New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells nearly became the team’s newest October hero on Saturday in St. Petersburg before an epic baserunning error brought the bombers’ comeback attempt to a screeching halt.Wells ended Drew Rasmussen’s no-hit bid when he doubled with two outs in the eighth inning in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday night only to get thrown out at third, thereby preserving the Rays’ 1-0 edge over the Yankees.The play wasn’t particularly close.The 27-year-old backstop ripped the line drive just inside the right-field foul line on Rasmussen’s inside sinker but was easily gunned down on shortstop Taylor Walls’ relay to third baseman Junior Caminero. Replays later showed that Wells ran through the stop sign of third base coach Luis Rojas, who raised both arms before the catcher rounded second.Asked about the decision later, Wells admitted he was wrong but refused to apologize for being aggressive.’You have to take risks,’ he said. ‘In that situation, obviously the risk was wrong. I took the risk, didn’t work out.’ Austin Wells runs through a ‘stop’ sign from Yankees third base coach Luis Rojas Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, left, tags out Yankees catcher Austin Wells Caminero raises his glove after the crucial tag on Wells, which helped preserve the 1-0 leadFans agreed but did so less diplomatically.’Absolutely pathetic baseball,’ read a post from the Talkin’ Yanks podcast X account.’Austin Wells makes one of the worst baserunning decisions you’ll ever see,’ read another X post from Barstool Baseball.Even Yankees manager Aaron Boone agreed, later telling reporters: ‘Obviously, not a good decision there.’Of course, the real story of the night was Rasmussen, a certified Yankee killer who was showered with praise by Rays manager Kevin Cash after the win.’That’s the nicest you’ve ever been about me,’ Rasmussen said after greeting Cash.The powerful right-hander deserved all the superlatives.’He was dominant before the break,’ Cash said. ‘He’s elite all season long. He’s really done that since he’s been a Tampa Bay Ray, coming over here, and his contributions. Feels like he continues to get better.’Rasmussen retired 15 consecutive batters before Wells’ double.Rasmussen dominated a lineup that scored 18 runs in a two-game Wild Card Series sweep of Boston and was still missing three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge, sidelined since September 16 by a calf injury. Wells registered the only Yankees hit on Saturday, but squandered it on the base paths Rasmussen’s no-hit bid came to an end in the eighth inning on Saturday in St. Petersburg’You say the word dominate. Man, I feel like I’m grinding out there,’ Rasmussen said. ‘I mean, it’s the same thing regardless of the lineup. If you execute on a day, hitting’s really hard. And so it’s just one of those things that can I go out and throw strike one and can I execute at a zone with two strikes.’The 31-year-old Rasmussen struck out 10 and walked two in eight innings. He threw 69 of 101 pitches for strikes, getting 23 swings and misses against a batting order that started eight left-handed hitters.’I thought he was really sharp,’ Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. ‘I thought his changeup was good for him and in play. Obviously, with our left-handed hitters, it looked like he had the cutter going when he needed to. Then the good four-seamer where he mixed in some sinkers off of it. His command is just really good and kind of what sets him apart. He’s got a great arsenal. The ability to pitch on both sides of the plate and up and down obviously makes him challenging and one we’ve had a hard time solving.’Bryan Baker pitched a perfect ninth for the save, finishing the one-hitter. He struck out pinch-hitter Giancarlo Stanton, in his first plate appearance since April 24 after recovering from calf injuries, froze Ben Rice with a changeup for a called third strike and retired Cody Bellinger on a grounder to secure Tampa Bay’s first postseason win since 2021.Cam Schlittler, the favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award, will start Game 2 for the Yankees on Monday, while right-hander Freddy Peralta will take the mound for the Rays.