Video: Ben Rice Hits 3 HRs vs. Red Sox as Yankees Fans Hail Rookie as Unsung Hero

New York Yankees rookie first baseman Ben Rice hit three home runs on Saturday against the Boston Red Sox, meriting a well-deserved curtain call from the Yankee Stadium crowd.

“Definitely a day I’ll never forget,” Rice told reporters after the game.

Rice got the Yankees going with a leadoff homer off Red Sox starter Josh Winckowski.

Rice then added a three-run bomb off reliever Chase Anderson the fifth inning for a 10-4 Yankee lead.

Two frames later, Rice smacked another three-run shot off Anderson to put the Yanks up 14-4.

Rice made his MLB debut on June 18 and has been one of the Yankees’ bright spots amid the team’s 4-14 skid, posting a .971 OPS and recently getting the bump up to leadoff.

Rice is the first Yankee rookie to ever hit three home runs in a game. He’s also just the third rookie to hit three homers from the leadoff spot, according to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs:

Rice has understandably been quite popular among Yankee fans.

The Yankees ended up winning 14-4 and moved to 55-36 and two-and-a-half games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first in the American League East.

New York has still endured a brutal month, but the spark Rice has provided could very well lead this team out of the doldrums and back to the winning ways the team experienced earlier this year.