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Ben Rice Quietly Made Yankees History in Thrilling Win Over Red Sox

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jake Elman | Last updated Oct 2, 2025 10:28 AM ET

New York Yankees fans and former players alike were already livid with manager Aaron Boone for benching first baseman Ben Rice and second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. in Tuesday’s AL Wild Card Round opener against the rival Boston Red Sox.

Back in the lineup and betting second on Wednesday night, Rice only needed one pitch to make his presence felt. Rice, who grew up a Yankees fan in Massachusetts, turned a Brayan Bello cutter into a 2-0 Yankees lead.

In the process, Rice became the sixth player since 2000 to homer on the first pitch he saw in postseason play. Interestingly, none of the previous five did so with the Yankees, who have made the playoffs 21 times in the 21st century.

“To be a part of the rivalry now, just given where I am from and where I grew up and all that, just makes it all that much more special,” Rice said.

Ben Rice is the 6th player since 2000 to homer on his first pitch seen in #Postseason play:

- 2025 ALWCS G2 Ben Rice
- 2024 ALDS G1 Lane Thomas
- 2022 NLWCS G1 Juan Yepez
- 2008 ALDS G1 Evan Longoria
- 2004 NLDS G2 Raul Chavez
- 2004 NLDS G1 Jason Lane

h/t @EliasSports https://t.co/wGYyhwZroB
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) October 1, 2025

Yankees stats guru Katie Sharp noted that Rice is the first Yankee since Shane Spencer to homer in his first career postseason at-bat.

Rice added a sixth-inning infield single in his playoff debut. However, it is unclear whether Rice will start against Red Sox left-hander Connelly Early in Game 3. Boone previously said that veteran Paul Goldschmidt will start against all left-handed starters, as he did against Red Sox ace Garret Crochet on Tuesday night.

It would be hard to justify sitting Rice in a literal must-win game, especially after he mashed 26 home runs with an .836 OPS in 138 games. Rice’s 18.9% strikeout rate ranked third-best among full-time players, trailing only Cody Bellinger (13.7%) and Goldschmidt (18.7%).

Although Rice’s 9.4% walk rate may not stand out at first glance, it’s still well above the league average of 8.3%.

“I want to leverage a spot for whoever my bench guys are to have a good matchup, and not three bad matchups that I can guarantee,” Boone nonetheless told reporters. “All those things factor into it.”

That’s likely not what Yankees fans want to hear, knowing that their season would end with a loss on Wednesday night. We’ll see whether Boone stays stubborn or if he opts to ensure Rice is in the lineup.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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