Ben Rice Lifts Yankees To Comeback Win

Yankees complete three‑game sweep of Nationals

New York secured its third consecutive comeback victory over Washington, prevailing 5‑3 on Sunday. The win extended the Yankees’ current four‑game streak—their first such run since June 13‑17. With the sweep, the Yankees have taken all three contests despite facing deficits in the seventh inning and later.

Ben Rice’s clutch triple

Ben Rice delivered a two‑run triple in the eighth inning to erase a 3‑3 tie and put the Yankees ahead. He capitalized on a curveball from Andrew Alvarez (2‑3) with runners on first and second, and center fielder Dylan Crews could not haul in the ball. The scoring gave Ryan Yarbrough (2‑0) the win and marked Paul Blackburn’s first save of the season.

James Wood breaks leadoff home‑run record

James Wood opened the scoring with a leadoff home run in the first inning, his 28th of the year. That blast also became his 10th leadoff shot, surpassing the Nationals record previously shared with Alfonso Soriano’s nine in 2006. Curtis Mead answered for Washington with a solo homer in the sixth to tie the game temporarily.

Other standout performances

Cody Bellinger led off the fifth with a double and later scored on Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s single, while Austin Wells drove in another run with a two‑out RBI single. José Caballero’s sacrifice fly in the ninth gave the Yankees a crucial two‑run cushion. Washington’s rookie Abimelec Ortiz made his MLB debut, going 1‑for‑2 with a double before being pinch‑hit for by Mead.

Statistical notes and upcoming schedule

The Yankees now boast the most American League victories when trailing in the eighth inning or later, with eight such wins this season. Their overall record when trailing after seven innings sits at 6‑34, and half of those rare wins came during the recent series against Washington. Next, the Yankees host the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, while the Nationals travel to face the Athletics.