For Aaron Boone and the New York Yankees, October has once again arrived with another chance to overcome the postseason roadblocks that keep standing in their way. The Tampa Bay Rays may be the next hurdle, but this time, the mountain looks steeper than ever. A 5-2 regular-season record in favor of the Rays already gives Tampa Bay a psychological edge, while the Yankees enter the ALDS carrying an uncomfortable trend against teams that finished at or above their level.
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Yes, New York survived the Wild Card round against the Boston Red Sox, but Boston finished the regular season with a .537 winning percentage compared to the Yankees’ .578. Last year, the Yankees (.580) also had the better record than Boston (.549), only to fall to the Blue Jays (.580) in the ALDS. Now, with the Rays waiting, beating an opponent that has already dominated them once this season could do more than send Boone’s team to the ALCS.
“The Yankees have not won a series under Boone against a team that had the same or better record. They have a few days in October to change that,” MLB insider Joel Sherman shared via X.
The Rays finished their 2026 regular season with a .605 record compared to the Yankees’.578. So, beating the Rays would offer the Yankees a rare chance to beat a higher-seeded team in the postseason.
Under Boone, the Yankees have won only one postseason series as a lower seed, highlighting a glaring trend when facing teams with an equal or superior record. The lone exception came during the COVID-impacted 2020 season against the then-Cleveland Indians. In that pandemic-shortened season, the Yankees finished 33–27 and swept the Indians in the Wild Card series, who finished with a better record at 35–25.
Apart from this, the Yankees (100-62) lost to the Red Sox (108-54) in the 2018 ALDS. They (102-59) lost to the Houston Astros (107-55) in the 2019 ALCS. The Yankees (33-27) also lost to the Rays (40-20) in the 2020 ALDS. They even failed to beat the higher-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 World Series.
This time, if the Yankees can beat the Rays, this unwanted record can be altered. However, the worst part was that the Yankees already lost Game 1 and are entering Game 2 with a 0-1 deficit. They need to achieve all this with Aaron Judge around.
Sidelined since September 16 with a right calf strain, the Yankees are missing their captain in the ALDS also. While Judge’s postseason stats are nothing extraordinary (.236 batting average with 58 hits and 17 home runs), his presence is what matters most for the Bronx.
For reference, back in 2023, Judge tore a ligament in his right big toe by crashing into the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium. When Judge went on the Injured List (IL) on June 3, 2023, the Yankees were 11 games over .500 (35–25) and firmly in the playoff hunt. However, during his 54-game absence, the Yankees went 25–30.
Hence, just when the Yankees are fighting a historical odd against the Rays, their concerning stats without Aaron Judge could haunt them more. And considering their Game 1 defeat against the Rays, Boone may have a few more concerns before Game 2.
The Yankees fumbled in Game 1
Apart from their pitching, nothing went right for the Yankees in Game 1. The Rays’ Drew Rasmussen completely dominated the Aaron Judge-less Yankees lineup, striking out 10 batters and walking only two. After issuing two early walks, he retired 15 straight batters and carried a no-hitter deep into the game.
A lineup that had just exploded for 18 runs in a two-game Wild Card sweep against the Red Sox went completely cold, failing to advance runners or create any sustained pressure.
The Yankees finally caught a spark with two outs in the eighth inning when catcher Austin Wells broke up Rasmussen’s no-hitter with a sharp double down the right-field line. However, the momentum was instantly killed by a massive mistake on the basepaths.
Wells kept his head down and aggressively tried to stretch the double into a triple. Third-base coach Luis Rojas clearly put both hands up to signal a stop sign, but Wells blew past it. A flawless defensive relay from Victor Mesa Jr. to shortstop Taylor Walls caught Wells at third base to end the inning and erase the tying runner from scoring position.
Hence, before Game 2, the Yankees are far from being stress-free.