NEW YORK — The Tampa Bay Rays need just one win in a four-game, three-day series at Yankee Stadium to clinch their first American League East division title since 2021, giving the club a chance to eliminate the Yankees on their home turf during the final week of the regular season.
The Rays punched their postseason ticket 11 days ago on Junior Caminero’s walk-off home run against the Astros at Tropicana Field — their first playoff berth in three years. Now they are positioned to add a division crown in the most theatrical setting possible, something starter Griffin Jax welcomed without hesitation.
“I don’t know if there’s a better city to clinch in than New York,” Jax said after pitching five strong innings Sunday at Tropicana Field. “We’ll be enjoying it, for sure, when it happens.”
Not every player is focused on the champagne, however. Outfielder Jonny DeLuca made clear the clubhouse has its sights on October. “Obviously that would be pretty fun, but yeah, everyone here knows that the job isn’t finished,” DeLuca said. “That obviously is an incredible celebration if that happens. But our eyes are further down the line.”
The Rays’ previous AL East title came in 2021, when they clinched both a playoff spot and the division at Tropicana Field, though pandemic-era restrictions were still in place that season. In 2022, they celebrated in Houston’s visiting clubhouse, and in 2023 they held a delayed celebration at Fenway Park after clinching during a loss in Baltimore.
Manager Kevin Cash said the team’s road record and composure in hostile environments give him confidence heading into New York and a subsequent series in Philadelphia — seven games total against big-market, playoff-bound clubs. “We’ve done a very good job on the road, kind of rising to those situations and those ballparks that can really create the energy,” Cash said. “But I’m very confident our guys will go in there and embrace those moments.”
Starter Drew Rasmussen echoed that confidence specifically about Yankee Stadium. “It’s going to be exciting. It’ll be a good environment. It always is when we’re there,” Rasmussen said. “I’m excited to experience that and just have the opportunity to go out and just put our team in the best position we possibly can.”
Starter Nick Martinez, one of the veterans counseling younger teammates on postseason intensity, said the current stretch is the closest approximation available. “We’ve been playing some playoff teams, very, very important games we played this month. There’s definitely a heightened sense of winning this month,” Martinez said. “It’s going to be as close to a playoff atmosphere as you can get, definitely New York and possibly Philly, with them trying to fight for home-field advantage. It’s about winning one pitch at a time, not needing a hero, just doing your part and letting everything fall into place.”
The four-game series at Yankee Stadium runs through Wednesday, after which the Rays travel to Philadelphia to close the regular season.