Rays Wrap Up AL East Crown With Win Over Yankees in Nightcap

Tampa Bay beat New York 6-1 in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader to clinch its first division title since 2021.

The Tampa Bay Rays secured the American League East title Tuesday night, defeating the New York Yankees 6-1 in the second game of a day-night doubleheader at Yankee Stadium. It is the franchise's fifth division crown and its first since 2021. The clinch came earlier than any previous one in team history.

Drew Rasmussen controlled the game on the mound, holding New York to one hit over 6 2/3 innings. He lost his bid for a hitless outing when Heliot Ramos doubled to lead off the seventh. Yandy Díaz drove in four runs on a pair of two-run singles, one in the seventh and another in the ninth, while Taylor Walls contributed a bunt single during the three-run seventh that broke the game open.

Tampa Bay (96-61) moved six games ahead of the second-place Yankees (90-67) with five games remaining. The Rays will enter the American League playoffs as the No. 1 seed with home-field advantage. They trail the Milwaukee Brewers by two games for the majors' best record and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

After closer Bryan Baker recorded the final out, the Rays celebrated with handshakes and hugs near the dugout. Tampa Bay had held first place in the division since June 27, spending 128 days atop the standings. The Yankees played much of the season without Aaron Judge, who appeared in only 66 games because of a fractured right rib and a sore right calf that is expected to sideline him for next week's Wild Card Series.