Yankees Beat the Tampa Bay Rays 9-2 in a Playoff Tune Up Game Started by Gerrit Cole

The Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 9-2 in this game. The game on September 23rd was basically meaningless, as the Bombers saw the Rays clinch the American League East division last night. The Bombers are also locked into the #1 Wild Card position, which means they will host all three games of the Wild Card Series. Nevertheless, they started Gerrit Cole in this game.

The start for Cole was important, even if the game meant little, because he wanted to build on his strong previous start against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He had struggled in his previous two starts. Because of this strong performance, he may start in the Wild Card Round. Carlos Rodon pitched maybe the greatest game of his Yankee career last night. Who do you think will be in the playoff starting rotation for the Yankees?

Yankees Against Tampa Bay Rays Game Summary September 23

The Yankees watched the Tampa Bay Rays celebrate their American League East division crown last night. The Bombers, by virtue of their win in the first game of the doubleheader, clinched the top spot in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. This game had little meaning, yet the Yankees were confident because they were starting Gerrit Cole against Mason Englert. Here is how the game played out.

In the first inning, Ben Rice hit his 40th home run of the season. The solo home run gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead. Yankees manager Aaron Boone told him in spring training that he thought he would slug 39 home runs.

In the second inning, Ryan McMahon singled, and Spencer Jones scored. The Bombers took a 2-0 lead. Then, in the third inning, George Lombard Jr. hit a solo home run, and it was now 3-0 Yankees. Then, Ryan McMahon hit a grand slam, and Luis García Jr., Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Jose Caballero all scored. Now 7-0. Gerrit Cole had a big lead.

In the fourth inning, Jonny Deluca doubled, and Liam Hicks scored. The score was now 7-1. Then, in the bottom of the fourth inning, Ben Rice hit his 41st home run. A solo homer, so the score was 8-1 Yankees.

In the fifth inning, Cedric Mullins hit a solo home run, which made it 8-2 Yankees. More home runs were given up by Cole.

In the Eighth inning, Heliot Ramos hit a sacrifice fly. Ali Sanchez scored. The score was 9-2 Yankees. That was the final score of the game.

Will Aaron Judge Play Again This Season?

It is reasonable to ask whether Aaron Judge will play again this season. He had a grade two calf strain, and another player who had a similar injury missed two months. Juan Soto had the same injury and missed two months. He was placed on the Injured List on July 25. That is notable because Soto, famously, was Judge’s teammate on the Yankees in 2024.

Typically, a grade two calf strain keeps a player on the injured list for 4-8 weeks. The timeline would mean Judge would not be able to play in the postseason; he was hurt after only seven games played, after missing 88, 11 days before the end of the regular season. That means, despite his injection, he might not be back again this season.

With a high likelihood that next season is lost to a lockout, it is likely Aaron Judge will not play for the Yankees until he is just about to turn 36. There are differing opinions about the lockout now. Everyone agrees some games will be lost. However, there is some thought now that there will be a truncated season.

Judge said he plans to play in the Wild Card series. Judge’s recovery would be miraculous. Judge said that while both were possible Wild Card series roster additions, “we’ll see what happens when the postseason starts” if they play.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Yankees won this game 9-2. There was not much meaning to the game, but Ben Rice hit two home runs to total 41 for the year. He later walked and also hit a single. He now has 97 runs batted in. It is safe to assume he wants 100. This was the third game of the series between these two teams. They play tomorrow night again at 7:05. Another game that means little.

Conclusion

It is interesting to think about whether these games matter given that both the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees are locked into their playoff positions. The games matter for two reasons. First, they matter for individual players to hit milestones and accumulate statistics. We saw that tonight with Ben Rice. Related, players who were injured can build themselves up. Gerrit Cole threw 105 pitches tonight. The games are also important for one team to establish dominance over another. It is an open question whether that was accomplished in this series, but the Bombers clearly put their best foot forward.