After blowing out the rival Boston Red Sox twice in the Wild Card Series, the New York Yankees were shut down by Tampa Bay Rays ace Drew Rasmussen in Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday night (TB 1, NY 0). Rasmussen took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before Austin Wells broke it up (by making an out at third). It was the first time New York was one-hit in the postseason.
"Every win is an exhale and exciting, and the losses are gut punches," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after Game 1. "But you've got to just keep moving and know that you're going to have some tough days too." Game 1 marked the return of Giancarlo Stanton to game action. Stanton did not play during the regular season after April 24 due to three separate calf injuries, though he is on the postseason roster as a pinch-hitter.
He did not appear during the Wild Card Series. In Game 1 against the Rays, he was sent up to pinch-hit for Ryan McMahon to lead off the ninth inning. The at-bat didn't go well -- Rays closer Bryan Baker struck Stanton out on five pitches -- though it's not hard to see the logic behind the pinch-hit decision.
McMahon is a glove-first guy who didn't hit much this year, and Baker has reverse splits. Righties had more success against him than lefties, making the righty-hitting Stanton a better option than the lefty swinging McMahon. Even after the layoff, Stanton is a much better bet to tie the game with one swing than McMahon, and if he reached base, 34-steal man José Caballero could pinch-run (Caballero could have pinch-ran for McMahon too, of course).
It was a sound pinch-hit decision that just didn't work out. Despite the strikeout, Boone liked what he saw from Stanton during the five-pitch at-bat. "I thought he had a really good at-bat," Boone said.
"I thought he was on all (five) pitches. I thought he was seeing the changeup well. I thought got a good swing off right out of the bat.
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