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New York Post
· collected 2026-09-22 · by Mark W. Sanchez
On Tuesday in The Bronx, the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0 in the first game of a doubleheader, keeping their slim hopes alive for an AL East title that now seems unlikely. Carlos Rodón pitched eight shutout innings with just one runner reaching second base and Cody Bellinger hit a two-run homer to provide all the scoring. The Yankees' announced attendance was 41,421 on what felt like an October day in late September.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-22,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Summary
The Tampa Bay Rays clinched their fifth AL East title with a decisive 6-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday, securing home-field advantage throughout the American League playoffs. The Rays, who have led the division since June 27, now hold a six-game lead over the second-place Yankees with five games left in the season.
Key Points
- Game Results: Tampa Bay won both games of the day-night doubleheader at Yankee Stadium (6-1 and 2-0).
- Rays' Performance: Drew Rasmussen pitched a no-hitter into the seventh inning, striking out 11 batters. Yandy Díaz hit two-run singles in the seventh and ninth innings.
- Yankees' Struggles: Despite delaying the Rays’ celebration with an earlier win (2-0), the Yankees saw their slim chance of overtaking Tampa Bay fade away.
- Playoff Implications:
- The Rays secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and will play in the ALDS, potentially facing the Yankees again if both teams advance past the first round.
- Aaron Judge's absence due to injury significantly impacted New York’s performance this season. Judge only played in 66 games out of 157 due to a fractured rib and calf soreness.
Quotes
- "Everybody asks the same question," Junior Caminero (Rays) said. "Nobody cared if it was at Yankee Stadium or not. What matters is just winning. We won today and we’ve got to continue."
- Kevin Cash (Tampa Bay manager): "This four-game series was circled on both schedules for quite some time. That’s because of the respect you have [for them]. It’s a very talented team that we know we could be seeing in 10-12 days."
Context
- The Rays, known as a small-market franchise with one of the smallest payrolls in baseball, continue to achieve remarkable success.
- New York's playoff hopes now hinge on advancing through the wild-card series.
This summary encapsulates the significance of the Rays' victory and its impact on both teams’ playoff trajectories.
Written for “Yankees Lose AL East To Rays” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 7 other(s) covering the same event.
A week or two ago, Tuesday’s doubleheader loomed as perhaps the largest day (and night) of the Yankees’ season.
asserted
doubleheader → loom → season
But the Rays separating themselves — entering with a six-game lead that had doubled since Sept. 11 — and requiring just one victory in this series to clinch the division removed much of the drama from the opening game of the series at a half-filled Stadium.
asserted
that → separate → Stadium
Try it freeAnd so a strong afternoon effort encouraged and kept the Yankees’ AL East hopes alive, but more kept the hopes breathing rather than reviving them.
asserted
hopes → try → them
In the first of two games on the day, the Yankees beat the Rays, 2-0 in front of an announced crowd of 41,421 in The Bronx on a brisk, windy late September day that reminded that October is coming.
asserted
October → beat → day
In all likelihood, also coming soon is the Rays wrapping up the division, but the Yankees at least did not allow their rival to celebrate on their grass immediately.
asserted
rival → come → grass
Of course, the Rays (95-61) have three more chances to do so, including another in just a few hours.
asserted
Rays → have → hours
The Yankees (90-66) are nearly guaranteed a first-round, wild-card date with the Red Sox in a best-of-three that likely won’t include the Yankees’ best: The club is operating under the belief Aaron Judge will not be available for the series because of his calf strain.
asserted
Judge → guarantee → strain
If the Yankees are going to escape the Red Sox and visit these same Rays in the ALDS, they would have to rely upon their stars rather than their superstar.
asserted
they → go → superstar
On that front, Tuesday afternoon provided some hope with Carlos Rodón (eight shutout, overpowering innings in which he faced just one over the minimum) and Cody Bellinger (a two-run blast in the fourth inning that provided the only runs the club needed) stepping up.
asserted
club → provide → runs
The Yankees’ offense was held down by Nick Martinez for three perfect innings before pouncing on two consecutive, imperfect pitches to begin the bottom of the fourth.
asserted
offense → hold → fourth
Ben Rice roped a double down the right field line for the Yankees’ first hit before Bellinger got a first-pitch sinker across the middle of the plate and clubbed it to right for his 17th homer of the season.
asserted
Bellinger → rope → season
Rodón made those two runs stand up in what became his longest and best outing of the season.
asserted
what → make → season
He allowed three baserunners on three singles, and the first two were erased by double plays (the second, in the sixth inning, entailing Bellinger catching a Richie Palacios line drive and throwing strong to first to double up Victor Mesa Jr.).
asserted
Bellinger → allow → Jr.
The third was a one-out single to Jonathan Aranda in the seventh inning, which might have presented the greatest threat to Rodón.
uncertain
which → present → Rodón
But against Junior Caminero — an MVP candidate who represented the tying run — the veteran reached back for his two fastest pitches of the game (both 97.5 mph fastballs) to get ahead, 0-2, before finishing Caminero off with a slider.
asserted
both → represent → slider
After inducing a flyout from Liam Hicks, Rodón returned for the eighth inning and sat down Tampa in order, including a strikeout of Jonny DeLuca that was his eighth of the afternoon and 1,500th of his career.
asserted
that → induce → career
David Bednar recorded his 35th save of the season to keep the Yankees’ very slim division hopes alive.
asserted
Bednar → record → hopes
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