The New York Yankees are aiming for their third straight win this Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles, and they opened the game with a historic milestone. Ben Rice and Aaron Judge became the first teammates since 1995 to hit at least 12 home runs within a team’s first 35 games of an MLB season. However, the downside came when Rice was forced to leave the game due to a hand injury.
A concerning injury for the New York Yankees
“Ben Rice exited today’s game with a left hand contusion suffered during a pickoff attempt while playing first base in the third inning. X-rays were negative. He is day-to-day,” the team announced.
The Yankees first baseman left the game after attempting to field a pickoff throw from starter Max Fried. He was replaced by Paul Goldschmidt, who has seen more action against left-handed pitchers this MLB season. With negative X-ray results, it’s likely that Goldschmidt will continue in that role on the roster.
MLB.com analyst Sarah Langs highlighted the significance of the achievement: “Teammates with 12+ home runs before a team’s 35th game: Yankees 2026 (Aaron Judge, Ben Rice); Cleveland 1995 (Manny Ramírez, Paul Sorrento); Colorado 1994 (Ellis Burks, Andrés Galarraga); Milwaukee 1959 (Eddie Mathews, Henry Aaron); Yankees 1956 (Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra).”
Before exiting, Rice stayed red-hot offensively, blasting a solo home run in the first inning to reach 12 on the season and tie Aaron Judge for the team lead in home runs. Later, the Yankees captain responded with a two-run homer in the third inning, driving in Rice as well.
Both hitters took advantage of Orioles starter Trey Gibson, who made his MLB debut and allowed just those three runs over 4.2 innings pitched.
Despite the initial scare, the update on Rice brought relief to Yankees fans. The four-game series between the Orioles and Yankees wraps up Monday night in the Bronx. After that, the Texas Rangers will visit Yankee Stadium looking for revenge following their recent series in Arlington.
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