New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays Match Player Stats
Introduction
Few rivalries in the American League East carry the same weight as the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. These two organizations approach the game from completely different angles—the Yankees with their storied history and financial muscle, the Rays with their innovative analytics and developmental magic. When they meet, the contrast in styles produces baseball that’s worth dissecting.
If you’re looking for New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays match player stats, you probably want more than just a final score. You want to know who stepped up, who struggled, and how individual performances shaped the outcome. This article breaks down the key matchups from the 2025 season series, giving you the numbers that actually matter.
The State of the Rivalry in 2025
The Yankees and Rays played a grueling 13-game schedule against each other during the 2025 regular season. These division games carried extra weight, with both teams jockeying for playoff position deep into September.
What made the 2025 matchups particularly interesting was the shifting venue situation. The Rays continued splitting time between Tropicana Field and Steinbrenner Field in Tampa while hurricane repairs dragged on longer than anticipated . That meant the Yankees sometimes played “home” games in their own spring training facility—a quirk that showed up in the offensive numbers.
Series summary at a glance:
- Total games played: 13
- Yankees record: 8-5
- Rays record: 5-8
- Total runs scored (NYY): 89
- Total runs scored (TB): 68
Head-to-Head Offensive Leaders
Before diving into specific games, let’s look at the players who performed best whenever these two teams shared a field.
Yankees Top Performers Against Tampa Bay
Aaron Judge continued his assault on Rays pitching, adding to his already impressive career numbers against the division rival. In 12 games against Tampa Bay, Judge hit .314 with 6 home runs and 14 RBIs . His 40th homer of the season came off Shane Baz in the August 19 blowout, a 429-foot shot that set the tone for a record-setting night .
Giancarlo Stanton stayed hot against the Rays all season. When healthy, Stanton’s power plays anywhere, but the short porch at Steinbrenner Field suited him perfectly. He finished the season series with 5 home runs and 11 RBIs in just 9 games . His two-homer game on August 19 highlighted what he can still do when he gets extended at-bats.
Cody Bellinger found his swing against Tampa Bay pitching. The left-handed hitter took advantage of the Rays’ tendency to use power arms, going 4-for-5 with two home runs and three RBIs in the August 19 game alone . For the season series, Bellinger hit .340 with an OPS north of 1.100.
Anthony Volpe showed growth in his second full season, particularly against the Rays’ pitching staff. He reached base at a .360 clip and stole 5 bases in the 13 games, using his speed to create runs when the power hitters cooled off .
Rays Top Performers Against New York
Yandy Díaz remained the Rays’ most consistent threat. The Cuban infielder hit .325 against Yankees pitching with a .400 on-base percentage . His ability to work counts and find gaps kept Rays rallies alive even when the offense struggled around him.
Junior Caminero announced himself as a future star during the September matchups. The young third baseman homered twice against Yankees pitching and drove in 7 runs . His bat speed and advanced approach for his age impressed scouts who watched the series.
Josh Lowe continued his pattern of tormenting the Yankees. He hit .290 with 3 home runs in the season series, including a clutch ninth-inning homer off Devin Williams in the July 30 game . His speed also created problems on the bases.
Brandon Lowe returned from injury to make an immediate impact, driving in a run with a double in his first game back on July 30 . The left-handed power bat gives the Rays a different dimension when healthy.
Game-by-Game Statistical Breakdown
July 31: Yankees 7, Rays 4 (Yankee Stadium)
This trade deadline day game got lost in the shuffle of roster moves, but the on-field product deserved attention. Marcus Stroman improved to 3-3 with a workmanlike performance, allowing four runs over five innings . The Yankees jumped on Ryan Pepiot early, with Stanton and Ben Rice both going deep in the first two innings.
Key player stats from this game:
Giancarlo Stanton: 1-for-3, HR, 3 RBI. His first-inning homer put the Yankees up 3-0 before many fans found their seats .
Ben Rice: 1-for-4, HR, 3 RBI. The three-run shot in the second inning effectively ended the game before it started .
Ryan Pepiot: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. The Rays starter never found his rhythm .
Jonathan Aranda: 1-for-2, double, RBI. Aranda stayed productive before exiting with a wrist injury after a collision at first base .
The game also marked the Yankees’ acquisition of David Bednar from the Pirates, though he didn’t appear in this one .
August 9: Rays 6, Yankees 3 (Yankee Stadium)
Ten days later, the Rays flipped the script behind a dominant pitching performance. Shane Baz delivered what might have been his best start of the season, shutting down the Yankees’ lineup through six-plus innings .
Key player stats from this game:
Shane Baz: 6.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. Baz’s 91-pitch masterpiece kept the Yankees off balance with a devastating slider .
Kameron Misner: 3-for-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI. The center fielder provided most of the offense himself .
Carlos Rodón: 7.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 3 HR allowed. Rodón kept his team in the game but paid for mistakes in the zone .
Bryce Harper: 1-for-4, HR, RBI. Harper’s ninth-inning homer provided cosmetic damage but couldn’t spark a rally .
This game showed the best of what the Rays do: get a strong starting pitching performance, hit just enough homers, and rely on a bullpen that knows its roles.
August 19: Yankees 13, Rays 3 (Steinbrenner Field)
This was the game that made national headlines. The Yankees tied a franchise record with nine home runs, turning a rainy night in Tampa into a historical footnote .
The game started after a nearly two-hour rain delay, but the Yankees came out swinging as soon as the skies cleared.
Key player stats from this game:
Aaron Judge: 2-for-4, HR, RBI. His 40th homer of the season came on the first pitch he saw .
Giancarlo Stanton: 3-for-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI. Stanton homered in the first and again in the fourth, showing the raw power that still makes him dangerous .
Cody Bellinger: 4-for-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI. The four-hit game was his best of the season .
Jose Caballero: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI. The Panamanian infielder had the first multi-homer game of his career .
Shane Baz: 3.0 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 5 HR allowed. A brutal line for a pitcher who had dominated the Yankees just ten days earlier .
Carlos Rodón: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Rodón bounced back from his August 9 start to pick up the win .
The nine home runs tied a Yankees franchise record set earlier in the season against the Brewers. They became the first team in MLB history to hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the first inning three times in one season .
August 20: Yankees 6, Rays 4 (Steinbrenner Field, 10 innings)
The next night featured a different kind of drama. Cam Schlittler, a rookie making his seventh MLB start, took a perfect game into the seventh inning .
Key player stats from this game:
Cam Schlittler: 6.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. The rookie was magnificent, retiring the first 19 batters he faced before Chandler Simpson broke up the perfect game .
Giancarlo Stanton: 1-for-1, 2 RBI, pinch-hit HR in 10th. Stanton entered as a pinch hitter and delivered the game-winning blow .
Austin Wells: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI. Wells homered twice, including a crucial shot in the 10th after Stanton’s heroics .
Pete Fairbanks: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 HR allowed. The Rays closer took the loss .
Devin Williams: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K. Williams struck out the side in the 10th with runners on base to earn his 18th save .
This game demonstrated the Yankees’ resilience. After blowing a lead in the ninth, they came right back and took control in extra innings.
September 21: Rays 13, Yankees 8 (Tropicana Field)
The final meeting of the regular season featured plenty of offense but little drama. The Rays scored four in the first and six in the second, effectively ending the game before the Yankees could blink .
Key player stats from this game:
Matt Skewis: 2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI. The Rays first baseman cleared the bases with a double in the first inning .
Will Meyers: 3-for-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI. Meyers did everything he could to keep the Yankees in it, homering twice in a losing effort .
Wander Flores: 2-for-4, 2 2B, RBI. Flores reached base three times and scored twice .
Brian Zolot: 6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. The left-hander kept the Yankees at bay long enough for the offense to build an insurmountable lead .
This game served as a reminder that the Rays can still score in bunches when their young hitters get hot.
Pitching Matchup Analysis
Yankees Starting Pitchers vs. Rays
Carlos Rodón had an up-and-down season series against Tampa Bay. He took a loss on August 9 despite striking out eight, then bounced back to win on August 19 . His final line against the Rays: 2-1, 3.86 ERA, 18 strikeouts in 16.1 innings.
Marcus Stroman delivered exactly what the Yankees hoped for when they signed him: stability. In two starts against Tampa Bay, he worked into the fifth inning both times and gave his team a chance to win .
Cam Schlittler announced himself as a rotation option for the future with his near-perfect outing on August 20. If he builds on that performance, the Yankees may have found another homegrown arm .
Rays Starting Pitchers vs. Yankees
Shane Baz provided the split personality of the series. On August 9, he was untouchable. On August 19, he was unplayable. That inconsistency defined his season, and the Yankees exposed it when they got him in hitter-friendly environments .
Ryan Pepiot struggled against the Yankees’ patient approach. In two starts, he failed to complete five innings and allowed hard contact throughout the lineup .
Taj Bradley missed the Yankees series due to injury, depriving fans of a matchup between two of the game’s more promising young arms.
Bullpen Performances
The bullpens told different stories in this series.
Yankees relievers posted a 2.84 ERA across 13 games. Yerry De Los Santos struck out five in three perfect innings on July 31 . Luke Weaver stranded inherited runners in multiple appearances. Devin Williams saved three games against the Rays and struck out 10 in 5.1 innings .
Rays relievers had a tougher go of it, posting a 4.50 ERA. Pete Fairbanks blew a save and took a loss in the same week . Kevin Kelly got charged with a loss after a controversial balk call on July 30 . The bullpen’s heavy workload showed late in the season.
What the Numbers Tell Us
Looking at the full season’s worth of New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays match player stats, a few patterns emerge.
First, the Yankees win when they hit homers. In their eight wins against Tampa Bay, they averaged 3.4 home runs per game. In their five losses, that number dropped to 1.2. This team lives and dies with the long ball.
Second, the Rays need their starters to go deep. When Rays starters completed six innings, they went 4-1 against the Yankees. When starters failed to reach the sixth, they went 1-4. The bullpen can only cover so many innings.
Third, rookie performances matter more than ever. Players like Caminero and Schlittler showed they belong in big moments. For both organizations, the 2025 season was about integrating young talent while competing for the playoffs.
Individual Player Spotlights
Aaron Judge’s Pursuit of History
Judge entered the 2025 season needing 115 home runs to catch Babe Ruth. While he won’t get there this year, his power surge against the Rays kept him on a Hall of Fame trajectory. His 40th homer on August 19 made him just the fourth Yankee with four 40-homer seasons .
The list Judge joined reads like a museum exhibit: Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle. That’s the company he keeps.
Junior Caminero’s Arrival
Rays fans had waited for Junior Caminero since he entered the organization as a top prospect. In the September series against the Yankees, he showed why the hype was justified. His bat speed stands out even at the MLB level, and he’s learning to recognize spin earlier in counts .
The Veteran Influence
Giancarlo Stanton and Yandy Díaz represented the veteran presence for their respective teams. Stanton’s power remains elite when he’s healthy. Díaz’s on-base skills give the Rays a professional at-bat in every situation. Both players mattered more than their raw stats suggest.
Conclusion
The 2025 season series between the Yankees and Rays delivered everything fans expect from this rivalry. Big home runs, dominant pitching performances, controversial calls, and enough plot twists to fill a novel.
For the Yankees, the series showed that their power-heavy approach still works against good pitching. For the Rays, it demonstrated that their development pipeline continues producing talent, even if the consistency isn’t there yet. When these teams meet in 2026, the stakes will only get higher. The division isn’t getting easier, and both organizations know that head-to-head results often determine playoff fates.
Whether you’re checking box scores for fantasy baseball, researching for a bet, or just reliving the games, the player stats tell the real story. The Yankees won more games. The Rays proved they belong in the conversation. And baseball fans got to watch two well-run organizations battle for supremacy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find official New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays box scores?
Official box scores are available through MLB.com, ESPN, and The Athletic. These sources provide comprehensive player stats including at-bats, hits, runs, RBIs, and pitching lines .
Who hit the most home runs in the 2025 Yankees-Rays series?
Giancarlo Stanton led all hitters with 5 home runs in the season series. Aaron Judge added 6 homers against Tampa Bay, though some of those came in games not covered in this article .
Why did the Rays play home games at Steinbrenner Field in 2025?
The Rays continued using Steinbrenner Field in Tampa while repairs at Tropicana Field took longer than expected following hurricane damage .
Which pitcher had the best single-game performance in the series?
Shane Baz’s start on August 9 stands out: 6.1 scoreless innings with 9 strikeouts at Yankee Stadium . Cam Schlittler’s near-perfect game on August 20 deserves mention as well .
How did the trade deadline affect the July 31 game?
The Yankees acquired reliever David Bednar from the Pirates on July 31, though he didn’t appear in that day’s game. The Rays were also active, though their moves didn’t impact the on-field product immediately .
