ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Yankees open the American League Division Series on Saturday in the one American League ballpark that has given them the most trouble this season.
New York went 2-5 at Tropicana Field in 2026. Tampa Bay won the season series 7-6 and finished 98-64, the best record in the AL, to earn home-field advantage in the best-of-five series.
The Yankees arrive on a roll. They swept the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, winning 9-0 and 9-2 at Yankee Stadium. The Rays arrive rested, though they have lost seven straight postseason games.
Rays manager Kevin Cash has no regrets about the bye that came with the top seed, even with the long wait it created.
“The alternative is playing three must-win games or two out of three. I’ll take where we’re at,” Cash said.
The pitching matchup is set. Gerrit Cole (3.61 ERA) starts Game 1 for the Yankees. Drew Rasmussen (2.67 ERA) goes for Tampa Bay. Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder has called Rasmussen the club’s model of consistency.
“He’s the standard,” Snyder told the team’s website.
The biggest question is still the Yankees lineup. Aaron Judge has not played since a calf injury Sept. 16. He has been hitting against live pitching and running, and the Yankees must submit their 26-man roster by 10 a.m. EDT Saturday.
Judge left no doubt about where he wants to be.
“Saturday’s a long ways away, but I’m doing everything I can, all morning, night, during the game, everything to prepare myself to be ready to go,” Judge said Wednesday night. “So I want to be in there. So we’ll see what happens.”
For fans, the series brings two practical questions. Where do you find the games? And what does it cost to be in the building?
Ticket prices move higher
Getting through the gate has already grown more expensive.
On Thursday morning, the cheapest Game 1 seat on StubHub was listed at $137. Field-level seats started at $242, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
By Friday afternoon, the Game 1 get-in price had climbed to $166, with a median of $351, according to resale data compiled by TicketNews. Across the full series, the median price was $308, and the most expensive seats topped $1,200.
The first ALDS home game at Yankee Stadium is not cheap either. Game 3 had a $121 get-in price and a $301 median.
TicketNews called the matchup one of the broadest active ticket markets of the Division Series.
What a seat really costs
The cheapest seat costs about 21% higher Friday than Thursday, from $137 to $166.
Four seats at the Game 3 median would cost about $1,204 before fees. Even four of the cheapest Game 3 seats would run about $484 before fees, parking or food.
The Yankees-Rays top end also outruns the National League. The priciest Yankees-Rays seats topped $1,200, nearly double the roughly $647 high end for Dodgers-Braves Game 1.
The stakes would rise again in the World Series. Listings for possible Yankees home games ran from about $2,800 to more than $5,100, or roughly nine to 17 times the Game 3 median.
Where to watch Yankees vs. Rays
Every game of the series airs nationally on TBS, with streaming on HBO Max. Game 1 is also listed on truTV. The YES Network does not carry postseason games, so Yankees fans in the New York market will need TBS or HBO Max.
TBS is available through most cable and satellite packages and through live TV streaming services that include TBS in their channel lineups. Fans who have cut the cord can stream every game with an HBO Max subscription.
Yankees radio coverage stays on WFAN 101.9 FM. Here is where each game can be found:
The schedule follows MLB’s 2-2-1 format, with Tampa Bay hosting Games 1, 2 and 5.
| Game | Date | Time (EDT) | Venue |
| Game 1 | Saturday, Oct. 3 | 6:30 p.m. | Tropicana Field |
| Game 2 | Monday, Oct. 5 | 8 p.m. | Tropicana Field |
| Game 3 | Wednesday, Oct. 7 | TBD | Yankee Stadium |
| Game 4* | Thursday, Oct. 8 | TBD | Yankee Stadium |
| Game 5* | Saturday, Oct. 10 | TBD | Tropicana Field |
*If necessary
| Game | TV | Streaming | Radio |
| Game 1 | TBS, truTV | HBO Max | WFAN 101.9 FM |
| Game 2 | TBS | HBO Max | WFAN 101.9 FM |
| Game 3 | TBS | HBO Max | WFAN 101.9 FM |
| Game 4* | TBS | HBO Max | WFAN 101.9 FM |
| Game 5* | TBS | HBO Max | WFAN 101.9 FM |
*If necessary
Series opens Saturday night
The clubs have met in October once before. Tampa Bay won the 2020 ALDS in five games in a neutral-site bubble, ending the Yankees season.
This time, the Yankees will see fans on both sides. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. EDT on TBS. Judge’s status should be known once the roster is filed Saturday morning.
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