"It’s a magical day" - Gerrit Cole 'thankful' to be part of Yankees rookie Ben Rice's historic offensive thrust in blowout win against Red Sox
The New York Yankees snapped their four-game losing streak after routing arch-rivals the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. The Yankees offense found an unlikely hero in a 14-run rout of the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, rookie Ben Rice.
Two and a half weeks into his debut season, the Yankees rookie is making history for the Bronx Bombers. The 25-year-old, starting in the leadoff spot, went deep against Josh Winckowski in the first inning.
He smoked a three-run homer off Chase Anderson in the fifth, contributing to a seven-run inning for the Yankees. But the rookie wasn't done, as he got hold of Anderson again in the seventh for a three-run shot.
Rice is the first rookie in Yankees history to register three home runs in a game. He's only the second Yankees rookie to register seven RBIs in a game, matching the iconic Lou Gehrig's tally.
Rice's senior teammate and reigning Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole was impressed by the rookie's remarkable outing:
“Really, I think it’s a little bit greater than that. It’s a historical day, a magical day. And to be honest, I’m pretty thankful that I get to be on the lineup card because I know he’ll remember it forever.”
Gerrit Cole had a strong outing from the mound on Saturday, with his only blemish coming against a familiar foe, Rafael Devers.
The All-Star third baseman struck a homer against Cole, his eighth against the Yankees ace, which is the most by any player against the reigning Cy Young winner.
Yankees rookie Ben Rice taken aback by curtain call after Red Sox rout
Ben Rice's multi-home run game saw his teammates thrust him out of the dugout for a deserved curtain call. His record-breaking night helped the Yankees break their slump with hope for the future.
“Honestly, it was all happening so fast,” Rice said. “I think I was still just coming off the high of hitting the home run. I was just walking through the dugout and then I heard everyone yelling at me to do something.
I didn’t even know what they were talking about, but as they slowly guided me toward the steps, I was like, ‘Oh, dude. A curtain call. That’s pretty cool.’”
The Yankees needed inspiration from somewhere, as a woeful end to June and a similar start to July saw the Baltimore Orioles ascend to the summit of AL East. Rice's display helped the Yankees to just their fifth win in 19 games, a tally nowhere good enough for a team aspiring for a World Series run.