Drew Rasmussen held the New York Yankees hitless for 7⅔ innings Saturday night, pitching the Tampa Bay Rays to a massive 1-0 victory in Game 1 of the best-of-five American League Division Series. This dude was absolutely locked in, making it an unbelievable start to the postseason for the Rays.
Rasmussen Was Unhittable and Unfazed (Mostly)
Let’s just get this straight: Rasmussen was practically perfect. He threw eight scoreless innings, giving up only one hit. The Yankees’ lone hit didn’t even come until two outs in the eighth inning, when Austin Wells managed a double down the right-field line. Wells then got greedy, blowing through his third base coach’s stop sign and getting thrown out at third. Talk about a wasted opportunity! Rasmussen’s 7⅔ hitless innings tied Washington’s Anibal Sanchez in 2019 for the longest individual no-hit bid since Roy Halladay no-hit Cincinnati back in 2010. He also racked up 10 strikeouts, tying a franchise record for a postseason game. When asked about his starter, Rays manager Kevin Cash perfectly summed it up: “What wasn’t elite?”
The craziest part? Rasmussen himself wasn’t even in the dugout for the loudest moment of the night. Jonathan Aranda crushed a 417-foot homer in the third inning, which turned out to be the only run of the entire game, and the sellout crowd of 40,542 went absolutely bonkers. Where was Rasmussen? “Unfortunately, I was in the bathroom,” he laughed later, admitting, “It would have been a really cool time to be in the dugout. But, no, I had to take care of my own business.” He handled his business on the mound too, obviously. He said he never even thought about a no-hitter, “I wasn’t worried about it. I was just trying to execute every pitch.” But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t feeling the pressure. He confessed his “heart rate was at a thousand beats per minute” when he stepped out onto the field.
The “50% Effort” Masterpiece
Even more mind-blowing is how Rasmussen approached this gem. He hadn’t pitched in the postseason since 2022, and that crowd energy hit him hard. Around the third or fourth inning, he told pitching coach Kyle Snyder he was actually throwing at about 50% effort because anything more was a “major misfire.” So, he handed control over to his catcher, Liam Hicks, and just let him call the game. “I just tried my best to execute, in all honesty, whatever pitch Liam called,” Rasmussen explained. “He was incredible.” The only pitch he felt he really missed was a front hip sinker to Wells, which turned into that double. But even then, Victor Mesa, Jr. and Taylor Walls were on it, getting Wells thrown out at third. “He threw an absolute seed to Wallsy,” Rasmussen said of Mesa. You gotta love that kind of teamwork!
This 1-0 nail-biter puts the Rays up 1-0 in this best-of-five ALDS, and it makes you wonder what the Yankees are going to do to counter a performance like that. The Rays could definitely turn to Rasmussen again later in the series, and after a Game 1 like this, who wouldn’t want to see what else he’s got up his sleeve? The stage is set, and this series just got a whole lot more interesting.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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