Yankees delivered a bitter reminder that these Rays aren’t the Red Sox

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays aren’t even close to the Dead Sox.

And the Yankees probably aren’t the Knicks, either.

Talk was circulating among some overexcited guessers that New York’s marquee baseball franchise might duplicate the Knicks’ magical run after they swept the rival Red Sox two straight games in The Bronx.

Access the Yankees beat like never before

Don’t miss Greg Joyce’s text messages from The Bronx and beyond — he’s giving Sports+ subscribers the inside buzz on the Yankees.

Sign Up Now

But down here, before a hostile sellout crowd and a better team than Boston with a much better plan, the Yankees provided zero magic and registered only one hit against known Yankee killer Drew Rasmussen.