The New York Yankees‘ season ended Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. The Tampa Bay Rays finished what they started at Tropicana Field by winning Game 3 at Yankee Stadium, 4-3, to complete a sweep of the American League Division Series.
Victor Mesa broke a tie with a two-run home run off Max Fried in the sixth inning. Anthony Volpe nearly answered with what appeared to be a game-tying two-run homer, but a fan interference call reduced it to an RBI double. The Yankees never tied the game again.
It was the 17th consecutive season without a World Series championship. One player who carried the offense through the entire postseason did not try to soften the reality of it.
Rice Calls It What It Is
Ben Rice was asked what he took away from the series individually. His answer was direct.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s a failure,” Rice said. “We weren’t able to get the job done.”
When asked what Tampa Bay did better, Rice did not offer any caveats or qualifications.
“They outplayed us, plain and simple,” Rice said. “Outpitched us. Outhit us. It’s really that simple.”
The Yankees star acknowledged the good moments but kept coming back to the same conclusion.
“Of course there are some good things,” Rice said. “But this is a failure. We weren’t able to accomplish our ultimate goal.”
Rice Was the Only Consistent Weapon
The honesty carried weight because of how Rice performed. He finished the ALDS with four home runs and eight RBI across the postseason, far and away the most productive hitter on the Yankees roster. He hit 41 home runs during the regular season and carried that production directly into October.
Final Word for the Yankees
The Rays celebrated on the Yankee Stadium field for the second time in two weeks. Rice will carry that image into the offseason along with every other player who suited up this October.
There were no excuses. No spin. Just the star slugger saying exactly what everyone in the building already knew.
Yankees’ Ben Rice Makes Blunt Statement After ALDS Sweep by Rays