AL DIVISION SERIES: YANKEES VS RAYS

October 3, 2026

Drew Rasmussen

Tropicana Field

Tampa Bay Rays

Postgame 1 Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with the man of the hour.

Q. Drew, you almost pitched a no-hitter against the Yankees a couple weeks ago. How do you compare that game to this one?

DREW RASMUSSEN: In all honesty, relatively similar. At that point, we had the opportunity to win the division. Obviously, this one's a postseason game so both meaningful, both impactful.

But I mean, I think my heart rate was a hair higher tonight than it was. I don't think I called a single pitch of my own. I just tried my best to execute, in all honesty, whatever pitch Liam called.

Q. How good was Liam?

DREW RASMUSSEN: He was incredible. He was on top of it. Our catchers do so much work to be prepared coming into every single series. Shoot, other than me missing middle on a front hip sinker to Wells, I think he did an excellent job.

Q. The crowd tonight, you mentioned the heartbeat. How do you describe the 40,000-plus that were cheering so loud? That was one of the loudest environments I've witnessed in this building.

DREW RASMUSSEN: Yeah. I mean, it was incredible. Tampa Bay showed out for us tonight and that was awesome to see. It definitely, the adrenaline was definitely a hair higher than it normally was.

But, no, it was -- I mean, this place is as loud as any place is when it's filled up.

Q. Drew, what kind of goes through your head when you see Wells hit the ball, you see it down and then you see your defense react as it did.

DREW RASMUSSEN: I mean, shoot, I could make the argument those are two of our best defenders on the field that had the opportunity to make a play. I mean, I know Vic took a peek to see where the ball was at and where the runner was headed as it was going to bounce into the corner.

I mean, he threw an absolute seed to Wallsy. And then, you know, we laugh about it. We joke about it. Anything you can do to get the ball in Number 6's hands is a really, really good option. Taylor had the opportunity to make a relay on the play, and just as he always is, so sure-handed, so accurate with his throws, and it was a great way to end the outing.

Q. Until that hit, did you, in your mind, think you could complete the no-hitter?

DREW RASMUSSEN: I wasn't worried about that. Like I said, my heart rate was at a thousand beats per minute. I was just trying to execute one pitch at a time.

Q. You mentioned yesterday that starting is preparation and execution. Obviously, you felt prepared. When did you feel like you were in a good place in terms of execution?

DREW RASMUSSEN: I don't know. Maybe the fourth. I told Snydes probably after the third or fourth inning, hey, you know, I think I feel like I'm throwing at, like, 50 percent because the second I step on it, it's a major misfire.

And, you know, it's just one of those things. Shoot, I haven't pitched in the postseason since 2022, and just to feel the adrenaline, to feel the environment, it was special. But no, I definitely, you know, it definitely took me a minute to settle in.

Q. Drew, every inning you pitch in a game this close is a shutdown inning. Especially the fourth inning. Can you talk about your mindset in the fourth inning once your team got a lead?

DREW RASMUSSEN: It was kind of the same mindset as it was prior. It was the same mindset as it was after. The adrenaline was so high. I just wanted to execute one pitch at a time. Like I said, I didn't worry about calling any pitch, even though I wear the PitchCom device. When I walked on the field and heard the crowd for the first time, my heart rate spiked quickly. It was one of the things I was going to let Liam take that load off my shoulders and go from there.

Q. Drew, we know you root on your teammates as much as anybody. For Jonny to get the home run and the crowd to erupt. You're locked in. What was the moment like to get the lead knowing how well you've been this season when you score first?

DREW RASMUSSEN: Unfortunately, I was in the bathroom so I missed it. It would have been a really cool time to be in the dugout. But, no, I had to take care of my own business.

But, I mean, he's done it all year for us. It's big swings in big moments constantly. What a special night for him. What a special moment. It was so much fun. It was so much fun to see.

Q. Drew, just as well as you've pitched against the Yankees and with the stakes what they are, when you look at the way the series lines up, when do you expect to have another shot at this team?

DREW RASMUSSEN: I wish I could tell you. Cashy had a meeting with us probably about a week -- maybe the last day of the regular season. What was that, Sunday? All he said was, hey, Ras, you're starting. After that, it's all hands on deck.

So when I'm going again, I couldn't tell you right now, but I'm sure we'll have conversations over the next couple of days.

Q. Drew, what is it about the Yankees that allows you to dominate? You've been disgusting against them. Is there tendencies or something they have?

DREW RASMUSSEN: I don't know about that. In all honesty, I said it, although this outing was good, the one prior in this building was horrible. So I don't -- it's the same approach to every lineup, right? It's, hey, can I prepare to the best of my abilities? On the day I'm starting, can I just execute one pitch at a time?

Q. Drew, you are very close to finishing a no-hitter. What is the key? What do you consider is the key for dominating this lineup?

DREW RASMUSSEN: Once again, you say the word dominate. Man, I feel like I'm grinding out there. I mean, it's the same thing regardless of the lineup. If you execute on a day, hitting's really hard. And so it's just one of those things that can I go out and throw Strike 1 and can I execute at a zone with two strikes?

Q. Overall, between the way you pitched, the way you got the run, the defense, the crowd, the environment, did it just feel like a very special night, kind of what it should feel like, I guess?

DREW RASMUSSEN: Yes and no, right? Really cool to win here. I mean, shoot, I think I just mentioned that was our first postseason win since 2021. But we got a lot of series left. Got a pretty good feeling of who they're going to throw in a couple of days and it's going to be a dog fight. That's for sure.

So little one of those things that, yes, tonight was special. Yes, tonight was a good team win. But there's still a lot of series ahead of us.

THE MODERATOR: Amazing performance, Drew. Thanks for your time.

DREW RASMUSSEN: Thank you very much.