"It’s a magical day" - Gerrit Cole 'thankful' to be part of Yankees rookie Ben Rice's historic offensive thrust in blowout win against Red Sox

The New York Yankees snapped their four-game losing streak after routing arch-rivals the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. The Yankees offense found an unlikely hero in a 14-run rout of the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, rookie Ben Rice.

Two and a half weeks into his debut season, the Yankees rookie is making history for the Bronx Bombers. The 25-year-old, starting in the leadoff spot, went deep against Josh Winckowski in the first inning.

He smoked a three-run homer off Chase Anderson in the fifth, contributing to a seven-run inning for the Yankees. But the rookie wasn't done, as he got hold of Anderson again in the seventh for a three-run shot.

Rice is the first rookie in Yankees history to register three home runs in a game. He's only the second Yankees rookie to register seven RBIs in a game, matching the iconic Lou Gehrig's tally.

Rice's senior teammate and reigning Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole was impressed by the rookie's remarkable outing:

“Really, I think it’s a little bit greater than that. It’s a historical day, a magical day. And to be honest, I’m pretty thankful that I get to be on the lineup card because I know he’ll remember it forever.”

Gerrit Cole had a strong outing from the mound on Saturday, with his only blemish coming against a familiar foe, Rafael Devers.

The All-Star third baseman struck a homer against Cole, his eighth against the Yankees ace, which is the most by any player against the reigning Cy Young winner.

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Yankees rookie Ben Rice taken aback by curtain call after Red Sox rout

Ben Rice's multi-home run game saw his teammates thrust him out of the dugout for a deserved curtain call. His record-breaking night helped the Yankees break their slump with hope for the future.

“Honestly, it was all happening so fast,” Rice said. “I think I was still just coming off the high of hitting the home run. I was just walking through the dugout and then I heard everyone yelling at me to do something.

I didn’t even know what they were talking about, but as they slowly guided me toward the steps, I was like, ‘Oh, dude. A curtain call. That’s pretty cool.’”

The Yankees needed inspiration from somewhere, as a woeful end to June and a similar start to July saw the Baltimore Orioles ascend to the summit of AL East. Rice's display helped the Yankees to just their fifth win in 19 games, a tally nowhere good enough for a team aspiring for a World Series run.