Wells says he saw stop sign too late as Yankees fall 1-0 in ALDS opener

The Yankees catcher admitted he spotted Luis Rojas's stop sign only after passing second base, an out at third that capped a one-hit night against Tampa Bay.

Austin Wells did not register Luis Rojas's message until his momentum had already carried him past second base. The New York Yankees catcher, speaking to YES Network after Sunday's 1-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the American League Division Series at Tropicana Field, made no attempt to obscure the timing of the stop sign that preceded his out on the bases.

Few situations in a one-run game carry more weight. Trailing 1-0 with two outs in the eighth inning, Wells pulled a liner down the right-field line for New York's first hit, denying Drew Rasmussen a no-hitter in the process. Rather than settle at second, he rounded the bag and kept going, and the Rays handled the relay without a hitch — Victor Mesa Jr. sent it to shortstop Taylor Walls, whose throw to Junior Caminero beat the runner by a comfortable margin. The out also snuffed out New York's most serious threat of the game.

Asked whether he had seen the coach's signal before the throw, Wells answered directly. “After I was passing second base, I did,” he told YES Network. “Saw his hands up, I was already committed.” Camera angles from above supported his account, capturing Rojas with both arms raised while Wells was still approaching second.

His reasoning rested on circumstance more than anything. “I was being aggressive,” Wells said. “We didn't really have much going on there in the game, so every 90 feet matters. Obviously, I have full trust in the guys behind me. But I was trying to make something happen.” He acknowledged the bottom line as well, saying, “Obviously, I wanted to be safe,” and that second base was where he would have preferred to remain.

Manager Aaron Boone passed on the chance to defend his catcher. “Just obviously not a good decision there,” Boone said. “Not sure if he saw something on his way between first and second that caused him to go there. But, obviously, a mistake there.”

Context did the decision no favors. Wells rates in the 16th percentile among major league hitters in sprint speed, and making the final out of an inning at third base has long ranked among baseball's most basic commandments. His double additionally represented the entirety of New York's hit column, the lowest total the franchise has posted across 447 postseason games.

Rasmussen's evening deserved equal billing. The Tampa Bay right-hander surrendered that lone hit along with two walks across eight scoreless frames, sitting down 15 consecutive hitters between Ben Rice's walk in the third inning and Wells's double. Bryan Baker worked the ninth to finish the victory.

Game 2 arrives Monday at Tropicana Field, where the Yankees will try to even the series against the Rays. First pitch is set for 8:00 p.m. EDT, with television coverage on TBS and truTV.