Cole and Rasmussen set for Yankees-Rays ALDS opener in Tampa Bay

The Yankees open their American League Division Series at Tampa Bay on Saturday, October 3, with Gerrit Cole facing Drew Rasmussen. MLB lists the first pitch at Tropicana Field for 6:30 p.m. Eastern. The matchup brings a 2026 return from major elbow surgery against the starter who helped the Rays clinch both a playoff berth and the division.

Cole was lined up for a possible Game 3 against Boston, but New York's two-game Wild Card sweep made that start unnecessary. The Yankees named him for the Division Series opener Friday. In 22 regular-season starts after returning in May, Cole went 10-9 with a 3.61 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 127 innings. That is a current-season baseline, not a promise that his past postseason results will repeat.

Why the rotation lines up this way

Rasmussen gives Tampa Bay a different kind of stability. The Rays' official preview lists him at 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA in 30 starts and says he pitched both the September 11 playoff-clinching win and September 22 division-clinching win. His 0.91 WHIP led the American League. The Yankees saw him this season; familiarity does not remove the challenge of reaching him early in a short series.

New York's sweep bought its rotation a cleaner opening, while Tampa Bay enters with home field and its most consistent starter. The lineup question became sharper Saturday: MLB confirmed Aaron Judge is not on the Yankees' 26-man ALDS roster because his strained right calf has not healed enough. The official Game 1 lineup starts with Ben Rice at designated hitter and Cody Bellinger in left field. Cole made three regular-season starts against the Rays and allowed no more than three runs in any of them, according to the Yankees' Friday report.

What to watch and when

The game is scheduled for TBS, truTV, UniMás and HBO Max in the United States, according to MLB's game listing. First pitch is 6:30 p.m. Eastern. The posted lineups remain subject to change. This is a pregame analysis; no result is implied.