Rays Sweep Yankees, Advance to ALCS

The best team in the American League lived up to the hype. The Tampa Bay Rays finished off a three-game ALDS sweep of the New York Yankees with a 4-3 victory Wednesday night in the Bronx. Kevin Cash’s club is headed to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2020.

For the Yankees? It’s another offseason that arrived earlier than they wanted, despite being amongst the league's favorites to win the World Series.

Rays Enjoy Sweep of Rival Yankees

Victor Mesa Jr. provided the decisive swing during Tampa's win yesterday, launching a two-run homer off Max Fried in the sixth inning to break a 2-2 tie. Ryan Vilade also went deep, hitting a solo shot in the fourth.

Those swings helped Tampa Bay finish the job behind starter Nick Martinez and its bullpen. The Rays didn’t need a blowout. They just needed to protect a narrow lead and get the final outs.

Bryan Baker struck out Trent Grisham to end the game, shutting the door on New York’s season.

That’s a tough ending for a Yankees lineup that couldn’t produce enough offense to extend the series. Ben Rice, who hit two home runs in the Game 2 loss, never got another chance to rescue them.

The Yankees struggled to find any offensive production outside of Rice all series.

What’s Next For Tampa Bay?

The Rays now await the winner of the Guardians-White Sox series. Chicago leads 2-1, with Cleveland trying to force a deciding Game 5 when the teams meet Thursday. Tampa Bay will host Game 1 of the ALCS on Monday. The best-of-seven series could stretch through Tuesday, Oct. 20, if a seventh game is necessary.

Cash and the Rays have earned a little breathing room. The Yankees, meanwhile, are left to sort through another disappointing October finish.