Drew Rasmussen will take the ball for Tampa Bay on Monday night, carrying the Rays into Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against Cleveland at Tropicana Field. First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, with Rasmussen rested after Tampa Bay’s Division Series sweep of the Yankees and looking to give the club another October tone-setter.
The result
Rasmussen’s last postseason assignment set a high bar. In the opener of the AL Division Series, the right-hander took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning as the Rays edged New York, 1-0, then completed a three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium.
It did not feel as smooth from Rasmussen’s side of the mound as it looked in the box score. He said the sellout Tropicana Field crowd, his first postseason start in five years and the rush of October all caught up with him early. His heart was beating faster than normal, and it took until roughly the fourth inning for him to feel settled.
The lesson, he said, was familiar but worth learning again: a postseason start does not require a pitcher to become someone else.
“You don’t necessarily have to try harder just because it’s the postseason,” Rasmussen said. He recalled his 2021 Division Series start in Boston, when he believed he needed to rise into a different version of himself. “You don’t have to be anything greater than what you already are.”
Manager Kevin Cash called Rasmussen the clear choice for the ALCS opener. Tampa Bay has won each of his last 13 starts, a run reaching back to the All-Star break, and the club has not lost a game he has started in more than three months.
Cash said he knows Rasmussen is ready for the opportunity and that the Rays are eager to take the field behind him. Fellow starter Griffin Jax described Rasmussen as an everyday example for the entire clubhouse, whether a player is young or established, because his approach does not change.
The rotation next
Rasmussen had been lined up for Game 4 of the Yankees series had it continued, but the sweep left him fully rested for Cleveland. He saw the Guardians twice during the regular season, with markedly different results.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rasmussen’s line |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 29 | At Guardians | Rays lost 3-1 | 5 innings, 3 runs, 2 earned runs allowed |
| July 26 | Guardians | Rays won 1-0 | 7 scoreless innings, 9 strikeouts, 3 baserunners allowed |
In the April meeting at Progressive Field, Rasmussen was beaten despite a solid outing as Cleveland starter Gavin Williams delivered a standout performance. The July rematch at The Trop went Tampa Bay’s way, with Rasmussen blanking the Guardians over seven innings while facing Parker Messick.
Rasmussen had already begun studying Cleveland while its Division Series against the White Sox was still in progress. He expected to be able to turn his attention toward Chicago if the White Sox completed the series after taking a 2-0 lead, but Cleveland’s Game 5 win Saturday night quickly shifted his preparation back to the Guardians.
He said he was deeply invested while watching from home, both as a pitcher preparing for the possible matchup and as a fan taking in a winner-take-all October game. Monday will be different. With a packed building and a national audience, Rasmussen intends to narrow the assignment to the essentials.
For him, the Game 1 formula remains preparation and execution. The nerves may arrive again, but the Rays are handing the ball to the pitcher they view as their standard, trusting that he will meet the moment without trying to outpitch himself.
Tampa Bay will be without left-hander Shane McClanahan, who has been shut down for the season because of left forearm tightness.
