Ben Rice, a guy who hadn’t played in three weeks, somehow finished as the entire postseason’s home run leader. Yep, you read that right. The New York Yankees got bounced early, but their slugger still stood alone at the top of the long ball leaderboard, making history in the process.
Four Homers in Five Games: The Shortest Reign at the Top
Talk about making an impact in a flash! Ben Rice blasted four home runs in just five postseason games for the Yankees. He didn’t waste any time either, smashing two homers in Game 1 of their Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox, then dropping another two in Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays unfortunately swept the Yankees in three games, ending their season way too soon. But even with his team out, Rice’s four dingers held strong. No other player in the entire postseason managed to hit more than three. It’s wild to think he tied for the postseason RBI lead too, with nine, right alongside the World Series MVP William Contreras and Jackson Chourio of the Brewers. Rice was an absolute one-man wrecking crew, proving you need more than one guy bringing the heat to advance.
A Record That Will Make You Double-Take
This isn’t just a cool stat, it’s straight-up history. According to Jeremy Frank on Twitter/X, Rice’s accomplishment marks the fewest games played by the outright postseason home runs leader since the best-of-five League Championship Series format began way back in 1969. That’s a record that’s been standing for decades! It’s even more impressive when you consider the Milwaukee Brewers, who ultimately won the World Series against the Rays, only hit the second-fewest home runs in the regular season themselves. Pitching dominated the postseason, with the Brewers allowing just two homers in all of October and hitting a total of 13. The World Series itself only saw a combined five home runs in the entire five-game series. In a postseason where offense was tight, Ben Rice’s power surge, despite his limited playing time, is simply unbelievable.
What an insane run from a guy who barely got to play. Ben Rice might have been knocked out early, but his name is stamped in the history books for a long, long time. We’ll be talking about this one for ages.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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