Yankees’ Ben Rice Drops Honest Quote After ALDS Game 2 Loss to Rays

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 29: Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees celebrates as he round the bases after hitting a grand slam home run against the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning in game one of the American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium on September 29, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

The New York Yankees committed four errors and dropped Game 2 of the American League Division Series 5-2 to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night at Tropicana Field.

The defense broke down repeatedly. Cam Schlittler was taken out in the fifth inning. The Rays turned soft contact and aggressive baserunning into a four-run fifth that put the game out of reach.

One player refused to go quietly. Ben Rice hit both of the Yankees’ home runs and accounted for their only runs of the night.

Rice Addresses the 0-2 Deficit

Rice was asked afterward about his confidence level with the Yankees now trailing 2-0 in the best-of-five series. His response left no room for doubt.

“You got to be confident even when you go down to nothing,” Rice said. He emphasized the importance of staying locked in on each individual game and each at-bat rather than looking at the full picture, which he acknowledged could feel overwhelming.

The Only Yankee Who Showed Up at the Plate

Rice’s first home run came in the fourth inning, a solo shot off Freddy Peralta that snapped the Yankees’ run of zeroes dating back to Saturday’s shutout loss. His second came in the eighth off reliever Ian Seymour, cutting the deficit to 5-2 in what amounted to a final push that fell short.

He finished the regular season with 41 home runs. Through two ALDS games, he has been the only consistent source of power for a lineup that has produced just twice across two full games without three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge.

The rest of the lineup went a combined 2-for-25 around Rice on Monday. The Yankees loaded the bases in the fifth and came away empty when Cody Bellinger‘s deep fly to center died just short of the wall.

Final Word for the Yankees

The series shifts to Yankee Stadium for Game 3 on Wednesday with Max Fried on the mound. With a 0-2 deficit, history is not on New York’s side.

Rice is not thinking about the math. He backed up his words with the only swings that mattered Monday night. Whether the rest of the lineup can follow his lead will determine if this series has any life left in it.

Two homers. Two runs. Rice will need to keep going to keep the Yankees alive.