Ben Rice made history by becoming the first Yankees rookie to hit three home runs in a single game and drove in seven runs to help New York end a four-game losing streak with a 14-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.
Alex Verdugo also hit a two-run homer, which drew some criticism from the Red Sox due to his slow 32-second trot around the bases. D.J. LeMahieu contributed with two RBI, and Aaron Judge added two hits as the Yankees won for only the fifth time in their last 19 games.
Rafael Devers hit a long home run and drove in two runs for Boston, which saw its five-game winning streak come to an end.
Rice began his impressive day by leading off the game with a home run to right field off Josh Winckowski. He later hit a three-run homer off reliever Chase Anderson during a seven-run fifth inning. In the seventh inning, Rice hit his third home run of the game, also off Anderson.
“What an incredible game!” exclaimed New York manager Aaron Boone. “Ben set the tone right from the start with that first-inning homer and had a day he’ll remember forever.”
After Rice’s third home run, Juan Soto, who was at bat, stepped aside to allow the rookie to take a curtain call. Rice initially hesitated but was eventually encouraged by his teammates to acknowledge the cheers from the crowd.
“It was all happening so fast,” Rice recalled. “I’m glad I did it. That was special!”
Before this game, Rice had only hit one home run in his first 46 at-bats in the major leagues. Raised in Cohasset, Massachusetts, he jokingly admitted to once signing the Pesky Pole as a child with the words ‘Yankees Rule.’
Reflecting on the game, Rice mentioned that the last time he hit three home runs in a game was during a summer league baseball game in 2019, with his parents in attendance for this memorable Saturday game.
“This is a day I’ll never forget,” Rice said. “I’m thrilled that it was such a big win for us against my hometown team.”
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Rice is the first rookie in Yankees history to hit three home runs in a single game among the 22 Yankees players who have achieved this feat.
