The Tampa Bay Rays were in the Bronx Sunday afternoon for the final game of the regular season. In a nerve-wracking regular season finale at Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees officially punched their ticket into the postseason with a 1-0 win.
Rays
The Rays held the Yankees scoreless in the first eight innings with a great pitching performance from Michael Wacha. Wacha fired five scoreless innings on Sunday, allowing one hit, one walk and striking out two in a no-decision against the Yankees.
However, Tampa Bay’s offense only recorded five hits, and no runners crossed the plate. On the positive side, Randy Arozarena recorded his 20th stolen base of the season. Arozarena now joins Tommy Pham and BJ Upton as the only Rays’ to record 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a single season.
Yankees
On the opposition, the Yankees were in a must-win position. The Yankees took this as a challenge in a grind-it-out ballgame.
However, New York couldn’t put together any offense through the first eight innings.
Luckily, in the bottom of the ninth inning, Aaron Judge recorded his first-ever walk-off hit. Judge’s hit clinched an AL Wild-Card berth for New York. So, for the fifth straight year, the Yankees are playing in the postseason.
Next Up
Game 162 is in the books. It’s now time for the MLB Playoffs. The Red Sox will host the Yankees in a winner-takes-all game on Tuesday. The winner will face Tampa Bay for a best-of-five series. The Rays will have home-field advantage in the Trop.