NEW YORK – Ben Rice’s third homer on Saturday got here with a request.
On a steamy afternoon at Yankee Stadium, the group requested Rice for a curtain name, and the rookie first baseman – in a little bit of a daze – lastly answered with a wave of his helmet on the dugout’s high step.
Amid a brutal stretch for the Yankees, they wanted one thing to interrupt the mounting rigidity created by 14 losses of their earlier 18 video games.
Rice confirmed them a path with a leadoff homer within the first, then delivered a three-run shot to cap a seven-run fifth, on the best way to a 14-4 win in opposition to the rival Pink Sox.
“Positively a day I’ll always remember,’’ mentioned Rice. “I used to be pumped that it was a big-time win for us, good bounce again win and over my hometown crew. Fairly cool.’’
Sure, Rice was already totally versed in The Rivalry as a Yankees fan rising up in Jap Massachusetts, attending video games at Fenway Park and being scouted out of Dartmouth by each groups as a catcher/first baseman.
Ben Rice enters Yankees’ document e-book, receives curtain name
A Twelfth-round choose in 2021, Rice was beginning simply his Twelfth big-league recreation, his third because the Yankees’ leadoff hitter.
Within the seventh, Rice etched his identify into Yankees historical past with one other three-run shot – changing into the primary rookie in franchise historical past to membership three residence runs in a single recreation, per Elias.
Each three-run homers Saturday have been belted off Boston reliever Chase Anderson, and Rice was nonetheless giddy from the final one, making it a bit disorienting when “everybody’s sort of yelling at me to do one thing.”
That is when a beaming Rice was guided by his teammates towards the dugout steps, the place he shortly acknowledged the standing ovation from 45,504 followers.
“Fortunately bought it in,” mentioned Rice. “That was fairly superior.”
At age 25, Rice is the youngest Yankee with a three-homer recreation since Bobby Murcer, at age 24 in 1970, and his seven RBI Saturday matched Lou Gehrig for essentially the most by a Yankees rookie in a single recreation.
“Clearly, we’re going by way of it and we’ll take any sort of success actually,’’ mentioned Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. “It’s somewhat bit larger than that – it’s an historic day, a magical day.
“And to be sincere, I’m fairly grateful I get to be on the lineup card as a result of I do know he’ll keep in mind it ceaselessly.’’
A breakthrough recreation for Ben Rice at simply the proper second
Till the Yankees batted round within the fifth, a sense of doom nonetheless hung in regards to the Bronx.
Friday evening’s loss was nonetheless a recent wound, with the Yankees one strike away from a much-needed victory – solely to fall in 10 innings attributable to a pair of two-run homers.
DJ LeMahieu, trying aged since his spring coaching foot fracture, was batting .175, and the membership’s baserunning gaffes and fielding miscues have been piling up – sending the Yanks three video games behind AL East-leading Baltimore getting into Saturday.
Taxed by a rising pitch depend, Cole didn’t make it out of Saturday’s fifth inning, exiting in a 4-3 deficit after yielding a homer to – who else? – Rafael Devers.
In 39 profession at-bats in opposition to Cole, Devers is now batting .333 with eight residence runs after accumulating an RBI single in a three-run third and a go-ahead solo homer that ended Cole’s day within the fifth.
“It was a grind,’’ Cole mentioned of his 90-pitch effort, his fourth begin off the IL (elbow nerve irritation).
As for Devers, “he can hit out any pitch,’’ and proved it once more on a 1-1 fastball pushed an estimated 441 toes to left-center.
Devers took his time across the bases, and gave a theatrical wave to ex-teammate Alex Verdugo, who may’ve been timed with a sundial on his game-tying, third-inning residence run trot.
Earlier than the sport, Yankees supervisor Aaron Boone mentioned there’s “no denying this has been an terrible stretch for us,’’ punctuated by Friday’s nightmare loss.
The concept was to “preserve the main target small,’’ successful pitches and at-bats.
And that technique labored within the pivotal fifth, which included a Verdugo bunt single, an RBI double by Anthony Volpe, and a go-ahead pinch-hit bases loaded stroll by Austin Wells.
LeMahieu (2-for-3, stroll) contributed an RBI single after lacking an RBI likelihood his earlier at-bat with the infield in, and Rice iced it with a shot to the second deck in proper.
“Hopefully, it’s a step in the proper route for us,’’ mentioned Rice, earlier than retreating to his locker to start sifting by way of scores of congratulatory texts.