Two runs. Four errors. Five hits.
That's what the New York Yankees amassed over their Game 1 and 2 losses to the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in the American League Division Series. Now, the Yankees are on the brink of elimination, and manager Aaron Boone recognizes the urgency of the matter. "Obviously, it was a really rough night for us, to say the least," Boone said about the Yankees' Game 2 performance in his postgame press conference on Monday night.
"We've got to get over it. We've responded all year to difficult times, and we got to do that again. We got to get ourselves up off the mat.
Obviously, tonight was just not good enough for us and certainly not good enough to beat that club. "We got to get over it, and we're playing for our lives on Wednesday night." Tampa Bay drew first blood off New York ace Cam Schlittler in the bottom of the first inning on a throwing error by second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., which would be the first of four errors for the Yankees. Designated hitter and 2026 All-Star Ben Rice leveled the score at 1-all for the Yankees with a solo home run in the top of the fourth and hit another solo homer in the eighth, but the Rays scored four runs in the fifth on a pair of RBI ground outs, which knocked Schlittler out of the game.
Three batters later, second baseman Richie Palacios hit a two-run single. Tampa Bay went on to win, 5-2. In Game 1, Rays ace Drew Rasmussen pitched eight scoreless innings and had a no-hitter through 7 ⅔ innings before Yankees catcher Austin Wells hit a double in the top of the eighth inning.
However, Wells was thrown out trying to extend a double into a triple, and closer Bryan Baker — who was tied with Cleveland Guardians closer Cade Smith for the most saves in MLB in the regular season (41) — pitched a one-two-three ninth inning, giving Tampa Bay a 1-0 victory. The Rays' lone run came on a third-inning solo home run from first baseman Jonathan Aranda. For context, the Yankees tallied 18 runs and 26 hits over their Game 1 and 2 victories at home over the Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Series.
Three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge hasn't played this postseason due to a calf strain. Could the scene shifting to Yankee Stadium be all the Yankees need? The Rays went 7-6 against the Yankees in the regular season, with both teams posting winning records at home against the other; Tampa Bay was 5-2 at home against the Yankees, while New York was 4-2 at home against the Rays.
Game 3 is on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET.
