ANAHEIM, Calif. — Ben Rice’s night ended with another contribution to a Yankees win, but the box score captured only part of what made his evening at Angel Stadium stand out.
New York needed 10 innings to finish a 6-3 victory over the Angels in Los Angeles on Wednesday, taking the series and moving to 80-60. The Yankees scored five times with two outs in the 10th, turning a 1-1 game into a decisive late surge.
Austin Wells supplied the biggest hit, a two-run single off Luke Murphy that brought home Amed Rosario and Jose Caballero. Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham followed with RBI singles before Rice lined one to right to score Bellinger and make it 6-1.
Rice finished with two hits and an RBI. The late single gave the Yankees breathing room before Moisés Ballesteros hit a two-run homer off Michael Fulmer in the bottom of the inning. Fulmer then finished the game without a save opportunity.
David Bednar earned the win after striking out three in a scoreless ninth. Murphy took the loss. Cam Schlittler had already given the Yankees eight innings of one-run, two-hit baseball, with nine strikeouts and no walks, but left with the score tied.
The result mattered in the AL East race. The Yankees ended the night 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays and five games ahead of Boston for the top American League wild-card position.
Rice has become one of the lineup’s most dependable power bats during a season in which New York has repeatedly adjusted around injuries and changing roles. He was an All-Star for the first time this summer and entered September established in the Yankees’ offensive plans.
That made his final hit another meaningful contribution. Yet the strongest reaction from Yankees fans centered on something several innings earlier that had nothing to do with a run.
A frightening sixth inning changes Rice’s night
In the top of the sixth, Rice pulled a 79.5 mph foul line drive down the first-base side and into the camera well. The ball struck photographer Steven Park in the head, stopping play for about 10 minutes.
Yankees personnel immediately moved toward the area. Team trainer Tim Lentych called for additional assistance while members of the Yankees watched from the dugout as Park received treatment.
Rice stayed near the camera well with his helmet and bat still in hand. He watched as medical personnel treated Park and prepared a cart.
Park, who was working for The Sporting Tribune, was able to stand and walk to the medical cart under his own power. He was fitted with a neck brace as a precaution. Before the cart left, Rice approached him and the two shook hands.
The Angels later relayed that Park was doing OK.
For Rice, that update mattered more than the interruption. After the game, he explained why seeing Park get to his feet brought relief.
“Very relieved,” Rice said. “I saw it, he definitely was not ready for any kind of impact there, he was looking the other direction. I wasn’t sure how square it hit him in the head, but definitely a scary scene, so happy to hear he’s OK.”
Rice’s reaction draws praise from Yankees fans
The sequence quickly became one of the most discussed moments from the Yankees’ series finale. Rice did not simply glance toward the camera well. He remained focused on Park while the game was stopped, then approached him before medical personnel took him away.
That response drew praise across social media from Yankees fans who watched the exchange unfold.
Joe Randazzo, who posts as @YankeeLibrarian on X, focused on Rice’s willingness to remain engaged while he was still in the middle of an at-bat.
“Ben Rice is a good guy. I don’t remember another player being that concerned in the middle of an at-bat after hitting someone with a foul ball.”
Another Yankees fan, Andy McCann, said the sequence changed the way he viewed Rice because of the player’s concern for the injured photographer.
“I just watched the entire sequence. First I hope that individual is ok!!! Distant second: I just became a fan of Ben Rice. Professional athlete who genuinely cared about that person who got hurt. Need more Ben Rice!”
Other reactions used similarly complimentary language, emphasizing Rice’s composure and concern during the delay.
Rice finishes night with another meaningful Yankees hit
The incident created an unusual test of concentration. Once the cart left the field, Angels starter Reid Detmers threw warmup pitches before play resumed. Rice eventually completed the nine-pitch plate appearance by flying out to center.
He still recovered to contribute later.
Rice’s two-hit game pushed his updated 2026 line to 127 hits in 502 at-bats across 134 games. He is batting .253 with a .347 on-base percentage, a .518 slugging percentage and an .865 OPS. He has 35 home runs and 87 RBIs.
His 10th-inning single was hit at 104.1 mph and came as the fourth consecutive two-out RBI hit in the Yankees‘ five-run inning. One ball off Rice’s bat stopped the stadium. Another, four innings later, helped put the game away.
The Yankees left Anaheim with a series victory and a smaller deficit in the AL East. Rice left with two more hits, another RBI and recognition from the fan base for a moment that will never appear in his season statistics.
Park’s reported condition provided the most important update. He was able to leave the camera well on his feet, and the Angels said afterward that he was doing OK.
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