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Ben Rice had a day to remember as the New York Yankees recorded a blowout victory over the Boston Red Sox.
CNN
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Rookie Ben Rice had a day to remember, hitting three home runs in the New York Yankees’ blowout 14-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Rice is the first rookie ever to hit three home runs in one game for the Yankees.
“It’s definitely a day I’ll never forget,” Rice said after the game, according to MLB. “I’m just excited that it was a big win for us, a good comeback win, and against my hometown team. So it’s pretty cool.”
The 25-year-old rookie got the Yankees off to an ideal start when he hit a huge home run to right field in the bottom of the first inning.
“What a game and obviously, in the midst of everything we’re going through, we set the tone right in the first inning with a home run and then had a legendary day,” New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters after the game about Rice’s big day.
“Just very bad.”
Pamela Smith/AP
Rice hit three home runs in the 14-4 win against the Red Sox.
In the fifth inning, Rice stepped up a gear with a three-run home run to give the Yankees a 10-4 lead.
Rice’s incredible performance was crowned in the seventh inning, when he hit his third home run of the day and his second three-run home run.
“He hit three in one day — something he’ll never forget and probably the people watching here will never forget either,” Boone added.
After his third home run of the day, Rice was shown the ropes by his more experienced teammates and led out of the dugout to address the cheering fans at Yankee Stadium.
Rice removed his helmet and waved to the crowd admiring their rising star as he fired the starting gun, celebrating his extraordinary feat, which saw him become only the third rookie in MLB history to hit three home runs from first place.
“Honestly, it all happened so fast,” Rice said, according to MLB. “I think I was just coming down from the high of hitting the home run. I was just walking through the dugout and then I heard everybody yelling at me to do something. I didn’t even know what they were talking about, but as they slowly walked me up the steps, I thought, ‘Oh, man. A round of applause. That’s pretty cool.'”