Can the Yankees 2026 All-Star Continue His Postseason Onslaught?
The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees faced off in Game One of their Wild Card Series at Yankees Stadium with two ace pitchers on the mound, Payton Tolle and Cam Schlittler. Tolle went four and two innings for Boston, allowing one run on five hits; however, after the Red Sox starter was finished on the mound, all hell broke loose. The Bronx Bombers would tack on another eight runs, allowing New York to take a 9-0 win in the first game of the series. Six of the Yankees’ nine runs came off the bat of designated hitter Ben Rice. If the Yankees win today with Max Fried on the mound, they’ll face another division rival in the Tampa Bay Rays during the American League Division Series.
Rice finished Game One of this series going four for five with two home runs and six RBIs. The 2026 all-star’s first homer came at the bottom of the fifth inning off Erik Miller. With the bases loaded at the bottom of the seventh inning, the 27-year-old would pick up his second RBI of the night by singling off Alec Gamboa. The following inning, Rice would push the Yankees’ victory more into certainty with his grand slam on Brayan Bello to extend New York’s lead to 9-0. With Aaron Judge out and Giancarlo Stanton yet to play, Rice must continue his postseason onslaught. The 2026 all-star has been a big part of why the Yankees are in the postseason now; if New York didn’t have his offense, they’d most likely be on the outside looking in.
Game One must be the start of something special for Rice. Boston will be going all in to take Game Two and push for a third and final game of the series; Rice’s play could change all that. Another big pitching performance on the mound and some big-time offense for the 2026 all-star could easily advance the Yankees to the ALDS to play the Rays. Then more of an offensive barrage for the 27-year-old could put New York as World Series favorites. Rice must continue his postseason onslaught; this Game One cannot be a one-time thing if the Yankees are without big bats such as Judge and Stanton.
After the game, Rice said, “It's a long season. I think you find success by just being consistent every day. All the consistency that you had in the regular season, you've just got to carry it right over into the postseason. So I approached it like any other game, and do the things that helped you over 162.”
