Rasmussen no-hitter through 7 2/3 innings carries Rays to 1-0 ALDS Game 1 win over Yankees, Oct. 4

Drew Rasmussen carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning, striking out 10 and walking only two, as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the New York Yankees 1-0 on Saturday, October 4, in ALDS Game 1 at Tropicana Field before a sold-out crowd of 40,542. Rasmussen retired 15 straight batters before Austin Wells broke the no-hit bid with a double down the right-field line with two outs in the eighth inning, per MLB.com. Wells was thrown out at third base on a relay from center fielder Victor Mesa Jr. to shortstop Taylor Walls to third baseman Junior Caminero, ending the play. Rasmussen is the seventh pitcher in the Modern Era to reach that milestone in the postseason, per the league. Rasmussen's performance included a career-high 23 swinging strikes, the most by any Ray in a postseason game, per MLB.com. In his final regular-season start at Yankee Stadium on September 22, Rasmussen carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and struck out 11 in a Rays win that clinched the American League East, according to MLB.com. Jonathan Aranda's third-inning home run provided all the run support Rasmussen needed. The Rays have now won Rasmussen's last 13 starts, per MLB.com. Pitching coach Kyle Snyder described Rasmussen as "the standard" for all Rays pitchers and "the most underrated starting pitcher in baseball for the last five years," according to MLB.com. Manager Kevin Cash compared Rasmussen's work ethic and preparation to Roy Halladay, the Hall of Famer whom Cash caught with the Blue Jays in the early 2000s, per the league. In 11 career regular-season games against the Yankees, Rasmussen carries a 5-2 record with a 1.81 ERA, according to MLB.com. He has allowed two runs or fewer in 10 of those 11 outings.