The New York Yankees’ season is down to its last breath. After two gut-wrenching losses at Tropicana Field, the Bronx Bombers return home to Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night for Yankees Rays ALDS Game 3 facing elimination, down 2-0 in the best-of-five series to the 98-64 AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays.
First pitch is set for 8:00 PM ET, with the Yankees needing to win three straight to advance to the American League Championship Series. The Rays, meanwhile, can close out the sweep and book a date with the Chicago White Sox–Cleveland Guardians winner, according to the Associated Press.
Yankees Rays ALDS Game 3: How We Got Here
The series began with a pitching masterpiece that was anything but encouraging for New York. In Game 1 on Saturday, the Rays edged the Yankees 1-0 at the Trop, with starter Drew Rasmussen carrying a no-hitter into the eighth inning. The Yankees were held to a single hit all night.
Monday’s Game 2 was uglier still. The Rays won 5-2 in front of a sellout crowd of 40,226, and the Yankees’ defense imploded. New York committed four errors — three in the first inning alone, per USA Today. Ryan McMahon misplayed a ball, Jazz Chisholm Jr. threw wide trying to turn two, and Austin Wells was called for catcher’s interference; George Lombard Jr. later added a throwing error in the fifth. Three of Tampa Bay’s five runs were unearned.
The Yankees’ supposed pitching ace fared no better. AL Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler lasted only 4.1 innings — 13 outs — the shortest postseason start of his career. He was tagged for four runs (two earned) on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts, USA Today reported.
Ben Rice Is Carrying the Entire Lineup
The only Yankee producing anything at the plate is first baseman Ben Rice. He hit two solo home runs in Game 2 — in the fourth and eighth innings — accounting for both of New York’s runs. Rice now has four homers in four postseason games, according to theScore.
Outside of Rice, the Yankees’ offense has been virtually nonexistent: just five total hits across Games 1 and 2, and both of the team’s runs driven in by one man. If the Yankees are going to extend their season tonight, someone besides Rice will have to make contact.
Pitching Matchup: Max Fried vs. Nick Martinez
The Yankees are handing the ball to veteran left-hander Max Fried for the do-or-die start, while Tampa Bay counters with right-hander Nick Martinez, per Reuters and the Associated Press.
Martinez has a compelling homecoming angle: he played his college ball at Fordham University from 2009 to 2011, about five miles from Yankee Stadium, where he used to sit in the bleachers. “I imagine it’s going to be an electric crowd with their season on the line,” Martinez said, according to the AP.
Fried, meanwhile, carries the weight of the Yankees’ season on his shoulders. He allowed just one run over six innings in his last outing, Game 2 of the wild-card series against Boston on Sept. 30, and the Yankees will need something close to that tonight.
On the Rays’ side, the pitching staff has been airtight. Tampa Bay’s pitchers have allowed just two runs through the first two games, with Game 2 starter Freddy Peralta and closer Bryan Baker finishing the job Monday night. At the plate, Richie Palacios delivered a two-run single in Tampa Bay’s four-run fifth, while Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda each collected two hits.
History Is Not on New York’s Side
The numbers are stark. Teams that have taken a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five series have advanced 83 of 93 times — an 89.2% clip. Only 10 clubs in MLB history have ever rallied from 0-2 in a best-of-five.
But there is a silver lining for Yankee fans: the last team to pull off the comeback was New York itself, in the 2017 ALDS against Cleveland. And manager Aaron Boone is leaning into the urgency. “It’s gut check time,” Boone said this week, per ClutchPoints. “We’ve got to get ourselves off the mat.”
Judge Still Sidelined, Stadium Set for a Loud Night
The Yankees remain without their captain. Aaron Judge was left off the ALDS roster as he continues to recover from a strained right calf suffered Sept. 16, USA Today reported — he hasn’t played since, and Giancarlo Stanton remains limited to pinch-hitting duty.
If the Yankees win tonight, the series continues with Game 4 on Thursday at Yankee Stadium, and a potential Game 5 back at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg on Saturday, per USA Today. Three more chances. Tonight, there is only one.
For more on the other ALDS series, see our White Sox rally past Guardians in ALDS Game 2 recap.
FAQ
What time is Yankees Rays ALDS Game 3?
Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday, October 7, at 8:00 PM ET at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. The game airs on TBS.
Who are the starting pitchers for Yankees Rays ALDS Game 3?
Max Fried starts for the Yankees, and Nick Martinez starts for the Rays, according to Reuters and the Associated Press.
Are the Yankees eliminated if they lose Game 3?
Yes. Trailing the best-of-five series 2-0, a Game 3 loss ends the Yankees’ season and sends Tampa Bay to the ALCS.
Is Aaron Judge playing in the ALDS?
No. Judge was left off the Yankees’ ALDS roster with a strained right calf and has not played since Sept. 16, USA Today reported.
Sources: theScore, USA Today, ClutchPoints
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