Drew Rasmussen carried a no-hitter deep into the night, and when the New York Yankees finally cracked him, their lone baserunner did not last long. Manager Aaron Boone owned up to Austin Wells' costly decision after the 1-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, but he was clear about what really sank his team.

Rasmussen held the Yankees hitless for 7 2/3 innings at Tropicana Field on Saturday night. With two outs in the eighth, Wells broke up the bid with a double down the right-field line. He tried to stretch it into a triple and ran through a stop sign from third base coach Luis Rojas. Right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. threw to shortstop Taylor Walls, whose relay to Junior Caminero beat Wells to the bag.

“Obviously not a good decision there,” Boone told reporters after the game. “Not sure if he saw something on his way between first and second that caused him to go there. But obviously a mistake there. But the biggest issue is just Rasmussen shutting us down.”

"A mistake there, but biggest issue is just Rasmussen shutting us down."

– Aaron Boone on Austin Wells' baserunning error and the Yankees' Game 1 loss pic.twitter.com/I0VEw4t5cd

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) October 4, 2026

Boone added that the aggressive play was out of character for the catcher.

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“There's mistakes every now and then in aggression. Obviously that was one,” Boone said. “He's usually a little more risk-averse on the bases, but obviously it's a mistake, and it does happen.”

Rasmussen finished with eight innings of one-hit ball, walking two and striking out 10. Boone pointed to the right-hander's command and his changeup against New York's left-handed hitters.

“He's got a great arsenal, but the ability to pitch on both sides of the plate and up and down obviously makes him challenging and one we've had a hard time solving,” Boone said.

The only run came on a Jonathan Aranda home run off Gerrit Cole, who gave up one run over five innings. Bryan Baker closed it out with a perfect ninth, striking out pinch-hitter Giancarlo Stanton in his first plate appearance since April.

Cam Schlittler gets the ball for the Yankees in Game 2 on Monday, with Freddy Peralta starting for Tampa Bay. Boone said every playoff loss feels like a gut punch, but the goal now is simple. Leave St. Petersburg with a split and head home even.