Austin Wells ended an eight-inning no-hit bid with a double during Saturday’s ALDS Game 1 at Tropicana Field, but was thrown out at third base in a costly baserunning mistake. The Tampa Bay Rays held on for a 1-0 victory over the New York Yankees, taking the lead in the series.
The New York Yankees managed just one hit all night during Saturday’s playoff opener in St. Petersburg, Florida. Tampa Bay right-hander Drew Rasmussen retired 15 consecutive batters and carried a no-hit bid into the eighth inning. Catcher Austin Wells broke it up with two outs, lining an inside sinker off the right-field wall on his 101st pitch.
Wells Erases New York’s Best Threat
Wells attempted to stretch his double into a triple, ignoring a stop sign from third-base coach Luis Rojas who held up both arms as the runner approached second base. Right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. recovered the ball off the wall and fired to shortstop Taylor Walls, who executed a relay throw to third baseman Junior Caminero. Wells was thrown out by about 15 feet, ending the frame.
“Just obviously not a good decision there. Not sure if he saw something on his way between first and second that caused him to go there. But obviously, a mistake there.”
Aaron Boone, Yankees manager
Statcast tracked Wells at 26.0 feet per second during the regular season among 567 batters with 10 or more opportunities, placing him 481st in sprint speed. Taylor Walls noted that speed differential in his postgame comments, explaining that he knew Wells was not fast and focused entirely on getting the ball cleanly into the infield.
Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda stated via an interpreter that he was a little surprised Wells decided to try stretching his hit.
If Wells had stopped safely at second base, Yankees manager Aaron Boone would have sent up Giancarlo Stanton to pinch hit for Ryan McMahon. That move would have forced Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash to decide whether to bring in closer Bryan Baker earlier in the contest.
Yankees Clubhouse Reacts to Error
Manager Aaron Boone described the error as a mistake driven by aggression, noting that Wells is usually a little more risk-averse on the bases. Wells defended his choice by pointing to an offense that had failed to generate momentum all evening and his desire to make something happen in a postseason atmosphere.
I felt like if I got to third there, I was almost guaranteeing that if we got another ball on the turf there, we were going to score a run and tie the game,
Wells said. He also noted that a bobble or an offline target from the defense would have left him safe.
Teammate Jazz Chisholm Jr. supported the aggressive approach in a tight postseason contest. He’s just trying to make something happen, it’s the playoffs,
Chisholm said. If you were watching him run the bases, out of the box, he was hustling like hell… if they threw that ball away, you never know what happens.
Loss Echoes Rare Historical Failures
The Yankees lost a 1-0 postseason game for the first time since Hall of Famer Don Drysdale tossed a three-hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1963 World Series. A similar incident occurred in July 1980, when Lou Piniella was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double—also while playing for the Yankees on the road in a game where they were being no-hit and losing 1-0.
Teams winning Game 1 have historically claimed 73 percent of series, leaving New York facing a deficit in the best-of-five series. Drew Rasmussen earned the win after retiring 23 of 26 batters and striking out 10, while Bryan Baker worked a clean ninth inning to secure the save.
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