The Tampa Bay Rays could not have asked for a better outcome through the first two games of their ALDS clash against the New York Yankees. They blanked the Yankees in Game 1 in a tough pitcher's duel, 1-0, and they followed that up on Monday with a brilliant all-around performance in a 5-2 victory to take a 2-0 series lead.

However, even though the Rays need to win just one more game to advance to the ALCS, the road ahead is only going to be more difficult. Every professional athlete knows that in a playoff series, the most difficult contest to win is the closeout game.

Rays manager Kevin Cash is also expecting the fans at Yankee Stadium to give all of their support in Game 3, making the task ahead for the 2026 AL East champion that much more tricky.

“It's pretty significant. We're getting ready to go to a place that's obviously, you know, they play well there. They've got a tremendous fan base that really supports them. It's gonna be challenging,” Cash said in his postgame presser, via Ryan Bass of MLB TV. “We've set ourselves up in a good way by getting on a plane here up 2-0.”

#Rays manager Kevin Cash on how critical it was to win Game 2 and head to the Bronx with some cushion in the series. pic.twitter.com/SVGrTCl2SO

— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) October 6, 2026

Article Continues Below

The Yankees actually won more games on the road (47) than they did at home (46) in 2026, but the atmosphere at home in the playoffs is very different.

Tampa Bay, back in 2019, dropped the first two games of the ALDS on the road against the Houston Astros before tying the series by winning two games at the Trop. They did lose that series in five, but Cash knows that teams can wake up in a more friendly atmosphere.

What bodes well for the Rays is that they tend to make it far whenever they get over the ALDS hump. This current playoff run is their 10th in franchise history. They did not make it past the ALDS in seven of their past nine runs. When they did, they reached the World Series. Can they pull off something similar all while getting over the World Series hump as well?