The Tampa Bay Rays clinched the American League East title by beating the New York Yankees, 6-1, in the Bronx on Tuesday, Sept. 22. The win also clinches the top record in the AL for the Rays and the first-round bye that goes with it.
The division win means the Rays can sit back and rest while division rivals Boston and the Yankees likely battle it out before having to face one of them.
The Rays pulled it off in the night cap of a doubleheader after getting shutout by the Yankees earlier in the day. Drew Rasmussen almost returned the favor. The Rays right-hander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.
Heliot Ramos broke up the no-hitter with a double to left and Rays manager Kevin Cash quickly pulled Rasmussen
to save him for the playoffs.
Rasmussen has had two Tommy John surgeries, the first at Oregon State, where he also threw a perfect game in 2015, and the second in September 2017 shortly after the Rays drafted him. He needed a third procedure, for a flexor strain, in 2023. None of it has slowed his stuff down. His fastball has touched the upper 90's, and scouts have compared his quick, over-the-top arm action to Curt Schilling's. He's a two-time All-Star, was the American League's Pitcher of the Month in August 2022 and again in June of this season. When he posted a 0.82 ERA with 39 strikeouts and four walks over five starts. Coming into Tuesday, he was 7-4 with a 2.45 ERA and 94 strikeouts over 92 innings this season.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rays clinch AL East title after dominant win over Yankees
