Ben Rice remains the talk of the town after his heroic performance on June 6th. While fans had been clamoring for him to become the New York Yankees’ leadoff, even they hadn’t imagined that they’d get to see history with their own eyes. But then that’s what the 25-year-old rookie did with his three home runs—the first time a Yankees rookie has done it in history. However, if that wasn’t enough, he even matched legendary Lou Gehrig’s record with this game.

There were so many questions being raised about the state of the Bronx Bombers. From their hitting to their pitching, the entire lineup had seen a complete collapse. But then came Rice, like a ray of light. From his very first at-bat on June 6th against the Boston Red Sox, there was an indication that there was something different in his swing. That indication became a reality when he struck out the first home run over the right field. 

Aaron Boone noted how Rice “set the tone right away in the first inning and then put together a legendary day.” The excitement was palpable all across the Yankee dugout. With each homer, players became more celebratory. After all, they were witnessing history with a player who wasn’t expected to be there. And because of those three hits, Ben Rice became the 4th Yankee ever to hit 3-home runs against the Red Sox.

The 25-year-old joined the legendary Lou Gehrig (1927), Mark Teixeira (2010), and Aaron Hicks on this elusive list. The fact that in his very first season, Rice is being named alongside Lou Gehrig explains just how ridiculous his record is. But while that is a huge achievement, it has also been a huge relief to the New York Yankees.

While the trade deadline was nearing, the Yankees had too many big holes to fill. Now with Ben Rice, suddenly one of the biggest ones seems to have filled itself quite easily.

Could Ben Rice take advantage of Anthony Rizzo’s absence?

Anthony Rizzo is set to miss at least one more month of action. Before the rise of Rice, there was genuine worry regarding the degrading quality of the Yankees’ infield. On top of that, their leadoff hitter, Anthony Volpe, too, went completely silent. Brian Cashman clearly had too much on his plate, with the pitching staff already depleted. But then, as it stands, Rice may have solved the infield issue.

The first base looks like Rice’s to lose. However, more than that, the star’s offensive output has been scary good. The star is slashing. 294/.383/.588/.972 with 4 home runs and 8 walks. And with an OPS+ of 168, Rice’s stats are just improving. However, the data is still small, and that makes a long-term prediction difficult. But with the form that Rice is in currently, one can imagine how high his ceiling is.

So Brian Cashman can finally focus on other things because the New York Yankees have their leadoff and first baseman. And that is a huge relief for the team, which has suddenly lost a lot of its trademark vigor. Can Rice continue this form?