Rays hold six-game lead with seven games left

Tampa Bay has dominated the AL East all season and arrived in New York needing just one win to clinch their first division title since 2021.

Yankees must sweep to avoid elimination

New York needs to win all four games in three days to keep their AL East hopes alive. One Rays victory locks the Yankees into Wild Card play.

Rays get bye and home field advantage

A division title guarantees Tampa Bay a bye through the Wild Card Series and home field advantage in the Division Series and Championship Series.

Rays send two best starters Tuesday

Nick Martinez and Drew Rasmussen will pitch the doubleheader. Martinez has a 22-7 record this season, while Rasmussen is 11-0 in his last 11 starts since July 9.

“Tampa Bay has a 22-7 record behind Martinez this season.”

Yankees counter with Rodón and Fried

Carlos Rodón is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in September after recovering from elbow inflammation. Max Fried is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA in three September starts after two injured list stints.

Rays dominating with 39-18 record since July

Tampa Bay went 8-1 at home and has won four straight series. They have baseball's best record since July 20 with a 2.81 ERA from their starting pitchers this month.

Yankees lean on pitching, need offense

New York's rotation is strong, but the offense must step up. Ben Rice hit his 39th home run, Austin Wells has three homers in six games, and Heliot Ramos homered in his last two.

Judge's injury looms over Yankees

Aaron Judge's right calf strain is a major concern. The Yankees are 48-41 without him this season compared to 41-25 with him, showing how dependent the offense is on their star.

Rays' Díaz struggles in September

Leadoff man Yandy Díaz has slumped with a .229 average in September. His performance sets the tone for the entire lineup heading into October.