday.
