SAN DIEGO — Ben Rice did not need a home run to take over another Yankees game. He kept refusing pitches outside the zone and turning every trip to the plate into another problem for San Diego.
By the end of Saturday night’s 5-1 win at Petco Park, the Yankees designated hitter had reached base in all five plate appearances. Rice went 3-for-3 with two walks and scored twice as New York improved to 81-61.
The New York Yankees struck in the second. Rice singled, moved up on George Lombard Jr.’s groundout and scored on rookie Spencer Jones’ two-out double. Robbie Ray then issued three straight walks before Cody Bellinger drove in two with a single for a 4-0 lead.
Rice walked and scored again in the third on Lombard’s sacrifice fly. Carlos Rodon protected the lead with five innings of one-run ball, allowing two hits and striking out seven. The Yankees bullpen allowed one hit over four scoreless innings. Rodon improved to 5-3, while Ray fell to 11-8 after allowing five runs in 2 1/3 innings.
The win kept the Yankees four games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East and 3 1/2 games ahead of Boston for the top AL wild card, according to MLB’s standings entering Sunday. New York has won 13 of 19 and is guaranteed at least a .500 finish for a 34th consecutive season.
Rice keeps turning contact into pressure
Rice has multiple hits in six of his past nine games and is batting .395, going 15-for-38, over that span, according to MLB. He has reached base multiple times in 12 of his past 16 games.
MLB’s official statistics after Saturday list Rice at .261 with a .355 on-base percentage, .528 slugging percentage and .883 OPS across 136 games. His 36 home runs, 89 runs and 88 RBIs lead the Yankees in all three categories.
Cody Bellinger has watched the surge from the same Yankees clubhouse. He pointed to the repeatability of Rice’s approach and his ability to enter each at-bat with a plan.
“He seems locked in,” Bellinger said. “He’s just so talented. Mechanically, he’s good. He’s got a great approach. He knows what he wants to do every at-bat, and right now it’s clicking, for sure.”
Boone reaches for Tony Gwynn
That is where Aaron Boone found the comparison that captured the night. In a ballpark tied forever to one of baseball’s great contact hitters, the Yankees manager saw Rice driving balls from line to line instead of trying to force one swing.
Boone focused on how often Rice found the barrel and how naturally the ball was coming off his bat to every part of the field.
“I told him, he’s doing his Tony Gwynn imitation,” Boone said. “Watching him slash it all over the field, man, he keeps hitting it off the barrel, line to line, it feels like.”
According to the Padres’ official Hall of Fame history, Tony Gwynn spent his entire 20-season career with San Diego and won eight National League batting titles. Boone was not comparing resumes. His point was visible in Rice’s three singles: a hitter known for power was producing without selling out for it.
Rice was more measured. He acknowledged that some balls found openings, then returned the focus to sustaining the Yankees offense.
“It’s been solid overall,” Rice said. “I have some that really just found some holes for me through the infield, some other solid swings. We’ve just got to keep going.”
Petco Park surge widens Rice’s Yankees lead
The box scores has Rice 6-for-7 with two walks through Friday and Saturday at Petco Park. That is a .857 batting average, .889 on-base percentage and 1.286 slugging percentage in nine plate appearances.
Friday’s three-hit game included his team-leading 36th homer. Saturday brought three singles. Rice also owns the highest OPS among qualified Yankees hitters, with his .883 mark 121 points above Bellinger’s .762 in MLB’s team statistics.
That production has become central to a roster that has spent most of the summer without Aaron Judge. The Yankees captain has played 59 games and remains on the injured list with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side. Judge was batting .248 with 17 homers, 38 RBIs and a .908 OPS when he went down.
Judge’s return could deepen Yankees lineup
Judge is moving closer. MLB’s latest injury update says he took on-field batting practice Sept. 4 and 5, has been facing velocity, running the bases and performing outfield work. He is expected to face live pitching Monday in New York, with a return during the upcoming homestand possible.
That would give Boone another force in the middle of the lineup as the postseason race tightens. It would not diminish what Rice has become for the Yankees. His power and strike-zone control have made him one of the roster’s most stable bats.
Rice made clear on the YES Network broadcast that the clubhouse is eager to get Judge back. He also acknowledged that he did not know the exact timetable.
“That’d be hard to put into words. I’m not exactly sure what the status is, but we’re all as eager to have him back now as we were right when he went out. It would mean a lot to us.”
The Yankees are set to close the West Coast trip Sunday with Gerrit Cole scheduled to face former Yankee Michael King. Then New York returns to Yankee Stadium for a homestand that could put Judge back beside Rice.
Rice reaches that point leading the Yankees in home runs, runs and RBIs, fresh off a five-reach game and with Boone using one of San Diego’s most recognizable hitting references to describe the surge. The Yankees need it to last, but it is already arriving in more than one form.
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