Jonathan Aranda gave Tropicana Field one clean swing to carry into the night, then helped finish the job with his glove. His third-inning solo homer off Gerrit Cole stood as the only scoring in the Rays’ 1-0 Game 1 ALDS win over the Yankees on Saturday, a postseason opener shaped by roaring towels, cowbells and a pitching performance that kept Tampa Bay in command.
Aranda came up with nobody on and the game still scoreless in the bottom of the third. Cole’s fifth pitch of the at-bat was an 85.2 mph changeup, and Aranda drove it into the right-center seats. The shot was projected at 417 feet and marked the first postseason hit of his career.
The Rays first baseman said he was locked in on the swing and the rush that followed, rather than the noise rolling down from the stands. He had entered the game only 2-for-9 against Cole, with four strikeouts, and was primarily preparing for a high fastball. Instead, he recognized the offspeed pitch and reacted.
“It was an important hit, especially because it helped us win,” Aranda said. “I treated it like any other game, and I was happy with the swing. It helped me leave the nerves behind.”
The changeup arrived near the area where Richie Palacios had doubled an inning earlier, but Aranda was not sitting on that pitch. He simply got the barrel there in time, and against Cole, that proved to be enough. Aranda finished the regular season with a .274/.358/.434 line, a .792 OPS and 22 home runs; Saturday delivered one of the biggest swings of his season.
Manager Kevin Cash credited Cole for another strong outing while recognizing the narrow opening Aranda found. Cash called the ball a fairly central changeup and said the Rays were fortunate to turn it into a run. He also put the volume inside the Trop in rare air, saying he had never heard a louder crowd at any ballpark.
Rasmussen owns the other half of the night
That lone run held because Drew Rasmussen made it hold. The Rays right-hander took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, and the tension built quietly around the dugout as the possibility of something larger unfolded. Aranda said the club knew what Rasmussen was doing, even if the usual baseball superstition kept anyone from talking openly about it.
From first base, Aranda had the best seat in the house for Rasmussen’s work. He called the starter the same pitcher he has been all season and said Rasmussen had been Tampa Bay’s Cy Young-level force.
Rasmussen, meanwhile, missed the decisive homer entirely. He was in the clubhouse bathroom when Aranda connected, a timing quirk that kept him from seeing the ball leave the yard or the dugout erupt. Once he learned what had happened, though, he was hardly surprised. Rasmussen said Aranda has supplied major swings throughout the season and called the moment special for his teammate.
Aranda also had a hand in the final play. With two outs in the ninth, Cody Bellinger hit a grounder toward first base. Aranda waved off Bryan Baker, fielded it himself and secured the final out. After exchanging a low five with Baker, he returned to the dirt around the bag, traced a mark with his fingers and pointed skyward.
The result joined a small slice of October history. It was the 17th postseason game decided 1-0 where the only run came on a solo home run. The previous instance was Jeremy Peña’s homer in Game 3 of the 2022 ALDS.
Tampa Bay will try to take that one-run edge in the series into Game 2 on Monday, scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on TBS, truTV, UniMas and HBO Max. For one night, though, the Rays had everything they needed: Aranda’s reaction swing, Rasmussen’s command and a building full of noise that finally had one run to celebrate.
