Yankees Crush Rays 9-2 Behind Ben Rice’s Two Homers and Ryan McMahon’s Grand Slam

Ben Rice Powers Yankees With Two-Homer Night

The New York Yankees continued their strong finish to the regular season Wednesday night, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 9-2 behind two home runs from Ben Rice and a grand slam from Ryan McMahon.

Rice launched his 40th and 41st home runs of the season, including a leadoff blast in the first inning, while McMahon matched his career high with five RBI as New York pulled away one night after Tampa Bay clinched the American League East.

Rice wasted no time getting the Yankees on the scoreboard, sending the first pitch he saw from Tampa Bay starter Mason Englert into the second deck in right field. It was Rice’s fourth career leadoff homer and his second of the season.

The Yankees first baseman added another solo shot in the fourth inning for his fifth career multihomer game and finished 3-for-4. His 41 home runs have him tied for the American League lead with Baltimore’s Pete Alonso, Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero and Houston’s Yordan Alvarez. George Lombard Jr. also homered for New York, while Cedric Mullins hit a home run for Tampa Bay.

Ryan McMahon Delivers Grand Slam

McMahon played a major role in the Yankees’ offensive explosion. He drove in a run with a single in the second inning before delivering a three-run? No — a grand slam in the third to give New York a commanding 7-0 advantage. The grand slam was the third of McMahon’s career and brought his RBI total for the night to five, matching his career high.

The Yankees continued to add to their lead as Englert struggled to contain the lineup. The Rays brought Englert up to the majors to give their regular starters additional rest ahead of the postseason, but he allowed eight runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Gerrit Cole Continues Post-Surgery Progress

Gerrit Cole earned the victory, improving to 10-9 after allowing two runs and three hits over 5 2/3 innings. He threw a season-high 105 pitches while striking out eight and walking three. The 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner has continued to build his workload since returning in May from Tommy John surgery. Through 22 starts and 127 innings, Cole has posted a 3.61 ERA with 131 strikeouts. His performance Wednesday provided another encouraging outing as the Yankees prepare for the postseason.

Yankees Prepare for Wild Card Series

With the victory, New York is assured of hosting a best-of-three American League Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday, with Boston currently the likely opponent. The Wild Card Series winner will advance to face Tampa Bay in a best-of-five American League Division Series.

The Rays, meanwhile, are managing injuries to several potential postseason pitchers. Manager Kevin Cash said left-hander Shane McClanahan will not recover in time for the Division Series, while left-hander Garrett Cleavinger and right-hander Tyler Wells remain possibilities. All three pitchers are dealing with forearm tightness.

Yankees and Rays Meet Again Thursday

The Yankees and Rays will close their regular-season series Thursday night. New York will send right-hander Cam Schlittler to the mound with a 14-6 record and 1.94 ERA, while Tampa Bay will counter with right-hander Freddy Peralta, who enters with a 9-11 record and 4.56 ERA. With the postseason approaching, Thursday’s finale will provide both teams another opportunity to prepare for October baseball.