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Will Ben Rice start Game 1 for the Yankees vs Garrett Crochet, Red Sox?
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- Will Ben Rice start Game 1 for the Yankees vs Garrett Crochet, Red Sox?
The post Will Ben Rice start Game 1 for the Yankees vs Garrett Crochet, Red Sox? appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The New York Yankees are back in the MLB postseason as they look to return to the World Series for a second straight year. But to do so, they will need to get past the Boston Red Sox in a best-of-three Wild Card series at Yankee Stadium.
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In Game 1 on Tuesday, the Sox will give the ball to their ace, Garrett Crochet . The Cy Young candidate will have to face a deep Yankees lineup, filled with home run threats. One of those threats is Ben Rice , who hit 26 long balls in the regular season and went on an absolute tear in September , hitting for a .932 OPS.
That doesn't, however, make the lefty hitter a shoe-in to start in Game 1. Crochet is a lefty himself, who has picked apart left-handed batters all season, holding them to a .166 batting average and three home runs in 145 at bats. Rice himself hasn't hit lefties well all season, batting .208 against them (albeit with a still respectable .752 OPS).
There's not much of a sample size for Rice against Crochet, but he is only 1-8 against the Boston ace with a double in nine plate appearances.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone will be going with the splits as he makes out his Game 1 lineup, with Austin Wells starting at catcher and Paul Goldschmidt at first base. With Giancarlo Stanton the designated hitter, that means Rice will be on the bench to start the series.
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Of course it's doubtful he stays there. Rice will likely be the first pinch hitting option off the bench once Crochet leaves the game.
The Red Sox haven't announced a starter beyond Tuesday, but it appears to be between Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello , both righties, so expect Rice to start Game 2 and 3, if necessary.
Game 1 between the Yankees and Red Sox will get going at 6 p.m. on Tuesday night in the Bronx. The game will air on ESPN.
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