Drew Rasmussen took his second no-hit bid in as many weeks far into an outing against the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the divisional series, and frankly, the Bronx Bombers’ lineup looked as helpless as many predicted without Aaron Judge. That’s a rough start to the postseason for any club, especially one with expectations.
Rays Shut Down Hapless Yankees Offense
This game was a pitcher’s duel, and Drew Rasmussen was absolutely dealing for the Tampa Bay Rays. He was flirting with history, carrying a no-hitter deep against the Yankees. Seriously, he was on fire! It finally took Austin Wells to break up that bid, but the damage was already done. The game’s only run came from a Jon Aranda homer. Even with Gerrit Cole pitching a great five innings of his own, giving up just that solo shot, the Yankees offense simply couldn’t get it together. And speaking of Wells, his inexplicable run to third on a ball he was clearly going to be thrown out on ended an inning and, effectively, any real threat for the Yankees to win Game 1. Talk about a brutal baserunning blunder when the stakes are this high! The Rays snagged a 1-0 series lead.
Dodgers’ Deadline Deal Pays Off; White Sox Show Pitching Depth
Meanwhile, over in Los Angeles, the Dodgers’ move to grab the reigning Cy Young winner, Skubal, at the trade deadline is already paying dividends. Skubal absolutely did not disappoint in his first postseason start as a Dodger, going six strong innings and allowing just two hits. Sure, Sean Murphy got a solo shot in the sixth, but Skubal finished his last inning with a 3-1 lead, thanks to a Teoscar Hernandez home run earlier. Kyle Tucker then answered Murphy’s homer with one of his own, and Max Muncy added another in the sixth to put it on ice, sealing a 5-3 win for the Dodgers and a 1-0 series lead over the Braves.
Out in Cleveland, the White Sox are already looking like a problem. They beat the Guardians 3-0 in a game that was pretty devoid of offense for Cleveland. Munetaka Murakami’s two-run shot was the defining moment, but the real story was Chicago’s pitching. They used six pitchers, including Jordan Hicks, for a combined three-hit shutout. Their 24-year-old Grant Taylor recorded a twelve-out save, and the 3-0 lead never felt in jeopardy. White Sox lead that series 1-0. Elsewhere, Jacob Misiorowski made his first playoff start for the Brewers against the Padres. He looked a bit shaky early, running into long counts and nearing 60 pitches through two innings. He even “slowed down” to 98-99 during his fourth inning, letting folks respect the offspeed pitches. But hey, he still made it through four innings and got those strikeouts, helping the Brewers to a 3-2 win and a 1-0 series lead.
Every series now sits 1-0, which means we’re in for some absolutely wild Game 2s. You know these teams are going to come out swinging!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Over the Monster.
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