{"id":43420,"date":"2025-04-23T08:19:34","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T08:19:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420"},"modified":"2025-04-23T08:19:34","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T08:19:34","slug":"yankees-dh-ben-rices-home-run-on-1st-pitch-of-game-has-fans-going-wild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420","title":{"rendered":"Yankees DH Ben Rice&#8217;s home run on 1st pitch of game has fans going wild"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"flex w-full max-w-[980px] flex-col px-4 pt-4 font-secondary lg:px-0\">\n<p class=\"dek prose mb-2.5 italic text-secondary\">Ben Rice comes through again for the Yankees<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full max-w-[980px] flex-row gap-5\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col lg:max-w-[660px]\">\n<div class=\"px-4 pb-5 lg:px-0\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-wrap justify-between gap-4  font-secondary md:items-center \">\n<div class=\"flex-row flex-wrap items-center text-primary\">\n<div class=\"author-link mr-2.5 flex items-center text-sm md:text-nowrap \">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aspect-video w-full max-w-full object-contain object-center px-4 lg:px-0\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Yankees-Ben-Rice-swings-the-bat.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"; New York Yankees designated hitter Ben Rice (22) hits an RBI single in the second inning against the San Francisco Giants at Yankee Stadium.\" \/><\/figure>\n<article class=\"article-body prose max-w-none pb-7 pt-5 prose-figure:max-w-full prose-ol:pl-10 prose-img:max-w-full prose-video:max-w-full md:prose-ol:pl-6 [&amp;_iframe]:m-auto [&amp;_iframe]:block [&amp;_iframe]:max-w-full\">Although reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge and former National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt are both\u00a0producing for the New York Yankees, key position players like Cody Bellinger (another MVP), Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe are all scuffling in the batter&#8217;s box. While their offensive struggles persist, the continued emergence of Ben Rice is especially crucial.<\/p>\n<p>The 26-year-old designated hitter once again\u00a0displayed his ample power, hammering a lead-off home run over the left field wall in Tuesday&#8217;s road game versus the Cleveland Guardians.\u00a0Rice suffered an elbow contusion after getting hit by a pitch in Saturday&#8217;s stunning loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, but he did not look restricted when facing Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee.<\/p>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col items-center gap-5 px-5 pb-5\">\n<div class=\"relative w-full overflow-hidden h-auto\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1914804437639372873&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fmlb%2Fnew-york-yankees%2Fyankees-news-ben-rice-home-run-1st-pitch-game-fans-going-wild&amp;sessionId=18a03e2fcd0ec7b6b4ad2bb74b666a755e62864e&amp;siteScreenName=clutchpoints&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=500px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1914804437639372873\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The former 12th-round draft pick, who hit below the Mendoza Line in 50 games last season, is now batting .294 with six homers and 10 RBIs in 2025. Fans are loving every minute of this thrilling breakthrough.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Legend of Ben Rice grows,\u201d\u00a0Barstool Baseball posted\u00a0on X after the game-opening blast. \u201cWELCOME BACK BEN RICE,\u201d\u00a0Talkin&#8217; Yanks exclaimed. \u201cBen Rice is sensational,\u201d\u00a0Garry Sheffield Jr. proclaimed. \u201cTremendous. Exceptional. So many hitters in this lineup can learn a thing or two just watching him.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"not-prose flex w-full flex-col gap-2 divide-y divide-solid divide-[#58585820] bg-[#FAFAFA] px-4 pt-5\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col\">\n<article class=\"article-body prose max-w-none pb-7 pt-5 prose-figure:max-w-full prose-ol:pl-10 prose-img:max-w-full prose-video:max-w-full md:prose-ol:pl-6 [&amp;_iframe]:m-auto [&amp;_iframe]:block [&amp;_iframe]:max-w-full\">\n<h2><strong>Will Yankees DH Ben Rice stay on the attack this season?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>It would be easy to attribute this surge to the highs and lows of baseball, especially since Rice&#8217;s 2024 production plunged after he hit three dingers in one game against the Boston Red Sox last July. But there is evidence to suggest he has figured something out early in his second season.<\/p>\n<p>When a player belts an opposite-field home run, it shows he is on his way to becoming a complete hitter rather than a one-dimensional pull guy. This left-handed batter has matured at the dish, and the Yankees are benefiting from it. Ben Rice is forcing manager Aaron Boone to keep rewarding him with a prime spot at the top of the lineup.<\/p>\n<p>People have been clamoring for a youth movement to invade The Bronx for some time, but they probably did not have this specific talent in mind. The unexpected and torrid spring love affair rolls on. If the magic can stay alive through the summer, then New York is going to feel mighty confident about its postseason prospects.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ben Rice comes through again for the Yankees Although reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge and former National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt are both\u00a0producing for the New&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43421,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Yankees DH Ben Rice&#039;s home run on 1st pitch of game has fans going wild - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Yankees DH Ben Rice&#039;s home run on 1st pitch of game has fans going wild - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ben Rice comes through again for the Yankees Although reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge and former National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt are both\u00a0producing for the New...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-23T08:19:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Yankees-Ben-Rice-swings-the-bat.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420\",\"name\":\"Yankees DH Ben Rice's home run on 1st pitch of game has fans going wild - 24\/7 News America\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Yankees-Ben-Rice-swings-the-bat.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-23T08:19:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-23T08:19:34+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Yankees-Ben-Rice-swings-the-bat.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Yankees-Ben-Rice-swings-the-bat.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Yankees DH Ben Rice&#8217;s home run on 1st pitch of game has fans going wild\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"24\/7 News America\",\"description\":\"Breaking Stories, Real Insights&quot;\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\",\"name\":\"Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Yankees DH Ben Rice's home run on 1st pitch of game has fans going wild - 24\/7 News America","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Yankees DH Ben Rice's home run on 1st pitch of game has fans going wild - 24\/7 News America","og_description":"Ben Rice comes through again for the Yankees Although reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge and former National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt are both\u00a0producing for the New...","og_url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420","og_site_name":"24\/7 News America","article_published_time":"2025-04-23T08:19:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Yankees-Ben-Rice-swings-the-bat.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Admin","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420","name":"Yankees DH Ben Rice's home run on 1st pitch of game has fans going wild - 24\/7 News America","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Yankees-Ben-Rice-swings-the-bat.jpg","datePublished":"2025-04-23T08:19:34+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-23T08:19:34+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Yankees-Ben-Rice-swings-the-bat.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Yankees-Ben-Rice-swings-the-bat.jpg","width":1200,"height":675},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43420#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Yankees DH Ben Rice&#8217;s home run on 1st pitch of game has fans going wild"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/","name":"24\/7 News America","description":"Breaking Stories, Real Insights&quot;","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914","name":"Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Admin"},"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43420"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43420\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43422,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43420\/revisions\/43422"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}