Small-ball Rays beat the sloppy Yankees 5-2 for a 2-0 lead in AL Division Series

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The pesky Rays put all the pressure on the big, bad New York Yankees.

Richie Palacios hit a two-run single in a four-run fifth inning and Tampa Bay took advantage of New York's sloppy defense, beating Cam Schlittler and the Yankees 5-2 on Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in their AL Division Series.

The Rays are one victory from reaching the American League Championship Series. Game 3 in the best-of-five playoff is Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.

“That’s a byproduct of having a really good clubhouse and a bunch of selfless teammates,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “They don’t care who gets it done. They just want to get it done. The biggest cheerleaders are coming from the guys within the dugout. Good teams do not rely on just one or two people. We rely on all nine in the lineup, the guys on the bench and certainly our entire pitching staff.”

Ben Rice homered twice for the Yankees, who are on the verge of elimination — which would extend their drought without a World Series championship to 17 seasons. They were dominated by Drew Rasmussen in the series opener and have scored just two runs in two playoff games against the AL East champion Rays with three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge out of the lineup due to a calf injury.

“Well, we’ve got to win. We’ve got to play the first inning of Game 3,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We’ve got to come out and play well. So we’ve responded all year. We need to do it again. Obviously, we need to play better and it starts with just one at a time. I don’t even get ahead of myself and win three. We’ve got to go win one and we’ve got to play better Wednesday night to make that happen.”

The small-ball Rays chased Schlittler, the likely AL Cy Young Award winner, in the fifth aided by New York's defensive miscues.

Jonathan Aranda lined a single to start the inning and Junior Caminero ripped a double to right-center. With the infield drawn-in except second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., who was standing several feet further back on the dirt, Liam Hicks hit a slow bouncer to second that scored Aranda for a 2-1 lead. Chisholm's only play was at first because he wasn't all the way in like the rest of the infielders.

Chandler Simpson then hit a grounder that shortstop George Lombard Jr. flubbed, scoring Caminero to make it 3-1. It was initially ruled a hit and then changed to an error and eventually a fielder's choice. Brent Headrick replaced Schlittler and struck out Victor Mesa Jr. After Simpson stole second, Jonny DeLuca reached on a grounder when Lombard's throw to first was wide for New York's fourth error.

Palacios followed with a hard single to center that increased Tampa Bay's lead to 5-1.

“It was just one of those games things kind of compiled and stacked up on top of each other," Lombard said. “It wasn't ideal. We put ourselves in a bad spot.”

That was plenty of support for one of the best bullpens in the majors.

Freddy Peralta allowed one run and three hits in 4 2/3 innings, Cam Booser pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth and Ian Seymour gave up one run in three innings. Bryan Baker finished with a perfect ninth for his second save in two games.

Schlittler, who was 14-6 with a 1.95 ERA and dominated Boston in the opener of the wild-card round, lasted 4 1/3 innings. He allowed four runs — two earned — and six hits while striking out only two.

Rice sent a 2-2 changeup into the right-field seats to tie it at 1 in the fourth, ending New York's scoreless drought in the ALDS. Rice hit 41 homers in the regular season. His drive awakened Yankees fans in the ballpark, who were drowned out by Rays fans until that point.

But a sellout crowd of 40,226 was mostly full of cowbell-ringing Rays fans who reveled in New York's misery.

Peralta retired the first two batters in the fifth before Austin Wells ripped a double and Ryan McMahon walked. Booser replaced Peralta and walked Rice to load the bases, but the lefty escaped when Cody Bellinger flied out to the warning track in center.

The Yankees made three errors in the first inning but Schlittler limited the Rays to one run. New York became the first team to commit three errors in the first inning of a postseason game since the Oakland Athletics in Game 1 of the 1975 AL Championship Series against Boston, according to Sportsnet Stats.

Yankees rookie Spencer Jones hit a towering flyball off a catwalk at quirky Tropicana Field that was caught by Mesa for an out in the second inning. Jones kept running around the bases as the ball rattled around and fell to Mesa, who ran over from right field to make the catch in center. DeLuca thought he was camped under it in center but started pointing upward when the ball hit one of the two rings high above the field and below the roof. Mesa caught it several feet in front of DeLuca. Umpires conferred and confirmed the out, per the stadium’s ground rules.

Yankees LHP Max Fried (5-5, 2.80 ERA) and Rays RHP Nick Martinez (15-6, 3.10) are the projected starters for Game 3.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Tampa Bay Rays' Jonathan Aranda celebrates hitting a single during the fifth inning in Game 2 of an American League Division Series baseball game against the New York Yankees Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

New York Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler leaves Game 2 of an American League Division Series baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays during the fifth inning Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan Ebenhack)

Tampa Bay Rays' Jonathan Aranda, right, scores past New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells during the fifth inning in Game 2 of an American League Division Series baseball game Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Bryan Baker celebrates a victory over the New York Yankees in Game 2 of an American League Division Series baseball game Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan Ebenhack)

Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero celebrates after hitting a single as first base coach Corey Dickerson (10) watches during the third inning in Game 2 of an American League Division Series baseball game against the New York Yankees Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

New York Yankees' Austin Wells slides into second for a double during the fifth inning in Game 2 of an American League Division Series baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan Ebenhack)

New York Yankees' Ben Rice watches his solo home run during the fourth inning in Game 2 of an American League Division Series baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Victor Mesa Jr., right, catches a fly ball hit by New York Yankees' Spencer Jones that hit the ceiling of Tropicana Field for an out as Rays second baseman Richie Palacios (1) watches during the second inning in Game 2 of an American League Division Series baseball game Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays' Richie Palacios celebrates after hitting a two-run single during the fifth inning in Game 2 of an American League Division Series baseball game against the New York Yankees Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

TORONTO (AP) — The separatist Parti Québécois won Quebec’s provincial election Monday but fell short of enough seats to govern alone, returning to power with a promise to hold another referendum on independence from Canada.

The result returns Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s party to power for the first time in more than a decade but denies it the majority it sought, forcing the separatists to rely on opposition parties even as they try to revive Quebec’s independence debate.

The party was on track to win nearly 60 seats as the final votes were counted, falling short of the 64 needed for a majority in Quebec’s 127-member National Assembly, the provincial legislature. A minority government means PQ will need support from opposition lawmakers to pass key legislation and survive confidence votes.

St-Pierre Plamondon acknowledged that voters had denied his party a majority. “Quebecers elected the Parti Québécois asking it to work with the other parties, and I heard that message,” he said.

He has pledged to hold another referendum on independence, though he has said he would wait until U.S. President Donald Trump is no longer in office.

St-Pierre Plamondon framed independence as essential to preserving Quebec’s French-speaking identity, saying it was a “question of survival” for a French-speaking population that represents only a small fraction of North America. He said Quebec “just wants to exist on its own like other countries of the world” and that a referendum would allow Quebecers to decide their own future.

“I continue to dream and visualize that country,” St-Pierre Plamondon said in his victory speech. “That dream will be realized one day.”

He also sought to reassure Canadians outside Quebec. “The project for independence is not about excluding you,” he said. “Quebec will never change its geographical position, so we have an interest in working together.”

Coalition Avenir Québec leader Christine Fréchette conceded defeat, saying voters had made their choice and that she took full responsibility for the “difficult result.” The CAQ, which entered the election with 79 seats, was shut out of the legislature, and Fréchette lost her own seat in Trois-Rivières.

But the PQ's victory does not mean most Quebecers support leaving Canada.

“This was not an election about independence, which is not popular in Quebec right now, but about getting rid of the CAQ, the party in power since 2018,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.

Support for independence remains at about 30%, low by historical standards, he said. Béland said the minority result is likely welcome news for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government because it could make it harder for the PQ to prepare for and eventually call an independence referendum.

The PQ would face opposition from both the Liberals and Conservatives, whose leaders have said they would fight efforts to hold a sovereignty referendum. Québec solidaire, another pro-independence party, could hold the balance of power and potentially support the PQ on a referendum.

Carney congratulated St-Pierre Plamondon and signaled that Ottawa would work with the incoming separatist government. “Building a stronger Québec is core to our mission of building a stronger Canada,” Carney said. He said the two governments would work together to support businesses and workers affected by U.S. tariffs, create jobs and build housing.

Still, Béland said a separatist government in Quebec poses a new national-unity challenge for Carney, particularly with another independence-related vote approaching elsewhere in Canada.

The Quebec result comes two weeks before Albertans vote Oct. 19 on whether to hold a referendum on separation from Canada.

“Seeing that a pro-independence party won in Quebec barely two weeks before an independence-related referendum takes place in Alberta might suggest to the Trump administration that national unity remains a major issue in Canada despite the popularity of Mark Carney,” Béland said.

Quebec voters have twice rejected sovereignty, most recently by a razor-thin margin in a 1995 referendum.

Quebec, which is about 80% French-speaking, already has significant autonomy. The province of 9.1 million collects its own income tax, has immigration policies favoring French speakers and has laws giving the French language priority over English.

Even with the PQ victory, Trump’s tariffs and 51st-state rhetoric have complicated the separatist argument by stirring Canadian nationalism and giving some French-speaking Quebecers another reason to value remaining part of Canada.

Trump’s tariffs and repeated threats against Canada became a defining issue in the 2025 federal election, helping lift Carney’s Liberals to victory after the party had trailed badly before Trump returned to office.

Parti Quebecois supporters cheer as results come in at PQ headquarters on election night in Montreal, Quebec on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Parti Quebecois supporters cheer as results come in at PQ headquarters on election night in Montreal, Quebec on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Parti Quebecois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, center, waves to supporters after winning the provincial election in Montreal, Quebec on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Parti Quebecois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, center, speaks to supporters after winning the provincial election in Montreal, Quebec on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

Coalition Avenir Quebec Leader Christine Frechette casts her ballot at the polling office in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press via AP)

Québec Solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal votes in her Montreal riding of Mercier, in the Quebec provincial general election on Monday Oct. 5, 2026. (Peter McCabe/The Canadian Press via AP)

Parti Quebecois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon casts his ballot on election day in Montreal, Quebec, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)