ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Interstat) — Drew Rasmussen delivered a masterful performance in his return from paternity leave, and the Tampa Bay Rays survived a ninth-inning scare from Aaron Judge to complete a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees with a 5-4 victory on Sunday afternoon at George Steinbrenner Field.

Rasmussen, who missed his previous start for the birth of his daughter, dominated over six shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out seven without a walk. The Rays’ right-hander outdueled Yankees starter Cam Schlittler, who was charged with three runs on seven hits over five innings in the loss.

The win pushed Tampa Bay (8-7) above .500 for the first time this season and extended New York’s losing streak to five games. The Yankees fell to 8-7 and remained winless in six one-run games this year.

Tampa Bay built its lead with early, consistent pressure. They plated a run in the first inning when Yandy Díaz grounded out to score Chandler Simpson, who had led off with a single. An inning later, Cedric Mullins led off with a triple and scored on a Richie Palacios groundout. Simpson later singled home Taylor Walls to give the Rays a 3-0 advantage.

That score held until the seventh, when the Yankees finally broke through against the Tampa Bay bullpen. Ben Rice led off with a ground-rule double, confirmed after a video review overturned an initial call of a home run. After a walk to Judge, Cody Bellinger singled home Rice. Judge later scored on a Giancarlo Stanton groundout, cutting the deficit to 3-2.

The Rays responded immediately in the bottom of the seventh. Simpson tripled off reliever Ryan Yarbrough and scored on a sacrifice fly by Junior Caminero to restore the two-run cushion at 4-2.

Tampa Bay added a critical insurance run in the eighth. Jake Fraley singled, was bunted to second, and scored on a fielder’s choice by Taylor Walls, making it 5-2.

That run proved vital when Judge came to the plate in the ninth against Rays closer Mason Englert. After a leadoff single by Rice, Judge launched a 415-foot, two-run homer to right-center field, his fourth of the season, pulling New York within a run at 5-4. The rally continued as Amed Rosario followed with a double, prompting an intentional walk to Austin Wells to set up a potential double play.

Englert settled to retire Ryan McMahon on a grounder to first base, securing his first save of the season and clinching the Rays’ first sweep of the Yankees since 2021.

The most important sequence of the game unfolded in the bottom of the eighth inning. Leading 4-2, the Rays manufactured a run without the benefit of a clean hit. Jake Fraley’s leadoff single, a sacrifice bunt, and a well-executed fielder’s choice grounder by Taylor Walls brought Fraley home. That run provided the decisive margin, transforming a one-run game into a two-run lead and forcing the Yankees to need more than just Judge’s solo blast in the ninth. When Judge did homer, it only tied the game hypothetically; instead, the Rays’ eighth-inning hustle left them still ahead by one, which was the final difference.

Rasmussen earned the win, improving to 1-0. Schlittler took the loss, falling to 2-1. The announced attendance was 20,796, and the game took 2 hours, 32 minutes to complete.

The Rays head to Chicago to open a three-game series with the White Sox on Tuesday. The Yankees return home to the Bronx to begin a four-game set against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, looking to halt their skid.