Ben Rice is taking his power swing to one of baseball’s biggest summer showcases, and he already knows who will be on the mound. The Yankees slugger will compete in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on July 13 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, with his father set to pitch to him.
Rice announced the news on Tuesday, adding a personal twist to a night built around big swings. Dan Rice, who pitched for Brown University in the 1980s, will return to the mound to throw fastballs to his son, a role he still fills at times during the offseason.
Why Rice’s Entry Stands Out
The 27-year-old has already made a name for himself as a left-handed power threat in pinstripes. He leads the Yankees with 25 home runs and has 58 homers across his first three Major League seasons.
That production has made him a steady part of the lineup, and now he gets a chance to test that stroke against the league’s best power hitters on a national stage. The event will air live on Netflix at 8 p.m. ET.
| Home Run Derby Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | July 13 |
| Venue | Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia |
| Start Time | 8 p.m. ET |
| Broadcast | Live on Netflix |
The Yankees’ Derby History
Rice joins a franchise that has had mixed results in the competition. Jazz Chisholm Jr. entered last season but was eliminated in the first round, while Aaron Judge won in 2017 after Gary Sánchez also took part that year.
Four Yankees have won the Home Run Derby overall: Tino Martinez in 1997, Jason Giambi in 2002, Robinson Canó in 2011 and Judge in 2017. Rice now has a chance to add another chapter to that list, with a familiar catcher behind him and a familiar power stroke doing the talking.
