{"id":2658,"date":"2026-07-09T23:35:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T18:35:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=2658"},"modified":"2026-07-09T23:35:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T18:35:46","slug":"ben-rice-to-participate-in-2026-home-run-derby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=2658","title":{"rendered":"Ben Rice to participate in 2026 Home Run Derby"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>ST. PETERSBURG \u2013 For years, whenever <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/player\/700250\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"tag\">Ben Rice<\/a> needed batting practice, he knew exactly whom to call.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>On chain-link fields across Massachusetts, Dan Rice would pile out of his car carrying a bucket of baseballs, meeting his son at a distance of 60 feet and 6 inches. It was a familiar routine that worked, allowing them to spend time together while fine-tuning swings for game action.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>So when Rice accepted an invitation this week to represent the Yankees in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/all-star\/home-run-derby\" target=\"_blank\">T-Mobile Home Run Derby<\/a>, his father excitedly began his usual stretching exercises at home. This will be unlike any of the previous sessions that preceded summer league games and Cape Cod League contests.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>\u201cMy dad has always been there for me,\u201d Rice told MLB.com on Tuesday. \u201cEvery offseason, I\u2019m going back and making sure I get my BP in with my dad. He always went the extra mile; he\u2019d drive an hour-plus or two hours from Cohasset, and we\u2019d go hit at a local field to get our swings in for the day.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>So Rice believes he has a good idea of what to expect when he steps into the batter\u2019s box for the Derby, to be held Monday at Philadelphia\u2019s Citizens Bank Park at 8 p.m. ET live on Netflix.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>Dan Rice was a pitcher on Brown University\u2019s baseball team in the 1980s, returning to the mound decades later to groove fastballs and curves to his son. As Ben Rice said, \u201cHis lifetime pitch count is through the roof at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>\u201cOur BP was never about nitpicking my swing or a lot of instruction, to be honest,\u201d Rice said. \u201cHe would try to throw me off-balance with different pitches and have me work through situations. He wanted me to become a good hitter, not necessarily to have a great swing. That was huge in my development.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>The Yankees\u2019 team leader with 25 home runs entering Tuesday night\u2019s game against the Rays, the 27-year-old Rice has become a staple in the Bombers\u2019 lineup, belting 58 homers over his first three seasons in the Majors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>He also has a little experience with home run-hitting competitions. Rice said that in his 2020 summer league, games switched to a Derby competition if tied after 10 innings. He did it three times then, and now Rice will test that stroke in the Derby.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>\u201cI just want to enjoy it, having fun taking BP with my dad at a big league field in front of a bunch of people,\u201d Rice said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>The Yankees have experienced mixed results in the Derby over the years. Jazz Chisholm Jr. entered last season but was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/yankees\/news\/jazz-chisholm-jr-out-after-first-round-of-2025-home-run-derby\" target=\"_blank\">eliminated in the first round<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>Chisholm was the Yanks\u2019 first entry since 2017, when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/yankees\/news\/aaron-judge-wins-2017-home-run-derby-c241596010\" target=\"_blank\">Aaron Judge won the competition<\/a> in Miami. Gary S\u00e1nchez also participated in \u201817. Four Yankees have won the Home Run Derby: Tino Martinez (1997), Jason Giambi (2002), Robinson Can\u00f3 (\u201811) and Judge (2017).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m super excited for him,\u201d manager Aaron Boone said. \u201cThere\u2019s that father-son baseball component to it that hopefully is a lot of fun and meaningful to the entire Rice family. Hopefully he goes there and does well, and it\u2019ll be a springboard for him into the second half.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>Rice said that as the Yankees traveled to Tampa on Sunday, he and Judge reviewed video of the captain\u2019s 2017 triumph.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m just hoping to soak it all in,\u201d Rice said. \u201cThat\u2019s the advice that the guys who have been there have been telling me; just really enjoy it. Try to talk to as many guys as you can, enjoy the whole experience and cherish every moment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ST. PETERSBURG \u2013 For years, whenever Ben Rice needed batting practice, he knew exactly whom to call. On chain-link fields across Massachusetts, Dan Rice would pile out of his car carrying a bucket of baseballs, meeting his son at a distance of 60 feet and 6 inches. It was a familiar routine that worked, allowing&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img.mlbstatic.com\/mlb-images\/image\/upload\/t_2x1\/t_w1536\/mlb\/osdifnhygtokyy0eqshx.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-trending-viral-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2658"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2658\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}