Rays clinch AL East title on September 23, secure No. 1 seed and home-field advantage through ALCS

Tampa Bay clinched the 2026 AL East division title on September 23 after defeating the Yankees 6-1 in Game 2 of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium, securing the No. 1 seed in the AL postseason bracket with home-field advantage through the championship series.

The Rays finished the regular season with a 96-61 record, their first division title since winning back-to-back championships in 2020 and 2021. According to MLB.com, the clinching victory marks the franchise's fifth division title in history, joining titles in 2008, 2010, and the 2020-21 run.

Drew Rasmussen delivered the clinching-game performance, striking out 11 on a career-high 114 pitches while carrying a no-hit bid into the seventh inning, according to MLB.com. Taylor Walls recorded the final out, scooping a grounder from George Lombard Jr. and firing it to first baseman Jonathan Aranda.

Tampa Bay has spent 88 consecutive days in first place dating back to June 27, according to MLB.com. The Rays have posted an MLB-best 40-19 record since July 20 and won nine of their last 11 games heading into the clincher. Their momentum built after a four-game sweep by the Red Sox at Fenway Park from July 17-19, followed by a three-game winning streak against Toronto and a 9-0 road trip out west.

The division title defied preseason expectations. Prediction systems and projection models widely picked Tampa Bay to finish last in the AL East, with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays expected to lead the division. Nick Martinez, a veteran starter for the Rays, said per MLB.com: "I don't think anything was handed to us all year. Obviously, I think a lot of guys expected [the Yankees] to run away with it, and [it] probably to be New York, Boston and Toronto at the top. No one really expected us to be here, so we've had to fight for it from the beginning of the season."

Erik Neander, president of baseball operations, told MLB.com: "Four teams got all the attention in this division, and they're four really good teams, right? Just a testament to these guys and just an unbelievable year, and they deserve this. They deserve to enjoy this."

In the AL playoff bracket, the Rays earned the No. 1 seed with a bye. The Yankees are lined up as the No. 4 seed to face the No. 5 Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, and the Guardians are the No. 2 seed, per CBS Sports.

Manager Kevin Cash reminded the team that the division title is only the beginning, per MLB.com. Yandy Díaz said through interpreter Kevin Vera, according to MLB.com: "This group has deserved it all year long, and it's a special group. This is just the beginning, and in our minds, the biggest and the most important celebration is the World Series one."

Rays CEO Ken Babby told MLB.com: "Sitting there in the ninth inning, watching that with 'Tampa Bay' across our chests, with all that this franchise has been through in this past year, man, it's a great time to be a fan of the Tampa Bay Rays. So proud of this group."

Rasmussen added, per MLB.com: "To have the opportunity to run the race from start to finish is special. We know this isn't the finish line. We know that this is a regular-season accomplishment. But man, it feels really good."