In a lineup that includes Juan Soto and Aaron Judge and on an afternoon that Gerrit Cole was on the mound, it was new leadoff hitter Ben Rice who would not let his team lose a fifth straight game. 

It was Rice — who debuted just two and a half weeks ago — who opened the scoring with a homer, all but ended the game with another and launched himself into Yankees history with a third. 

It was Rice, a 25-year-old who came up through the system without much pedigree as a 12th-rounder from Dartmouth and really without a position, who became the first Yankees rookie ever to blast three home runs in one game. 

Proof of his rawness could be found in his circuitous trip through the dugout after his final shot of the afternoon, trying to find the right spot for his first curtain call as teammates jostled him. 

By the time Rice’s work was done, the Yankees had pounded the Red Sox, 14-4, in front of 45,504 fans in The Bronx.

The starters for the 2024 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard have been unveiled. The Midsummer Classic on July 16 (8 p.m. ET on FOX) is in Arlington, Texas at Globe Life Field.

The results of the fan vote to determine this year’s All-Star starters were announced on ESPN. The players elected alongside Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and Phillies star Bryce Harper — who had already earned automatic bids as each league’s leading vote-getter in Phase 1 of voting — include both the game’s biggest superstars, like Shohei Ohtani, and electric first-time All-Stars like Gunnar Henderson.

Ten different teams are represented in this year’s All-Star starting lineups, with the Phillies leading the way with three representatives, the Yankees, Orioles, Astros, Guardians, Brewers and Padres sending two each, and the Blue Jays, Dodgers and D-backs sending one. There are eight players who were elected starters by the fans for the first time.

OG Anunoby is coming back to the Knicks on a megadeal. The forward agreed to a five-year contract worth $212.5 million that includes a player option for the final season.

Anunoby, 26, carried heavy leverage into the negotiations and clearly flexed it before agreeing to the biggest contract in franchise history. 

The total sum and average salaries destroyed the previous Knicks record, set by Carmelo Anthony and Julius Randle. 

Concern about Anunoby’s extensive injury history are real. He hasn’t reached 70 games since his rookie campaign in 2017-18.

He didn’t exceed 50 games in three of the last four seasons, missing 27 with the Knicks last season because of an elbow injury that required surgery. 

Anunoby then strained his hamstring in the playoffs and sat most of the second round, which ended with the Knicks falling in seven games to the Pacers.