Oct 5, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Richie Palacios (1) hits a single during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees in game two of the ALDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
The New York Yankees are officially facing elimination, and they could have done so in a sloppier, uninspiring fashion.
Aaron Boone’s men recorded four errors, and the bats were shut down yet again by the Tampa Bay Rays in a 5-2 loss in Game 2 of the ALDS on Monday night at Tropicana Field. One more loss will end the Yankees’ season.
After collecting just one hit against Drew Rasmussen in a 1-0 Game 1 loss, the Yankees could muster just four hits, with both runs coming from Ben Rice solo home runs. The five hits across Games 1 and 2 set a dubious franchise record for the fewest hits across two games of a single playoff series.
As has remained an alarming problem for years, New York continued to struggle when speedy teams applied pressure by simply putting the ball in play. Tampa’s first run was the result of three first-inning errors, which immediately put ace Cam Schlittler on his heels.
Third baseman Ryan McMahon booted lead-off man Yandy Diaz’s easy bouncer. He ultimately came in to score when Jazz Chisholm’s errant throw in an attempt to double up Jonathan Aranda went into the dugout.
Rice’s first home run of the night in the top of the fourth tied the game at one apiece and was the lone blemish yielded by Rays starter and ex-Met Freddy Peralta, who gave up three hits with three strikeouts and a walk in 4.2 innings.
It could have been more after Austin Wells doubled and McMahon walked, running Peralta from Game 2 with two outs. Reliever Cam Booser issued a free pass to Rice to load the bases, but narrowly escaped disaster when Cody Bellinger’s deep fly to dead center died on the warning track.
The missed opportunity was felt all the more in the bottom of the frame when the Rays broke it open behind more Yankees miscues. Aranda singled and Junior Caminero doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs. Liam Hicks drove in the go-ahead run with a slow roller to Chisholm, who was not playing as in as the rest of his infielders and could only make a play to first.
The speedy Chandler Simpson drove home Caminero with a grounder that snuck under the glove of George Lombard Jr. at shortstop to make it a three-run game. It was the last batter Schlittler would face, as the heavy Cy Young Award favorite lasted just 5.1 innings and struck out two — a start contrast to the 10 Boston Red Sox he punched out in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series last week in the Bronx.
With two outs, Lombard’s wide throw on a Johnny DeLuca roller was dropped by first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. to extend the inning. Richie Palacios, a Brooklyn native who grew up a Yankees fan, blew the game open with a two-strike, two-RBI single to put Tampa up 5-1.
Rice snuck his second home run just over the right-field fence off Rays reliever Ian Seymour, who was nearly perfect in his three innings of relief.
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