The Rays could surely get used to this.
Fifteen days after clinching the AL East at Yankee Stadium, the Rays were once again celebrating inside the visitors' clubhouse in the Bronx. They wrapped up a clinical three-game sweep of the Yankees with a thrilling 4-3 victory on Wednesday night.
And with that, Tampa Bay is off to its first American League Championship Series since 2020. Game 1 looms on Monday at Tropicana Field against either the Guardians or the White Sox.
As we look ahead, let’s also look back: Here are four things that matter for the Rays ahead of the ALCS.
Their style of play translates to October
Let’s first define what the Rays’ style of play actually is.
Yes, it is largely dictated by their contact-oriented approach: No team puts the ball in play more often than Tampa Bay, which owned the lowest strikeout rate and swing-and-miss rate in the Majors. The Rays apply constant pressure on opposing defenses.
All of this was on display in Game 2. The Rays knocked out Cam Schlittler, the odds-on favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award, after 4 1/3 rocky innings. Schlittler recorded just two strikeouts -- his fewest total in any one of his 35 starts this season. His defense betrayed him, as the Yankees committed four errors, including three in the first inning.
So, yes, this is definitely a fundamental part of the Rays’ brand of baseball. Really, though, there’s more here: The Rays are so tough to beat because they can beat you in so many different ways. And that includes the long ball.
Jonathan Aranda’s solo home run accounted for the only run in a 1-0 victory in Game 1. Ryan Vilade and Victor Mesa Jr. each went deep in Game 3, with Mesa’s two-run blast off Max Fried in the sixth inning proving to be the difference-maker. The Yankees hit just two home runs in the series, and both came off the bat of designated hitter Ben Rice.
Teams that out-homered their opponent went 30-5 in the postseason in 2025 and are 13-4 in such scenarios in 2026.
So while the Rays may rely on contact and fundamentally sound baseball, they’re capable of leaving the yard, too.
They’ll have home field
The Rays play exceptionally well at Tropicana Field: Their .679 win percentage at home is tied with the Brewers for the best home win percentage in the Majors this season.
And the raucous environment at the Trop seemed to rattle the Yankees in the ALDS. The Rays announced an attendance of 40,542 for Game 1, the highest total at Tropicana Field since Game 5 of the ALDS in 2010. More than 40,000 fans stuffed themselves into the Trop for Game 2, a decisively pro-Rays crowd that flooded the fully open upper deck.
“That’s the best crowd noise I’ve ever witnessed in any ballpark,” said Rays manager Kevin Cash.
Tropicana Field is unique for other reasons, like a dome that makes it difficult to catch fly balls and a slick infield turf that, perhaps, plays to the Rays’ advantage. But the boisterous crowds that showed out in the ALDS should make this atmosphere all the more intimidating as Tampa Bay’s postseason run continues.
Drew Rasmussen is pitching like an ace
This isn’t much of a surprise. Rasmussen is one of the best pitchers in baseball -- he showed as much during the regular season, pitching to a 2.67 ERA that ranked seventh best among qualified starting pitchers.
But the postseason is a whole different beast, and Rasmussen has limited playoff experience. He entered his start in Game 1 of the ALDS with just three postseason appearances to his name, and none since 2022.
Would he be ready for the assignment?
He could not have answered more resoundingly. Rasmussen dominated the Yankees with surgical precision, becoming only the seventh pitcher in the Modern Era to carry a no-hitter through 7 2/3 innings in the postseason. He finished with eight scoreless innings and 10 strikeouts, fueling a 1-0 victory that set the tone for the entire ALDS.
Pivotally, in sweeping the Yankees, the Rays did not have to use Rasmussen again -- he was in line to start Game 4, had the series advanced to that point. Now, Tampa Bay has the luxury of lining Rasmussen up for Game 1 of the ALCS. That would set the Rays up to use their best starting pitcher three times in a best-of-seven series, as needed.
The starting pitchers all got involved
At the onset of the ALDS, Cash knew that he would hand the ball to Rasmussen for Game 1. Beyond that, though, the club considered a number of different options.
Such is the luxury of having four other quality, dependable starting pitchers.
‘“They’re excited to do whatever’s asked,” Cash said. “We’ll find a way to get them all in there contributing.”
That’s exactly what happened. The Rays hardly used their traditional relief pitchers against the Yankees. Closer Bryan Baker nailed down three saves. Lefty Cam Booser got three outs. And submarine righty Kevin Kelly got one.
Instead, the Rays weaponized left-hander Ian Seymour and right-hander Griffin Jax as multi-inning leverage arms out of the bullpen. Jax bridged the middle innings of Game 3 with six outs -- including four strikeouts -- while Seymour was particularly impressive in Game 2, throwing three innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts.
That allowed Tampa Bay to give quick hooks to the starting pitchers -- Freddy Peralta in Game 2 and Nick Martinez in Game 3 -- without burning the bullpen. Both Peralta and Martinez pitched effectively, and neither had to face the Yankees’ lineup a third time through.