Ben Rice becomes first Yankees rookie with three-homer game - ESPN

NEW YORK — The anticipation was swelling for Ben Rice to emerge from the New York Yankees' dugout for a curtain call during the seventh inning Saturday afternoon.

The rookie had just swatted his third home run at a sweltering Yankee Stadium in a 14-4 blowout win over the Boston Red Sox. The crowd, desperate for something to celebrate during this dreadful three-week stretch for the home team, clamored for Rice. Aaron Judge signaled for him to come out and receive the love from the on-deck circle.

But Rice didn't know where to exit the dugout for the curtain call. He tried two spots, only to find the railing and no way out. Teammates directed him to the end, where he finally found an opening and ignited an explosion of noise. He doffed his helmet and smiled from ear to ear.

«Thankfully got it in,» Rice, 25, said. «That was pretty awesome.»

A big leaguer all of three weeks and four days, Rice, who grew up a Yankees fan in hostile territory outside Boston, became the first rookie in franchise history — back to the days of the Highlanders a century ago through Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, and so on — to hit at least three home runs in a game.

Behind the rookie, the Yankees, who had dropped 14 of 18 games entering Saturday, snapped a four-game losing streak after a devastating 10-inning loss Friday night.

«Obviously, we're going through it,» said Gerrit Cole, who allowed four runs across 4⅓ innings in his fourth start of the season. «And so we'll take any kind of success really. I think it's a little bit greater than that. It's a historical day, magical day. And, to be honest, I'm pretty thankful that I get to be on the lineup card because I know he'll remember it forever.»

Rice served as the Yankees' leadoff hitter for the