Preparation dictated execution from the very first frame. New York came into ALDS Game 1 hunting first-pitch fastballs, an aggressive tendency Rasmussen turned against them immediately. Instead of feeding four-seamers at 97 mph, Rasmussen inverted the script, relying on sharp back-foot cutters and hard changeups early in counts to generate soft, off-balance contact.
Gleyber Torres tapped out on three pitches. Juan Soto fouled off a running two-seamer before swinging over an 89-mph slider buried in the dirt. When Judge stepped into the box with two outs in the opening frame, the crowd braced for an early power display. Rasmussen worked him entirely inside, using horizontal break to handcuff the slugger and coax a weak ground ball to shortstop.
Nine pitches. Three outs. Zero hard contact. It set a relentless pace that prevented the Yankee lineup from seeing deep counts or resetting their timing between innings.
