Rays
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
The Rays swept the Yankees in the ALDS and opened the ALCS at home Oct 12.
It's their third ALCS ever and first home ALCS game in 18 years.
Background
The Rays spent the past offseason shaking up their roster and were widely picked to finish last in the AL East, yet won their first AL East title in five years and finished with the best record in the American League. They beat the Yankees in the Bronx to reach the ALCS for the third time in franchise history, after first getting there in 2008. This is their first home ALCS game in 18 years.
How it unfolded
- Sep 27, 2026Rays played their regular-season finale in Philadelphia.
- Oct 7, 2026Rays beat the Yankees 4-3 in Game 3 at Yankee Stadium to complete an ALDS sweep; Ryan Vilade hit a solo homer off Max Fried in the fourth and Victor Mesa Jr. hit a tiebreaking two-run shot in the sixth.
- Oct 8, 2026Rays defeated the Yankees in the Bronx to reach the ALCS for the third time in franchise history.
- Oct 9, 2026Rays held a full pregame-type workout at Tropicana Field after flying home Thursday and taking the rest of Thursday off.
- Oct 10, 2026Rays planned an intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday, hours before their ALCS opponent took the field in Cleveland for a winner-take-all Game 5.
- Oct 12, 2026Rays opened the ALCS at home for the first time in 18 years, hosting Game 1 against the Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field; Drew Rasmussen started. They also tweaked their ALCS roster, removing lefty Garrett Cleavinger and adding prospect Brody Hopkins; the 26-man roster has 14 position players and 12 pitchers. Game 1 was scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max.
- Oct 16, 2026ALCS Game 4: Rays at Guardians, 6 p.m. ET, TBS/HBO Max.
- Oct 17, 2026ALCS Game 5: Rays at Guardians, 8 p.m. ET, TBS/HBO Max.
- Oct 19, 2026ALCS Game 6: Guardians at Rays, 5 p.m. ET, TBS/HBO Max.
- Oct 20, 2026ALCS Game 7: Guardians at Rays, 8 p.m. ET, TBS/HBO Max, if necessary.
Who’s saying what
- Party
- Rays starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen said criticism of the team's fan support is exaggerated, adding that the fan base "takes more grief than they deserve" and that they "care" and are "deeply invested."
- Party
- Rays manager Kevin Cash said rest is "a privilege" and that "we've got two more bites -- two more bites on the bone! Nobody sleeps!"
- Party
- Rays outfielder Jonny DeLuca said, "At the end of the day, we're just going to focus on us and be in the moment."
- Analysts
- The Athletic's Will Sammon made a bold prediction that the "Rays win in five."
Still unverified
Organization members in charge of ticketing and attendance said they do not yet have a definitive number for ALCS Game 1 and tickets remain available online; they anticipate a sellout crowd.