The Yankees handed the Rays a run before the first inning had settled in at Tropicana Field, turning the opening frame of ALDS Game 2 into a defensive mess that left Cam Schlittler pitching from behind.
| First-inning item | Yankees | Rays |
|---|---|---|
| Errors | 3 | — |
| Runs | — | 1 unearned |
| Schlittler pitches | 19 | 17 strikes |
With New York treating the game as close to a must-have, the trouble began when Yandy Díaz bounced a ball to Ryan McMahon at third. The ball struck McMahon’s glove and went for an error. Jonathan Aranda followed by driving a single through the left side, beyond McMahon’s diving reach.
Junior Caminero then sent a cutter toward the middle. Rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. made the play and flipped to Jazz Chisholm Jr. for the force at second, but the exchange did not end there. Chisholm tried to turn two on Caminero, even though Caminero led the majors with 26 double plays grounded into during the regular season. His off-balance throw missed Luis García Jr. at first and carried toward the Tampa Bay dugout rail, bringing Díaz home from second.
The inning kept getting uglier. Liam Hicks appeared to have struck out, but his checked swing made contact with catcher Austin Wells’ glove. Catcher’s interference put Hicks aboard and marked New York’s third error of the inning.
That total matched the postseason high for errors in an opening inning. The previous instance came in Game 1 of the 1975 AL Championship Series, when Oakland made three against Boston.
Chandler Simpson, one of the game’s quickest runners, followed with a grounder to Chisholm. The second baseman’s throw pulled Lombard away from the bag, removing any realistic double-play chance. Lombard still managed to get back and touch second for the frame’s second out.
Schlittler finally stopped the spill when Victor Mesa Jr. bounced out to end the inning. He allowed only the one unearned run, but the early defensive breakdown brought back the memory of New York’s rough fifth inning against the Dodgers in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series.
Next on the schedule
Game 3 of the American League Division Series is set for Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, with TBS, truTV, UniMas and HBO Max carrying the broadcast.
