Austin Wells got caught trying to stretch a double into a triple in the eighth inning of Saturday’s 1-0 American League Division Series Game 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, and it was a decision Yankees manager Aaron Boone straight-up called “not a good decision.” This wasn’t just any out either, folks. It was a potential game-tying rally snuffed out, a brutal blow in a historically bad Game 1 for the Bronx Bombers.
The Play That Stopped the Yankees’ Heartbeat
Here’s how it went down: Rays starter Drew Rasmussen was absolutely dealing, holding the Yankees to a no-hitter through two outs in the eighth. Then, Wells ripped a double to right field. Energy in the stadium must’ve been electric, right? But the veteran backstop kept digging, trying to turn that double into a triple. And just like that, he was thrown out in plenty of time, ending the inning. Boone didn’t mince words after the game, saying he wasn’t “sure if he saw something on his way between first and second that caused him to go there,” but acknowledged it was “obviously, a mistake there.” You just can’t be making those kinds of mistakes in October, especially not in a game where your offense is totally flatlining.
Wells’ Aggression vs. Baseball Wisdom
Wells, for his part, tried to explain it. He told reporters he thought the ball took a bigger bounce off the wall than it did and that Rays right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. “made a good play on the ball.” He admitted he was “trying to make something happen” with “not much going on in the game,” and being “aggressive.” Look, you can understand the desire to spark something when Rasmussen had struck out 10 and walked just two batters all night. Getting someone on third with two outs would’ve meant a bloop hit or an error could tie the game. But the old baseball wisdom says you never make the first or last out at third, and Wells unfortunately committed the latter. You gotta wonder, too, if he might’ve had an easier time scoring from second on a base hit anyway, running on contact with two outs. This wasn’t some minor league game, it was the ALDS, and this kind of play can haunt you.
The series is far from over, thank goodness. The Yankees have ace Cam Schlittler taking the mound for Game 2 on Monday. But let’s be real, if the Yankees end up exiting this ALDS, Wells’ gaffe is going to take on a whole new, much larger, and significantly more painful meaning for New York fans. They absolutely need Schlittler to dominate and the offense to wake up, or this will be the moment everyone points to.
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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