CHICAGO -- The weight on Ben Rice’s shoulders has continued to increase, with stars intended to protect him in the Yankees’ lineup now looking to him from the injured list. Their lineup will eventually be whole again, but in the meantime, their promising young All-Star is showing he’s capable of handling the load.
Rice ripped a tiebreaking seventh-inning single, picking up his team-leading 73rd RBI of the season as the Yankees erased an early deficit and rallied for a 9-5 victory over the White Sox on Monday evening at Rate Field.
New York took advantage of three late errors, including one that helped set up Rice’s sharp line drive off Bryan Hudson. Jazz Chisholm Jr. added a run-scoring single in the eighth before Ali Sánchez connected for his first Major League home run, a three-run shot to left field off Sean Newcomb.
Making his second start since returning from the injured list, Max Fried threw 66 pitches over three-plus innings, continuing to build his stamina. A 32-pitch first spelled a short evening as Chicago touched Fried for three runs, doing all of its damage in the first inning.
Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth and Braden Montgomery all picked up RBIs facing Fried, who permitted five hits and two walks, striking out four.
The Yankees capitalized on a bases-loaded, none-out opportunity in the fourth inning, building a four-run frame. Anthony Volpe chopped a run-scoring grounder and Chisholm ripped a game-tying, two-run double to the gap in right-center field. Spencer Jones knocked in another run with a groundout.
Chicago tied the game in the fifth, as Miguel Vargas legged out a hustle double, then scored on Colson Montgomery’s run-scoring hit.