From predicted last to No. 1 seed: Rays clinch their earliest AL East title
The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Yankees 6-1 on 22 September to clinch the AL East and the American League's No. 1 seed, the earliest division title in franchise history for a team widely tipped to finish last.
The Tampa Bay Rays clinched the AL East on 22 September with a 6-1 win over the New York Yankees in the second game of a doubleheader, per ESPN. The victory took them to 96-61 and secured the American League's No. 1 seed. It is the earliest division title in franchise history, three days earlier than their previous earliest, and it came from a team that was widely expected to finish last in the division in spring training, per MLB.com.
The clinching night
Drew Rasmussen set the tone. The right-hander worked 6⅔ innings, allowed one hit and struck out 11 on a career-high 114 pitches, per ESPN. Holding a Yankees lineup to a single hit over that many innings, on the night the division was on the line, was a performance to match the occasion.
Yandy Díaz supplied the damage at the plate, with two two-run singles, the second of them in the ninth inning, per ESPN. The hits took his season total to 175, the most in the American League.
| Clinching night, 22 September | Figure |
|---|---|
| Result | Rays 6, Yankees 1 |
| Rasmussen | 6⅔ innings, 1 hit, 11 strikeouts |
| Rasmussen pitches | 114 (career high) |
| Díaz | Two two-run singles; AL-leading 175 hits |
From last to first
The scale of the turnaround is what makes the title stand out. MLB.com reports that the Rays were widely expected to finish last in the AL East going into the season. Instead they have been in first place for 88 consecutive days since late June, per MLB.com, and finished the job with room to spare.
It is the Rays' fifth AL East title and their first since winning the division in back-to-back seasons in 2020 and 2021, per ESPN.
| The Rays' season in numbers | Figure |
|---|---|
| Record at the clinch | 96-61 |
| AL seeding | No. 1 |
| Consecutive days in first place | 88 (since late June) |
| Clinch compared with previous earliest | 3 days earlier |
| AL East titles | 5 |
| Gap to MLB's best record (Brewers) | 2 games |
Chasing the best record in baseball
Only one team in the majors has a better record. The Rays trail the Milwaukee Brewers by two games for the best mark in Major League Baseball, per ESPN, which leaves a race for the top spot across both leagues in the final days of the season.
A 96-61 record works out to a winning percentage of about .611. For a side that was not expected to contend for the division, that is the profile of a genuine October threat.
A bad night for the Yankees
The clinch came at the expense of the Yankees, who are also dealing with the loss of Aaron Judge. The slugger is on the injured list with a right calf strain, and manager Aaron Boone said he "most likely won't be available" for a potential Wild Card series, per ESPN. For New York, the night meant losing the division and facing the prospect of the Wild Card round without their biggest bat.
Looking to October
The Rays are not treating the division as the finish line. Manager Kevin Cash said the title is only the beginning and that the aim is to win the World Series, per MLB.com.
They will go into the postseason as the American League's top seed. After a season in which they were written off in spring, went top in late June and stayed there, the Rays head to October as the team the rest of the league has to catch.