Alex Verdugo's unique celebratory post adds flair to rookie Ben Rice's three-homer performance against Red Sox
When Anthony Rizzo was placed on the Injured List due to a fractured forearm, the New York Yankees were in a pinch situation given their limited infield options. In that desperate time, Ben Rice was called up from the minors for the first time to fill the spot.
People had doubts about the rookie’s ability to handle the big-league pressure. However, they felt at ease as Rice showed stability. On Saturday, he brought the Yankees their first win of July against rivals Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.
Rice went 3-for-5 with three home runs and contributed seven RBIs in the Yankees’ 14-4 victory. Yankees’ Alex Verdugo celebrated Rice's big day by posting a photo of him from his Dartmouth College Baseball days and his home run highlights on Instagram.
“DUB,” Verdugo wrote in his story.
Joining Rice, Vergudo also went yard with a two-run homer in that game and shared a clip of that on Instagram.
Rice raised his stat line to .294/.383/.588 and his OPS to .972, recording 12 RBIs, eight runs and four home runs in 17 games. In his last five games, he has gone 6-for-18 with 10 RBIs and four runs.
Ben Rice celebrated his feat with family at Yankee Stadium
Ben Rice led off the first innings with a solo homer off the Red Sox’ Josh Winckowski. He hit two three-run moon shots in the fifth and seventh innings to give the Yankees a double-digit lead.
“It’s definitely a day I’ll never forget,” Rice said after the game, per MLB.com. “I’m just pumped that it was a big-time win for us, a good bounceback win, and over my hometown team. So it’s pretty cool.”
He celebrated the big moment with his family, who attended the game at Yankee Stadium.
During his curtain call, Rice appreciated the fans’ support by lowering his helmet.
The last player from the team to achieve this was Yankees caption Aaron Judge in September last year against the Arizona Diamondback. Rice became the first player in the team to follow that this season.