The Rays walked out of Yankee Stadium with a three-game sweep, a rested bullpen and a pitching map that looked nothing like the standard October script. An extra travel day in the American League Division Series suggested Tampa Bay could survive on three starters. Instead, the club found work for all five members of its closing rotation and held the Yankees to five runs after New York had put up 18 in its two-game Wild Card sweep of the Red Sox.
Five starters, 81 outs and no wasted arms
Tampa Bay recorded 81 outs in the Division Series, and its five regular-season rotation arms handled 68 of them. Drew Rasmussen set the tone in the opener at Tropicana Field, throwing eight innings in a 1-0 victory. Freddy Peralta and Ian Seymour followed by covering 7 2/3 innings in the Rays’ 5-2 Game 2 win.
In Wednesday’s 4-3 clincher at Yankee Stadium, Nick Martinez, Seymour and Griffin Jax combined for seven innings. Bryan Baker finished all three games for saves, accounting for nine outs in the series. Cam Booser collected three outs, while Kevin Kelly delivered one of the biggest strikeouts of the sweep when he retired Giancarlo Stanton in Game 3.
- Rasmussen: eight innings in the Game 1 shutout win.
- Peralta and Seymour: 7 2/3 innings in Game 2.
- Martinez, Seymour and Jax: seven innings in the series-clinching Game 3.
- Baker: three saves and nine outs across the sweep.
- Booser: three outs.
- Kelly: one crucial out, a strikeout of Stanton.
President of baseball operations Erik Neander said the Rays knew the format did not require five starters, but the club wanted every one of them involved. With the group pitching so well down the stretch, Tampa Bay saw its rotation depth as central to its October hopes.
Cash and Snyder found room for everyone
Manager Kevin Cash, pitching coach Kyle Snyder and the rest of the staff built the arrangement during the break between the regular-season finale in Philadelphia and the Division Series opener. The plan called for flexibility as much as depth, especially from Seymour and Jax, who had moved into starting roles earlier in the season before temporarily returning to bullpen duty.
Martinez worked 3 2/3 innings in Game 3 and surrendered two runs. His outing ended after a comebacker struck him in the back, but he said afterward that he had no physical concerns. His view of the pitching staff’s assignment was simple: get outs, regardless of the inning or job description.
Cash credited the group for maintaining its rhythm against a dangerous Yankees lineup and repeatedly executing through the order. Tampa Bay’s ability to keep New York from producing a breakout inning became the backbone of the sweep.
Jax steadied himself in a tense sixth inning
The decisive game offered Jax a rough stretch in the sixth. He walked George Lombard Jr. with one out, then saw an apparent walk to Austin Wells overturned on a timely Rays challenge and changed into a strikeout.
Anthony Volpe then hit a drive initially ruled a game-tying home run. Replay showed spectator interference, however, and the ruling was changed. A run scored, narrowing Tampa Bay’s lead to one, while Volpe was placed at second rather than credited with a homer.
- Jax struck out Spencer Jones to close the sixth.
- He returned for the seventh and retired Jazz Chisholm Jr., Trent Grisham and Ben Rice in order.
- Cash praised Jax for recovering from the frustration of believing the Volpe ball had tied the game.
Cash said Jax’s ability to settle in after the replay reversal was enormous, first against Jones and then in a dominant seventh inning.
A fresh staff waits for the ALCS
The American League Championship Series opens Monday at Tropicana Field, with Game 1 scheduled for TBS, truTV, UniMas and HBO Max. The format begins with two home games, followed by an off-day before three straight road dates, a setup that generally calls for four starters.
The Rays are positioned well after ending the Division Series in three games. Rasmussen is expected to be available for the opener with extra rest, and Tampa Bay can choose from Peralta, Martinez, Jax and Seymour behind him. The club also has the option of using those pitchers in relief between starts.
Peralta illustrated that versatility in the Division Series: he was available from the bullpen for Game 1 before starting the following game. Seymour pitched on consecutive days with one day of rest in between. While other clubs burn through pitching to finish their series, Tampa Bay has time to draw up another October plan.
Baker said the Rays have spent roughly seven months finding different routes to victories. Clinching a postseason series in another unusual fashion, he said, made the moment especially meaningful.
