In a game that was closer than it appears, at least until Giancarlo Stanton broke it open with a grand slam, the New York Yankees defeated the pesky Tampa Bay Rays 9-3 in Game One of the American League Division Series at Petco Park, in San Diego.
The Yankees’ ace, Gerrit Cole, took the victory by pitching six innings and allowing three earned runs, with a couple of walks and eight strikeouts. He clearly wasn’t at his best, allowing hard contact all night long (especially in the first half of his start) and two round-trippers, one to Randy Arozarena and another one to his nemesis, Ji-Man Choi.