By Miguel Rapetti
06 Jul 2024, 21:23 PM EDT
New York Yankees rookie first baseman Ben Rice made history Saturday during the 14-4 rout of the Boston Red Sox by hitting three home runs that made him the first prospect in Yankees history to accomplish such a feat.
Rice’s performance snapped a four-game losing streak after dropping three straight games at Yankee Stadium to the Cincinnati Reds and a heartbreaking loss Friday to the Red Sox.
The Bronx’s 12th-ranked prospect began his personal party in the first inning when he took advantage of a pitch from Josh Winckowski that was stuck in the middle of the plate to hit his first homer of Saturday and the second homer of his career.
In the fifth inning, Rice’s power again appeared to drive in three runs with another home run off right-handed pitcher Chase Anderson.
What is striking is that in the bottom of the seventh inning he repeated the same script against Anderson by once again hitting a huge home run that also ended with three RBIs to seal his great offensive moment and decree the final score 14-4.
For the Yankees, this is the first time a rookie has had a game of this type and his feat equaled that of Andrew McCutchen and Mike Yastrzemski who also hit three home runs in their debut season.
McCutchen achieved it on August 1, 2009, while Yastrzemski, grandson of baseball legend Carl Yastrzemski, achieved it almost 10 years later, on August 16, 2019.
Watch Rice’s three home runs here:
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