NEW YORK – It seemed like a good guess, one of those prognostications that get tossed out in the sun-splashed days of Spring Training, when every player arrives in the best shape of his life and the standings show everyone tied for first place.
Ben Rice would finish the year with 39 home runs, Aaron Boone predicted. It sounded like a good number to most. Not to Rice, who took it as a challenge.
Not satisfied after realizing his manager’s projection, Rice eclipsed it, blasting his 40th and 41st homers to grab a share of the American League home run lead. Ryan McMahon hit a grand slam and George Lombard Jr. also went deep on Wednesday, powering the Yankees’ 9-2 victory over the Rays.
“It’s a cool milestone,” Rice said. “It’s not something you go into the season really aiming for. You don’t really know how it’s going to go. But as I was approaching that number, it’s definitely something I was hoping to achieve.”
Rice tied the Orioles' Pete Alonso, Yordan Alvarez of the Astros and Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero for the most homers in the AL. After the second homer, Rice said he found Boone in the dugout and told him: “Hey, thanks for inspiring me this year.”
“I was pretty close, but he went soaring past,” Boone said. “He’s become an outstanding hitter in this league. He’s been through a lot this year, having a full season under his belt. He’s now a featured guy."
The mark is a career high for Rice, who earned his first All-Star selection this past summer and projects to be an integral part of the Yanks’ playoff production. With 97 RBIs, the century mark is another realistic target for Rice over the final four games of the regular season.
“I never really set out for certain numbers or anything like that,” Rice said. “I really just try to focus day by day and do the best I can to stick with my approach. I go out to hit the ball hard and have good at-bats. As the season gets closer to ending, you see where you’re at.”
Rice is the 13th Yankee (36th time) to hit at least 40 homers in a season, joining Aaron Judge (four times) as the only Yankees Draft picks to do so.
Judge (2017), Rice (‘26) and Joe DiMaggio (1937) are the only Yanks to have a 40-homer season within the first three years of his career.
“I always tell guys, the difference between Minor Leaguers and big leaguers is the consistency. He’s one of the best,” Judge said of Rice. “I can look up at the clock and I know exactly where he’s going to be – in the cage, the training room, the weight room. Every single day, this guy is a machine.”
Gerrit Cole limited Tampa Bay to two runs and three hits over 5 2/3 innings, throwing a season-high 105 pitches (63 strikes) in his final start of the regular season. The right-hander is preparing for an expected assignment in the AL Wild Card Series.
“It’s very exciting,” Cole said. “I’m still maybe a little disappointed that we didn’t accomplish our ultimate goal of the division. But we have a chance to do something special in October.”
Cole walked three and struck out eight, surrendering a fifth-inning homer to Cedric Mullins. Cole finished the year with a 10-9 record and 3.61 ERA in 22 starts, having returned in late May from Tommy John surgery performed in March 2025.
“I didn’t have [many] expectations,” Cole said. “I wanted to come back, get in the rotation and stay in the rotation. That was a goal. I accomplished that. The progression from the surgery and phasing back into playing every day has gone about as well as I think you could hope.”
McMahon tied his career high with five RBIs as the Yankees won for the 10th time in 14 games. Earlier on Wednesday, Boone acknowledged McMahon’s offensive struggles while saying he remained confident in his defense at third base.
“I’ve been grinding in the cage, working, trying to get ready for the playoffs,” McMahon said. “This game is tough, man. I don’t think I had my best game for a lot of the season. I had solid stretches, but I’m just trying to figure it out and be a good player for the team in the postseason.”