The New York Yankees were looking for a spark from the leadoff spot when they promoted rookie Ben Rice on Thursday. A three-homer game might have been beyond their wildest expectations, but that’s exactly what Rice delivered on Saturday. His performance has put the Yankees in position to win their first series in over three weeks as they face the Boston Red Sox in their final home game before the All-Star break on Sunday night.
Rice’s three home runs contributed to New York’s 14-4 victory on Saturday. The Yankees are now aiming for back-to-back wins for the first time since a series sweep against the Kansas City Royals from June 10-13.
“Hopefully, it’s something that jump-starts us because it’s obviously not easy for us right now,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Rice was moved to the leadoff spot to replace the struggling Anthony Volpe during an 8-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday. He hit his first career homer in that game and followed up with a seven-RBI performance on Saturday.
Before Saturday, Rice was 1-for-9 in his first two games at the top of New York’s order. In Saturday’s game, he hit a leadoff homer, capped a seven-run fifth inning with a three-run shot, and added another three-run homer in the seventh. He became the first Yankee rookie to hit three homers in one game. Since being called up to replace the injured Anthony Rizzo, Rice is hitting .294 with four homers and 12 RBIs in 17 games.
“Obviously, we’re going through it and we’ll take any kind of success, really,” said Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. “I think it’s a little bit greater than that. It’s a historical day, a magical day.”
The Red Sox, on the other hand, allowed their most runs this season and had their five-game winning streak snapped. Despite Rafael Devers becoming the 33rd player in team history with 1,000 career hits and hitting a homer to briefly give the Red Sox the lead, Boston’s relievers allowed 11 runs. They hoped to manage the game with Chase Anderson and, if needed, Zack Kelly, who ultimately didn’t pitch.
“We were walking a tightrope today pitching-wise,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “The thought process was kind of like, ‘Let’s keep the game in check.’ We had Zack for two innings late in the game, but it was going to be Chase in the middle of the game. It just didn’t happen.”
Following Rice’s standout performance, the Yankees will turn to another rookie, Luis Gil (9-4, 3.41 ERA), for Sunday’s start. Gil, who is tied for the most wins among rookies and leads all first-year players with 102 strikeouts, has struggled recently with a 0-3 record and a 14.90 ERA in his past three outings. However, he was dominant earlier in the season, going 9-0 with a 1.64 ERA in 11 starts from April 21 to June 14. Gil is also 1-0 with a 0.93 ERA in two career starts against the Red Sox.
Boston’s starter for Sunday, Kutter Crawford (4-7, 3.47 ERA), has been more consistent recently, going 2-1 with a 3.44 ERA in his past three starts. Crawford allowed just one run on three hits in six innings in an 8-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday. He also had a season-high nine strikeouts against the Yankees on June 16, pitching six innings in a 9-3 win. Crawford is 3-1 with a 2.43 ERA in seven career appearances (five starts) against the Yankees.
