New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice left Sunday's 11-3 victory against the Baltimore Orioles early due to a left hand contusion. Despite the injury, Rice hit a home run earlier in the game at Yankee Stadium. The win improved the Yankees to 23-11, their best record in the American League.
The Yankees defeated the Orioles 11-3 on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, securing the first three games of a four-game series. Ben Rice opened the scoring with a first-inning home run off Orioles rookie Trey Gibson, his 12th of the season. Aaron Judge added a two-run homer in the third, his 13th, tying him for the MLB lead with Chicago White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami. Jasson Domínguez contributed significantly, including a two-run homer and an RBI double in the eighth inning that helped blow the game open with seven runs scored there. Ryan McMahon drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth on a single amid an error by Orioles first baseman Coby Mayo. Domínguez recorded hits from both sides of the plate in the eighth, a rare feat for a Yankee since Mark Teixeira in 2016. Rice and Judge became the fifth teammate duo in history with 12-plus homers through 34 games, joining pairs like Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra in 1956. Rice exited after the third inning following a low throw from Orioles pitcher Max Fried on a pickoff attempt, which caused a contusion to his left hand. X-rays were negative, and the team listed him as day to day. Paul Goldschmidt replaced him at first base. “It’s a little sore,” Rice said. “I thought the throw was going to be a little lower than it was. I caught it poorly. It kind of hit in the palm.” Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised the team's late-game execution. “It was really good at-bats to get some separation there. [We] did a lot of great things late to make it a little lopsided,” Boone said. The Yankees, now 12 games over .500, have won five straight series behind a major-league-leading 2.74 ERA rotation.
