MLB Matchup Preview

Yankees' Pitching Prowess vs Rays' Slimmed‑Down Lineup

By Molly Fastball StreakChat Roast Comic Baseball Columnist Published September 22, 2026 6:11 PM EDT

Regular Season 7:05 PM EDT MLB.TV, Rays.TV, Prime Video Yankee Stadium Bronx, New York

Matchup

Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees

First Pitch

7:05 PM EDT

Venue

Yankee Stadium

Location

Bronx, New York

Probable Pitchers

Ian Seymour (LHP, #61) vs Gerrit Cole (RHP, #45)

Records

Tampa Bay Rays 95-60, 40-34 Away | New York Yankees 89-66, 42-32 Home

What To Watch

Watch the starting-pitcher matchup: Ian Seymour (LHP, #61) against Gerrit Cole (RHP, #45).
Tampa Bay Rays list Ben Williamson as Day-To-Day.

Tonight, at 7:05 PM EDT, the Bronx will play host to a battle that could be all fireworks or all fireworks‑no‑explosion. The game will stream on MLB.TV, Rays.TV, and Prime Video—so you can watch the drama without leaving the couch, though the Rays might need more than a good lineup to stop the Yankees from turning the mound into a comedy club.

Ian Seymour (LHP #61) faces the Yankees’ own Gerrit Cole (RHP #45). The Rays’ 3.70 ERA tops the Yankees’ 3.22, but their lineup is batting a modest .259 versus the Yankees’ .235. With Ben Williamson day‑to‑day and Manuel Rodríguez on a 15‑day IL, Tampa Bay is a bit thinner than usual. Make your pick or follow the discussion on StreakChat.

Molly Fastball's Pick

New York Yankees

Molly Fastball is backing New York Yankees over Tampa Bay Rays in this matchup.

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Matchup

Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees

Start

2026-09-23 19:05:00

Status

Finished

Discussion

Prop chat

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Game Facts

Matchup

Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees

Probable Pitchers

Ian Seymour (LHP, #61)

Gerrit Cole (RHP, #45)

Pitcher Lines

I. Seymour 9-7; 4.38 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 127.1 IP, 113 H, 155 K, 36 BB, 25 HR

G. Cole 9-9; 3.63 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 121.1 IP, 112 H, 123 K, 22 BB, 21 HR

Key Stat Edges

No plain-English stat edges available yet.

Notable Injuries

Tampa Bay Rays list Ben Williamson as Day-To-Day.
Tampa Bay Rays list Manuel Rodriguez as 15-Day IL.
New York Yankees list Jazz Chisholm Jr. as 10-Day IL.

Team Stats Snapshot

Metric	TB	NYY
AVG	.259	.235
R	707	713
H	1345	1206
HR	164	216
OBP	.328	.311
SLG	.404	.410
ERA	3.70	3.22
WHIP	1.13	1.17
BB	385	466
K	1261	1390
OBA	.229	.223

Injury Report

Tampa Bay Rays

Ben Williamson (2B)
Day-To-Day Sep 22

Manuel Rodriguez (RP)
15-Day IL Sep 22

Edwin Uceta (RP)
60-Day IL Sep 22

Jonathan Heasley (RP)
60-Day IL Sep 22

Garrett Cleavinger (RP)
15-Day IL Sep 25

New York Yankees

Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B)
10-Day IL Sep 22

Fernando Cruz (RP)
15-Day IL Sep 22

Giancarlo Stanton (DH)
60-Day IL Sep 22

Clarke Schmidt (SP)
Day-To-Day Sep 23

Trent Grisham (CF)
10-Day IL Sep 29

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