Rice's Two-Run Blast Breaks It Open as Yankees Top Twins 5-2
Ben Rice's third-inning home run to right — 357 feet, two runs — swung New York's win probability from 63% to 81% and effectively decided this game. Trent Grisham did the rest, going 2-for-3 with a homer, a sacrifice fly, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored in a 5-2 Yankees win over Minnesota.
The first inning set the tone for a game that refused to stay quiet. Kody Clemens led off with a 403-foot shot to left center, giving Minnesota an early 1-0 lead. The Yankees answered immediately — Grisham went the other way to right, 370 feet, and just like that it was tied at one. Two home runs in the first inning, zero margin for error the rest of the way.
New York grabbed control in the third. Rice connected to right for 357 feet with Grisham on base, and the two-run shot pushed the Yankees to 3-1. That's the play that cracked this game open — win probability jumped from 63% to 81% in a single swing. Minnesota clawed one back in the fourth when Victor Caratini singled to left and Clemens scored, trimming the deficit to 3-2, but that's as close as the Twins would get. The story of the night was New York's ability to answer every Minnesota punch before Minnesota could land a second one.
The Yankees put it away in the seventh. Jose Caballero singled to center to score McMahon, then Grisham added a sacrifice fly to right to plate Caballero — a two-run frame that pushed the final to 5-2 and removed any remaining drama. On the mound, Gerrit Cole went 5.0 innings, allowing 2 earned runs on 5 hits with 7 strikeouts and zero walks — a workmanlike line that looks, on the surface, like exactly what a rotation anchor is supposed to deliver. Minnesota's Mike Paredes lasted just 4.0 innings, giving up 3 earned runs on 4 hits with 2 walks and only 2 strikeouts — the kind of start that puts a bullpen in a tough spot early. Kody Funderburk provided genuine relief for Minnesota, throwing 2.0 scoreless innings with 0 hits and 2 strikeouts, but the damage was already done. David Bednar closed it for New York with a perfect inning and 3 strikeouts. Clemens finished 2-for-4 with a homer and 2 runs for the Twins, and Luke Keaschall went 2-for-3, but Minnesota's offense appears to have run out of answers once Paredes exited.