NEW YORK – During the Yankees’ recent trip to Phoenix, Aaron Boone leaned back behind an office desk, clearly pleased by his prognostication ability. Months ago, he’d forecast that Ben Rice would finish with 39 home runs, a tally that seemed light to one interested party. “You know what he’s trying to do,” Rice said then. “He was trying to get under my skin a little bit there. He likes to just short you one or two of maybe what your goal would be.” Rice should appreciate this number more: His two-homer performance on Wednesday evening earned a share of the American League home run lead. Ryan McMahon hit a grand slam and George Lombard Jr. also went deep, powering a 9-2 victory over the Rays at Yankee Stadium. With a team-leading 41 home runs, Rice tied the Orioles' Pete Alonso, Yordan Alvarez of the Astros and Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero for the most in the AL. The mark is a career high for Rice, who earned his first All-Star selection this past summer and projects to be an integral part of the Yanks’ playoff production.
