The Tampa Bay Rays host the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the 2026 American League Division Series on Saturday, October 3, at 6:30 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. MLB lists TBS, truTV, UniMas and HBO Max as viewing options; WUSF’s Associated Press report lists TBS, truTV and HBO Max. The series is best-of-five.
Game 1 time, venue and broadcast
First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 3, at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay is the host team for the opener. The Yankees’ official postseason schedule also lists October 3 as an away game and October 7 as the first scheduled home game at Yankee Stadium; the team notes that times can change.
| Game | Date and time (ET) | Site | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saturday, October 3, 6:30 p.m. | Tampa Bay | TBS, truTV, UniMas, HBO Max (MLB); TBS, truTV, HBO Max (WUSF/AP) |
| 2 | Monday, October 5, 8 p.m. | Tampa Bay | TBS, truTV, UniMas, HBO Max (MLB) |
| 3 | Wednesday, October 7, 8 p.m. | New York | TBS, truTV, UniMas, HBO Max (MLB) |
| 4, if necessary | Thursday, October 8, 8 p.m. | New York | TBS, truTV, UniMas, HBO Max (MLB) |
| 5, if necessary | Saturday, October 10, 8 p.m. | Tampa Bay | TBS, truTV, UniMas, HBO Max (MLB) |
Dates, times and outlets are from MLB’s October 2 matchup preview; the schedule can change. The Yankees’ official schedule says its listed times are subject to change. For Game 1, WUSF/AP reports the game on TBS, truTV and HBO Max, while MLB also lists UniMas.
How Tampa Bay and New York reached the ALDS
Tampa Bay enters as the American League’s top seed. New York advanced by sweeping Boston in the Wild Card Series, according to MLB’s matchup preview.
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What the regular-season series says—and does not say
The Rays won seven of the teams’ 13 regular-season meetings, but New York took four of the final five. Those results establish a narrow overall Tampa Bay edge and a late-season Yankees surge in the head-to-head matchup; they do not determine the outcome of this best-of-five series.
An Associated Press preview republished by FOX Sports gives a pregame snapshot of the clubs’ records: Tampa Bay was 98–64 and first in the AL East, while New York was 93–68 and second. These are the preview’s game-day figures, not live standings.
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Game 1 starting pitchers
WUSF/AP names Gerrit Cole for New York and Drew Rasmussen for Tampa Bay. The AP preview republished by FOX Sports lists Cole at 10–9 with a 3.61 ERA and 131 strikeouts, and Rasmussen at 16–5 with a 2.67 ERA and 174 strikeouts. Those are the dated pregame statistics reported in that preview.
Rasmussen described his approach this way: “I’m a pretty big believer it’s me versus execution, not me versus the New York Yankees.”
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Three matchup factors to watch
Rotation depth and deployment
MLB identifies Drew Rasmussen, Nick Martinez and Freddy Peralta among Tampa Bay’s rotation options, and Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón for New York. How each club deploys its starters across a short series could shape later games as much as the opener does.
Which lineup can pressure the starter
MLB’s preview highlights the value of making the opposing starter work and getting him out of the game early. That is a matchup consideration, not a prediction: extended plate appearances and early traffic can change how quickly either manager turns to the bullpen.
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Aaron Judge’s calf status
MLB reports that Judge has a right-calf issue, and WUSF/AP described his status as uncertain before Game 1. His availability and any lineup changes are subject to updates closer to first pitch.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The teams’ previous postseason meeting
The Rays and Yankees have met once before in the postseason: Tampa Bay won their 2020 ALDS in five games at Petco Park. MLB recalls the decisive Game 5 moment as Mike Brosseau’s eighth-inning home run off Aroldis Chapman.
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Tropicana Field on game day
WUSF/AP reports that Game 1 is sold out, with standing-room tickets pushing attendance beyond the venue’s stated official capacity of 31,042. The report also notes Tampa Bay’s 55–26 home record and describes the expected fan atmosphere with the phrase “Bring on the cowbells.” Rays manager Kevin Cash said: “I don’t think necessarily the ballpark does anything to help our style of play, but there is an energy that the fans bring in, and we’re looking forward to kind of witnessing that energy.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone offered this assessment of Tampa Bay: “They do a lot of things really well.”
Quick Recap
Sources and game-day updates
- MLB’s October 2, 2026 Division Series preview provides the matchup schedule, broadcast list, season-series result, prior playoff meeting and keys to the series.
- The Yankees’ official postseason schedule lists the team’s games and warns that dates or times may change.
- WUSF/AP’s October 3 game-day report covers the opener, viewing options, sold-out venue and quotes.
- The AP preview republished by FOX Sports gives the pregame records and pitcher statistics.
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