New York Yankees slugger reaches milestone in first inning on Sunday

Rodney Knuppel

New York Yankees slugger reaches milestone in first inning on Sunday image

The New York Yankees are playing for something in the final game of the 2025 regular season. The Yankees and Toronto are tied at the top of the American League East standings, and the winner of the division takes the top seed, while the loser grabs the No. 4 seed and is forced to play on Tuesday.

The game on Sunday got off to a quick start, as Ben Rice, in his first full season in MLB, hit his 25th home run of the season over Monument Park at Yankee Stadium to give the home Bronx Bombers a 1-0 lead.

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A season ago, Rice played in just 50 games and ended with 7 home runs in 178 at-bats. While he is not in consideration for Rookie of the Year in the American League, the 26-year-old certainly has burst onto the scene.

Rice will be a big bat to have in the postseason, along with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and others in Aaron Boone's lineup.

As the Yankees took a 1-0 lead, the Toronto Blue Jays tied things up at home early. It was 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning.

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Rodney Knuppel

Rodney Knuppel is a freelance writer for The Sporting News. When not watching, listening or writing about sports, Rodney enjoys following the travels of his three kids, who are all active in their own sports and activities. A huge St. Louis Cardinals fan, Rodney also enjoys St. Louis Blues hockey and is a big Kansas Jayhawks basketball fan.