New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells is probably still replaying his base-running mistake that torpedoed the team’s chances late in their 1-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of their American League Division Series matchup on Saturday. It was a brutal way to kick off the series.
“I Was Already Committed” Says Wells After Gaffe
With two outs in the top of the eighth inning and the Yankees clinging to a 1-0 deficit, Wells had just hit a double. He decided to try and stretch that into a triple. Big problem: Yankees third base coach Luis Rojas was attempting to hold him at second. Wells was easily thrown out at third base, making the final out of the inning and killing any chance for the Bronx Bombers. After the game, Wells admitted he didn’t see Rojas initially. “Saw his hands up, I was already committed,” Wells told reporters. “Made two good throws and got me.” He thought the ball would kick off more, but the Rays made a great play. Wells said he was “trying to make something happen, be aggressive with not much going on in the game,” but obviously would’ve loved to be safe at second, or even third.
The Risk That Wasn’t Worth Taking
This wasn’t just a bad read; it was a high-stakes gamble with some serious stats stacked against him. While Rays starter Drew Rasmussen was absolutely dealing, no-hitting New York through seven innings, Wells’ decision was still a head-scratcher. Statcast actually has Wells with the fifth-worst average sprint speed among all Yankees players this season, clocking in at 26.0 feet per second. Trying to stretch a double to a triple with that kind of speed and your coach holding you back? That’s a bold move, and as Wells himself put it, “As you can see, that wins and loses games.” He acknowledged the risk was wrong in that situation. What stings even more is that the Yankees were coming off an AL Wild Card round where they absolutely mashed with runners in scoring position, hitting .450. Had Wells stayed at second, there was a very real chance New York could have driven him home. Instead, the risk didn’t work out.
Now, the Yankees are facing a 1-0 series deficit. They’ve gotta figure out how to get the bats going and avoid these kinds of costly mistakes if they want to get back into this series.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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