Kevin Cash Gave Rays Advantage Over Aaron Boone & Yankees

For the third time in franchise history, the Tampa Bay Rays are advancing to the ALCS.

This time, they are playing for the AL Pennant after defeating the New York Yankees in the ALDS, sweeping their AL East rivals 3-0. It was a dominant performance by the Rays, who didn’t trail once throughout the series.

Tampa Bay’s relentless style of play, predicated on putting pressure on their opponent, wore the Yankees down. New York catcher Austin Wells admitted as much, saying that how the Rays played was tough to combat.

Coming into the series, many people viewed the Yankees as the favorites despite Tampa Bay winning the series. The Rays have been a team that takes a foot when given an inch all season, and that happened again in this series, with manager Kevin Cash running circles around his counterpart, Aaron Boone.

Kevin Cash beat Aaron Boone in ALDS

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash (16) shown on the field. — Sep 10, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash (16) shown on the field during the game against the Atlanta Braves during the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Coming up short has been a common theme for New York in October, and when going up against a team that is as prepared and fundamentally sound as Tampa Bay, shortcomings will be exposed.

Of course, there is only so much that a manager can do. They aren’t the ones who are on the field trying to execute a game plan that has been developed. But whenever a decision had to be made, it felt that the Rays had the right response.

Any move that Boone made, Cash had the correct counter for. Every button that he pushed turned out to be the right one, navigating each game to perfection to put his team in a position to win.

Game 1 was a little easier for Cash, watching his ace, Drew Rasmussen, twirl a gem, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning. In Game 2, the Yankees’ defense crumbled under the pressure and Tampa Bay made life difficult on Cam Schlittler, who struck out only two batters.

It was Game 3 where lineup decisions made the difference. Going up against a left-handed starter for the first time, Cash made a few changes to his lineup. In a surprising move, it was Chandler Simpson who led the AL with 46 steals and finished second in batting average, moving to the bench.

Kevin Cash pushed all the right buttons to beat Yankees

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash (16) looks on from dugout. — Aug 16, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash (16) looks on during the first inning ]against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ryan Vilade was inserted into the lineup and Victor Mesa Jr. remained a starter despite being a left-handed hitter. The move paid off tremendously, with both players hitting home runs off Max Fried.

Boone also made an adjustment to his lineup, but it was not the right move. Ben Rice, who had been a one-man wrecking crew in the ALDS, was moved to the No. 2 spot in an effort to get more guys on base ahead of him after he hit two solo home runs in Game 2.

Instead, he was left in the on-deck circle when the game ended after Trent Grisham finished an 0-for-5 night with his third strikeout of the evening.

Without Aaron Judge, this was a completely different-looking New York lineup, but based on how the team performed, it is fair to say the Yankees weren’t coming out of this series victorious even if he were healthy.

Having a manager as in touch with his team as Cash is with the Rays is a massive advantage in the postseason. Guys are playing for each other even if roles have changed, with one common goal: win a World Series.

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