Here are five things to know about the Rays as the Yankees get ready to open the 2026 ALDS in St. Petersburg:
1. Delicate balance
Drew Rasmussen, who will start Game 1, has posted an impressive 1.81 ERA in 10 career starts — and 11 games — against the Yankees. He also has overcome a number of major elbow injuries to get to this point. Rasmussen became an unlikely success story after two Tommy John surgeries (2016 and ’17), and he underwent an internal brace procedure in 2023.
2. Getting the boot
Rays All-Star Nick Martinez (3.10 ERA in 31 starts) spent three years at Fordham as a relief pitcher and infielder, and he was actually kicked out of Yankee Stadium the last time Martinez went as a fan. The Rams’ practice had been canceled that day. “Might’ve had a few too many adult beverages,” Martinez told reporters earlier this year. Next time he went to Yankee Stadium, it was as a major league pitcher.
3. Other local ties
Kevin Cash might’ve had his first World Series ring as a manager if he left Blake Snell in six years ago, but he actually earned one as a player for the Yankees’ 2009 title despite appearing in just 10 games. Cash, who also got a ring in 2007 with Boston, had been released by the Yankees in September.
4. Closing time
Tampa Bay’s Bryan Baker tied for the MLB lead with 41 regular-season saves, and the Rays also might have been the league’s best closing team this season. They won 64 percent of their one-run games (25-14) — the best in MLB.
5. Second chance
Lefty Cam Booser (1.98 ERA in 42 appearances) might get some high-leverage matchups in the ALDS, but he actually initially retired back in 2017. In high school, he broke his femur and fractured a vertebra, according to The Athletic. He underwent Tommy John surgery in college, tore his labrum with the Twins and broke a bone in his back while biking when a car hit him.
He was also suspended for 50 games in 2015 after testing positive for marijuana. He reportedly joined a carpenters union and worked in construction following retirement before beginning to claw his way back with an independent team in 2021.
