The Yankees still lost an ugly game in the ALDS. Then, in another match, where they were playing field matches, they were again forced to win three straight games at the end of the season. The Yankees have never won a postseason series under Aaron Boone—and through two games, they’ve proved a lifeless, gormless play immune to the best pitching strategies of one of the most dominant pitching staffs in franchise history.
If you’re looking for a hero in this 5-2 loss at Campo Tropicana, you’ll have to look. At least, unlike Saturday, the number was above zero on the New York side of the scorecard. Ben Rice followed that up with a two-run home run to right, the first of which provided a brief glimmer of hope that the Yankees wouldn’t completely kill this thing – before completely killing it just two innings later.
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Rice hit a fly in his first at-bat, throwing a perfect first through the lineup to Rays starter Freddy Peralta. But this game and this series promises to be better in his second season. Freddy’s fastball, as he randomly referred to it a dozen times throughout the night, Rice said with the fastball before abandoning it in favor of his changeup. Rice made three consecutive attempts to chase the pitch, and his third attempt was to bring the count to 2-2.
That whiff still seemed to convince Peralta to stick with the changeup, especially knowing that Rice is one of the league’s best fastball hitters. And so the fourth time went immediately to the change, but he left this shot in the corner outside the corner. Rice capitalized, firing it over the right field wall for the game-tying solo shot.
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Rice did his job effectively again when he went up for third in the fifth inning. With two outs, Austin Wells doubled to spark the rally. Ryan McMahon followed with a walk after falling behind 0-2, which ended Peralta’s night. Rice was the first man to face lefty reliever Cam Booser and he got nothing good to swing at. The southerners were encamped around Ben, who refused to enlarge the zone. He came in to load the bases for Cody Bellinger, known for his track success against pitching. Bellinger almost found the go-ahead hit he was looking for with a long fly ball to center field, but Jonny DeLuca ran into the warning track.
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Of course, the Rays took advantage of the Yankee pratfall immediately afterward, destroying any positive momentum and building a 5-1 lead. But Rice, outing be damned, had another good at-bat. Facing Ian Seymour to lead off the eighth inning, he took a first pitch for a strike, then unleashed a lightning fast swing on an inside changeup. His line drive down right field snuck over the wall for his second home run of the night.
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Reborn couldn’t spark a bigger rally. The Yankees went down in order against Seymour after his second homer, and they didn’t hold back against closer Bryan Baker. The Yankees are close to another end of the ignominious feat, but at least we can give a tip of the hat to the best hitter throughout the year, who never gave up even as the rest of the team is held to the same family mistakes that goes home in October.
If the streak is miraculous and, frankly, a 2-0 victory down the offensive line, Ben Rice will undoubtedly be one of the main reasons. The Yankees will have to hit more than just him, but his exceptional talent must also be front-and-center for the Bombers to preserve their season.