New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays: Final Score & Recap
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYY | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| TB | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 3 | 8 | 0 |
The Story
The Tampa Bay Rays shut out the New York Yankees 3-0 on July 8, 2026 at Tropicana Field, with each of their three runs coming as solo tallies in the third, fifth, and seventh innings. The DiamondIQ model entered the game with a 60 percent home win probability for Tampa Bay and finished at 100 percent, reflecting how thoroughly the Rays controlled the contest from start to finish. New York managed six hits but never pushed a run across against a Rays pitching staff that allowed no margin for error to materialize.
The game's most consequential sequence came in the bottom of the fifth when Jonathan Aranda doubled off Gerrit Cole, a swing that added 12.8 percent to Tampa Bay's win probability and represented the single biggest play of the night. Aranda had also delivered a single off Cole in the third inning, a hit worth 6.5 percent, giving him a pair of critical offensive contributions against the Yankees starter. The Yankees' best chance to respond came in the top of the sixth, but Paul Goldschmidt's strikeout double play off Shane McClanahan erased 10.5 percent of New York's win probability in a single at-bat and effectively sealed the game's direction. A seventh-inning single by Amed Rosario briefly nudged the Yankees' odds upward by 6.0 percent, but Cody Bellinger's flyout to end the threat cost 5.4 percent and left the door shut.
Aranda finished as the game's top performer by the DiamondIQ model's estimate, posting a combined WPA of plus 21.2 percent and a RE24 of plus 1.7, with Yandy Díaz adding plus 11.3 percent WPA and plus 1.4 RE24 to round out Tampa Bay's offensive production. On the mound, McClanahan led all pitchers with a WPA of plus 23.4 percent, his ability to strand runners and neutralize New York's lineup proving decisive throughout the night. Cole Sulser contributed plus 12.3 percent out of the bullpen, and even Gerrit Cole finished with a positive pitching WPA of plus 4.7 percent despite absorbing the loss, a reflection of how limited the Yankees' offense was regardless of the matchup.