Ben Rice becomes first Yankees rookie with three-homer game

NEW YORK — The anticipation was swelling for Ben Rice to emerge from the New York Yankees’ dugout for a curtain name through the seventh inning Saturday.

The rookie had simply swatted his third residence run at a sweltering Yankee Stadium in a 14-4 blowout win over the Boston Crimson Sox. The group, determined for one thing to have a good time throughout this dreadful three-week stretch, clamored for Rice. Aaron Choose signaled for him to return out and obtain the love from the on-deck circle.

However Rice did not know the place to exit the dugout for the curtain name. He tried two spots, solely to search out the railing and no method out. Teammates directed him to the tip, the place he lastly discovered a gap and ignited an explosion of noise. He doffed his helmet and smiled from ear to ear.

“Fortunately obtained it in,” Rice, 25, stated. “That was fairly superior.”

A giant leaguer all of three weeks and 4 days, Rice, who grew up a Yankees fan in hostile territory exterior Boston, turned the primary rookie in franchise historical past — again to the times of the Highlanders a century in the past by way of Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and so forth — to hit at the very least three residence runs in a recreation.

Behind the rookie, the Yankees, who had dropped 14 of 18 video games coming into Saturday, snapped a four-game dropping streak after a devastating 10-inning loss Friday evening.

“Clearly, we’re going by way of it,” stated Gerrit Cole, who allowed 4 runs throughout 4⅓ innings in his fourth begin of the season. “And so we’ll take any type of success actually. I believe it is somewhat bit larger than that. It is a historic day, magical day. And, to be trustworthy, I am fairly grateful that I get to be on the lineup card as a result of I do know he’ll keep in mind it without end.”

Rice served because the Yankees’ leadoff hitter for the third straight recreation, a sign of his sudden significance for a free-falling membership in search of regular manufacturing from anyone not named Choose or Soto.

He ignited the barrage with a leadoff blast off Josh Winckowski within the first inning. He added a three-run shot within the fifth and one other within the seventh, each in opposition to Chase Anderson.

“Undoubtedly a day I will always remember,” Rice stated.

Days like these often do not occur for Ivy Leaguers on this stage. However Rice, who grew up in Cohasset, Massachusetts, and was taken within the twelfth spherical out of Dartmouth as a catcher in 2021, burst onto the main league radar final season by slashing .324/.434/.615 with 20 residence runs throughout three minor league ranges.

He continued mashing pitching at Double-A this season earlier than getting known as as much as Triple-A for the primary time. In 11 video games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he hit .333 with three residence runs and a 1.059 OPS. Then Anthony Rizzo broke his arm June 16 at Fenway Park.

Two days later, Rice made his main league debut at first base, a place he started taking part in in 2022, and the success hasn’t ceased: After Saturday’s slugging exhibition, Rice is batting .294 with a .971 OPS with 4 residence runs in 17 video games.

Rice was by no means thought-about a prime prospect nationally, however all alongside, going again to spring coaching, Yankees supervisor Aaron Boone was adamant about Rice’s hitting capacity. He was satisfied Rice might produce on the highest degree even because the hole between Triple-A and the main league pitching continues rising wider than ever earlier than.

The group’s confidence in Rice — mixed with a sudden lack of productive choices — is obvious in how he is been deployed. Rice has began video games in opposition to each righties and lefties regardless that he is nonetheless studying how you can play first base. He was promoted to the leadoff spot on the Fourth of July, taking the keys from Anthony Volpe because the Yankees looked for a spark, and clubbed his first profession residence run.

“You see the calm at-bats he takes,” Boone stated. “He understands the strike zone. He would not flinch at a lot. Straightforward takes. You see the pull-side energy that he has too. I simply assume he combines controlling the strike zone with some barrel consciousness and the power to get the ball within the air pull-side.”

On Saturday, Rice swatted three pitches into the air pull-side over the right-field wall, etching his identify in Yankees report books and solidifying his case for a everlasting publish within the lineup.