By By Ken Filler | Tampa Bay Sports Journal
ST. PETERSBURG — October baseball is back at Tropicana Field. And judging by the demand for tickets, Tampa Bay is ready for it.
The Tampa Bay Rays are returning to the postseason for the first time in three years, and will play the winner of the Boston Red Sox–New York Yankees Wild Card Series.
Game 1 is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3, with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch.
Based on ticket availability, the remaining Game 1 seats are in the third level. That kind of crowd can make the Trop feel a bit different from an ordinary night in June.
The attendance benchmark to watch is the 37,616 fans who packed the building for Game 2 of the 2021 ALDS against Boston. That was a great postseason crowd, although it was not the stadium’s all-time playoff record: Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS drew 40,473.
Whether Saturday’s attendance reaches that 2021 figure remains to be seen. But the enthusiasm is there.
Now the Rays need to give those fans a reason to stay loud.
Drew Rasmussen Is the Logical Game 1 Choice
With Shane McClanahan not expected to pitch in the ALDS, my projected rotation starts with Drew Rasmussen on Saturday, followed by Freddy Peralta in Game 2 and Nick Martinez in Game 3.
That remains a projection, not an announced rotation.
Rasmussen made an emphatic argument for the opening assignment in the division-clinching victory over the Yankees.
He allowed one hit over 6⅔ innings and struck out 11 in Tampa Bay’s 6–1 win. The victory moved him to 16–5, and the Rays won his 12th consecutive start.
That is the kind of performance you want to carry into October.
Game 1 can change the way a manager handles an entire series. Win it, and there is room to breathe. Lose it, and suddenly the pressure shifts toward the next starter, the next lineup decision, and the next bullpen move.
Rasmussen’s assignment is to keep the game manageable from the beginning. Throw strikes. Keep traffic off the bases. Make Boston or New York earn its opportunities.
With a large crowd behind him, an efficient first inning could settle the Rays into the game while giving the crowd something to feed on.
Peralta Gives Tampa Bay a Strong Second Option
Freddy Peralta was acquired to help the Rays win meaningful games, and this is where that investment gets its most important examination.
His September record provides plenty of reason for confidence.
Peralta went 4–0 with a 0.96 ERA over five September starts, allowing three earned runs in 28 innings. He struck out 23, posted a 0.89 WHIP, and held opponents to a .165 batting average.
The Rays won all five outings, and he earned American League Pitcher of the Month honors.
Those numbers do not guarantee a postseason win, but they do show a pitcher entering the playoffs has his game in order.
Putting Peralta behind Rasmussen would give Tampa Bay two opportunities to establish control before the series moves north.
It also raises an interesting question for Kevin Cash: How much should recent form influence the order? Peralta’s September makes him an attractive Game 2 choice, especially when the alternative is holding him until the first road game.
My preference is to use him at home and try to take an early series lead.
The Rays need to approach these first two games with urgency. There is no benefit in saving a strong performance for a situation that may never arrive.
Martinez Would Face the First Road Test
Nick Martinez is my choice for Game 3, but his final regular-season outing deserves some scrutiny.
He finished 15–6 after allowing four runs and seven hits in 2⅔ innings against Philadelphia on Sunday.
That was a poor finish. But you should evaluate it alongside the full season, not in isolation.
A road playoff start requires composure, particularly at Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park.
The noise gets louder with every baserunner. A routine walk can feel like the beginning of a rally.
Martinez needs to keep the game from speeding up around him.
The Rays, meanwhile, should have a clear plan behind him. If a starter struggles early, October is not the time to wait several innings to see if the issues correct themselves.
Cash needs enough pitching available to respond before a close game gets away.
That is where the roster decisions become part of the rotation discussion. The starter matters, but so does the pitcher who can cover the next six outs.
The Bye Must Produce Freshness and Sharpness
The Rays have had time to recover and prepare while its potential opponents play elimination games.
That is an advantage, provided the Rays emerge ready to compete immediately.
“I just want to see good health and some guys freshened up,” Cash told MLB.com as the club prepared for its postseason break.
Fresh legs matter. So do fresh arms. But the first competitive swings and pitches on Saturday cannot become an adjustment period.
The Rays need to arrive with their timing intact, their defensive assignments understood and their bullpen roles organized.
They also need offensive support for this rotation. A strong start loses much of its value if the Rays spend the evening leaving runners on base.
Get the runner over when the situation calls for it.
Take the available run. Force the opposing pitcher to work. Avoid giving away an inning because everyone is trying to produce the biggest moment of the night.
Tampa Bay Has Earned This Opportunity
There will be plenty of attention on whichever opponent survives the Wild Card Series.
The Rays should be focused on the opportunity in front of them: a home opener, a rested pitching staff and a crowd ready to make the Trop roar again.
This is where a season’s worth of work becomes a few very demanding games. A missed cutoff, an unnecessary walk or a wasted scoring chance can linger much longer in October.
Rasmussen, Peralta and Martinez would give the Rays a credible starting plan.
A full building gives the Rays an atmosphere worthy of the occasion.
