Rasmussen Gem Clinches AL East for Rays

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen carved through the New York Yankees for 6 2/3 one-hit innings with 11 strikeouts Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, and the visiting Rays rode that gem to a 6-1 win that clinched the American League East and the No. 1 seed in the AL playoffs. Tampa Bay improved to 96-61. Nobody left in the AL Central or AL West can catch that record, so home-field advantage through the American League postseason is locked.

Rasmussen already owned Yankee Stadium in four prior career starts there (0.72 ERA, 0.80 WHIP in 25 innings). Night five looked the same. He struck out the first three hitters he faced, then kept leaning on a cutter that finished seven of his 11 punchouts. New York's first hit off him did not arrive until a leadoff double by Heliot Ramos in the seventh. Rasmussen finished with one earned run, three walks, and a career-high 114 pitches before Kevin Cash pulled him one out short of completing the seventh.

The Yankees fell to 90-67 and are headed to the wild-card round without Aaron Judge in the October plan Yahoo reported from the clubhouse vibe. New York is locked into the No. 4 seed and home field in that round thanks to winning the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against these same Rays. That is cold comfort when the division champagne is popping in the visitors' clubhouse.

Tampa Bay's offense did the rest the Tampa Bay way. Taylor Walls scored on a Ryan Vilade grounder after a Walls-Mullins tag-up sequence in the third. Chandler Simpson later scored on a Walls safety squeeze in the seventh. Four more insurance runs piled on late, and All-Star closer Bryan Baker finished the ninth.

Soft fantasy note only: Rasmussen just stamped himself as a locked October starter for a No. 1 seed, and any streaming card that faded him in a Yankee Stadium road start got burned. Treat the clinch as confirmation, not a one-night fluke against a rival that already knew his cutter.

Rays fans have watched this club win with pitching and smart baserunning all year. Clinching it on the road in the Bronx, with Rasmussen dealing and the small-ball board humming, is pure Tampa Bay.

Clinch board

Rays 96-61. AL East champions. No. 1 seed. Home field through the AL playoffs.

Rasmussen: 6 2/3 IP, 1 H, 3 BB, 1 ER, 11 K, 114 pitches.

Fan closer

Pop the corks in the visitors' clubhouse. Rasmussen just handed Tampa Bay October on a silver cutter.