“Yes,” Rice laughed when asked if the homer eased the sting. “100%, yeah.”
Rice’s blast was part of a 15-hit barrage that helped New York take two of three from Oakland and push its record to 23-17. After dropping Saturday’s game in frustrating fashion, the Yankees bounced back with their best offensive display in weeks — and their MLB-best OPS and runs scored totals looked the part.
Aaron Judge continued his unreal stretch at the plate, going 4-for-5 and raising his batting average to a scorching .409. “(Another) day at the office for him,” Rice joked postgame. “It’s crazy. You sometimes catch yourself take it for granted what he’s doing, but it’s been so impressive to watch.”
The Yankees keep pushing forward
The Yankees jumped on ex-teammate Luis Severino early, tagging him for eight earned runs across four-plus innings. The second inning was the backbreaker, as the Bombers piled up five runs behind RBI knocks from Anthony Volpe and Judge, plus a bases-loaded walk from Oswaldo Cabrera. Judge’s two-run single capped the rally.
“Having a day like that really helps everyone just relax and do their thing,” Judge said.
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Rice was hit by a pitch in the second but returned in the fifth with a vengeance. Facing Mitch Spence in a 3-1 count, he sat on a cutter and demolished it 398 feet to give New York an 11-1 lead. Statcast tracked the exit velocity at 111.2 mph.
“I was looking for something up that I could drive,” Rice said. “Fortunately, I got into a good hitter’s count there, 3-1, and was able to put a good swing on it.”
Though he started the day as DH, Rice later shifted behind the plate for the ninth — his third appearance at catcher this year — to spell Austin Wells.
“It’s good to be as flexible as you can — make sure you can be plugged in wherever they need,” Rice said.
Judge added a hustle double and finished with two RBI. Paul Goldschmidt doubled three times and drove in two more, continuing a hot road stretch. He’s now hit safely in all 19 road games this year, joining Derek Jeter and Jack Lelivelt as the only Yankees to do that.
Ryan Yarbrough earned the win with five efficient innings of two-run ball, while Yerry De Los Santos and Tyler Matzek combined for four scoreless frames in relief. The Yankees now head to Seattle for a three-game set, beginning Monday night. Clarke Schmidt (0-1, 4.79 ERA) will take the mound looking to extend the team’s momentum.
