The New York Yankees had an opportunity on their hands on Saturday night in Tampa Bay against the Rays in Game 1 of the ALDS.
They needed just a couple of runs to snatch a Game 1 win on the road.
Instead, they couldn’t even manage a couple of hits.
It goes down as the worst-hitting playoff game in franchise history.
Infamous History
The Yankees, in a history filled with postseason appearances, had always had at least two hits in a playoff game.
That is, until Saturday night.
The Yankees had just one hit, and that didn’t even stay on base. Austin Wells tried to stretch his two-out double in the eighth into a triple. He was thrown out.
That counts as a hit in the book, but the Yankees didn’t have any others.
That had never happened before:
This is the first time in franchise history the Yankees had 1 hit or fewer in a postseason game.
— Katie Sharp (@SharpStats17) October 4, 2026
The Yankees had given up a home run to Jonathan Aranda in the third inning, but it was just a solo shot off Gerrit Cole. It shouldn’t have cost them the whole game.
And sure, Aaron Judge is out. But again, it’s one run. This lineup is more than capable of that.
They scored nine runs apiece in each of the two AL Wild Card games. That feels like it set the bar quite high, but the Yanks needed just two on Saturday.
They settled for zero runs on one hit.
Giancarlo Stanton Emerges
Maybe just a single positive for the Yankees’ bats: Giancarlo Stanton played.
The big fella was used to pinch-hit for Ryan McMahon to lead off the ninth inning with the one-run deficit.
He ended up striking out swinging against Rays closer Bryan Baker, but it answers the question about how the Yanks may use Stanton.
This was a case where if he had run into one, the game would’ve been tied. It was quite the logical spot to play that card, and so the Yankees played it.
Stanton swung at the first pitch and fouled it off, showing he wasn’t shying away from the moment.
This was Stanton’s first plate appearance since April 24. He battled injuries the rest of the way, and the Yankees aren’t sure he can play a full game even at DH, but his bat still works.
On this night, even the potential magic of a Stanton pinch-hit appearance went by the wayside. Eventually, though, that might be the most important card the Yanks have in their late-inning pocket.
Yankees Make Worst Kind of History