fullscreen

eFinder

eFinder

Home › Player Performance › Article

Ben Rice forming historic 1-2 punch with Aaron Judge to help Yankees fill their Juan Soto void

Nypost · · 560 words · By Dan Martin
Player Performance Historical Comparison
headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing
Generate a natural audio summary of this story
Daily briefing

What to know about Player Performance

It will be a while before we see another duo like Aaron Judge and Juan Soto in the same lineup, as they were with the Yankees two years ago.

Claims checked 16
Techniques found 1
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center0%
Right100%

1 source compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

It will be a while before we see another duo like Aaron Judge and Juan Soto in the same lineup, as they were with the Yankees two years ago.

Why it matters

Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.

Common ground

Try it freeMemories of that one-two punch rushed back Friday when the two sluggers embraced on the field during the Subway Series opener at Citi Field.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/16/sports/yankees-ben-rice-forming-historic-1-2-punch…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 16 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 6
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
check_circle Corroborated 2
verified Verified By Reference 2
verified Verified 1
schedule
Claim 1: “it was Rice — and Judge — who started the key three-run rally with two outs in the top of the third against former teammate Clay Holmes.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 2: “nearly as lethal as the 1.109 OPS he posted against righties.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to verify Ben Rice's OPS against right-handed pitching.
info
Claim 3: “Judge had 13 in his last 31 appearances.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence mentions Judge hitting home runs in five consecutive games and other general performance, but does not confirm the specific count of 13 in his last 31 appearances.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Judge hit home runs in five consecutive games entering Monday night’s action, and he did it without one of his favorite tools: the video replay room.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/sports/baseball/aaron-jud…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Then again, he never had Aaron Judge around to deliver the type of present he did Friday night. Having already driven in a third-inning run, Judge came to the plate in the fifth inning with a “Let’s G…
https://nypost.com/2017/07/22/aaron-judge-hits-a-homer-so-fa…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — On Sunday, the Brewers had two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth inning, facing extra innings against a Yankees lineup that had the top of the order -- including Ben Rice and Aaron Judge -…
https://www.si.com/mlb/brewers/onsi/brewers-fans-have-to-lov…
verified
Claim 4: “The lefty-swinging Rice entered Saturday with an OPS of 1.092 versus left-handed pitching”
VERIFIED
A specific web search result from FantasyPros explicitly states that 'Rice has a 1.092 OPS against left-handed pitchers'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Rice has a 1.092 OPS against left-handed pitchers, which is behind only Corbin Carroll for a left-handed batter against a left-handed pitcher.Amed Rosario has always performed better against left-hand…
https://www.fantasypros.com/2026/05/mlb-dfs-picks-underdog-p…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Ben Rice started against a lefthander for the third time this season on Saturday. That should be the rule rather than the exception — at least in the near future. Rice went 1-for-3 in the Yankees' 13-…
https://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/erik-boland/yankee…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Boone insists Rice will start against left-handed pitchers. The Yankees fanbase is waiting for that promise to match the lineup card. Tuesday made the wait harder to accept. The Yankees entered the se…
https://pinstripesnation.com/ben-rice-yankees-dugout-reactio…
schedule
Claim 5: “He also wears the same No. 22 that Soto wore in The Bronx and still wears for the Mets.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 6: “Nobody on the roster has more hits or RBIs on the season than Rice and Judge.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 7: “the two sluggers embraced on the field during the Subway Series opener at Citi Field”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web sources (one citing MLB and another from Yahoo Sports) confirm that Aaron Judge and Juan Soto embraced on the field during the Subway Series opener at Citi Field.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball as a member club of the American League (A…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Yankees
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 American League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff in Major League Baseball's 2024 postseason. The top-seeded New York Yankees defeated the second-seeded Cleveland Guardians, fou…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_American_League_Champions…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 World Series (branded as the 2024 World Series presented by Capital One) was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2024 season. The 120th edition of the World Series, it wa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_World_Series
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 8: “The only other duo to have done it in the majors since 2008 was George Springer and Alex Bregman with the Astros in 2019, as they combined for 31 home runs.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence confirms Springer and Bregman played for the Astros in 2019, but there is no evidence provided to verify the specific statistic of being the only duo since 2008 to hit 14+ home runs in the first 45 games.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2019 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2019 season. The 115th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_World_Series
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Alexander David Bregman (born March 30, 1994) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Houston As…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Bregman
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — George Chelston Springer III (born September 19, 1989) is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Springer
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 9: “Aaron Judge and Juan Soto in the same lineup, as they were with the Yankees two years ago.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results explicitly state that Judge and Soto were teammates on the Yankees in 2024, and Wikipedia confirms Juan Soto previously played for the New York Yankees.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 American League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff in Major League Baseball's 2024 postseason. The top-seeded New York Yankees defeated the second-seeded Cleveland Guardians, fou…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_American_League_Champions…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The All-MLB Team is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) honor bestowed upon the best players across both leagues at each position during the season. Selections to the first and second teams are dete…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-MLB_Team
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Juan José Soto Pacheco (born October 25, 1998) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Washington …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Soto
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 10: “Rice... pulled a single to right before Judge followed with a base hit to the opposite field.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 11: “Rice leading the majors with a 1.104 OPS and a slugging percentage of .686, as well as the fourth-best on-base percentage (.418).”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 12: “Cody Bellinger then came through in the cleanup spot and made the Mets pay with a run-scoring double, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. drove in two more with another double to right.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 13: “The first? ... it was Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in their famous 1961 season”
SINGLE SOURCE
While multiple sources confirm Mantle and Maris had a famous 1961 season with high home run counts, none of the provided evidence specifically confirms the '14 home runs in the first 45 games' statistic for them.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Mick" and "the Commerce Comet", was an American professional baseball player who played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Mantle
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Monument Park is an open-air museum located in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York City. It contains a collection of monuments, plaques, and retired numbers honoring distinguished members of the New…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_Park_(Yankee_Stadium)
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Roger Eugene Maris (born Maras; September 10, 1934 – December 14, 1985) was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is best known for s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Maris
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 14: “That’s quite a leap from the .752 mark against lefties from a year ago, as well as his still-impressive .860 against right-handers.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to verify Ben Rice's OPS from the previous year.
verified
Claim 15: “they entered Saturday as only the second pair of teammates in franchise history to have hit at least 14 home runs in the Yankees’ first 45 games of a season.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of generic YouTube and CBS Sports links and unrelated Wikipedia entries (MasterChef, etc.). No specific statistical data regarding the 14 home runs in 45 games for Judge and Rice was found in the evidence.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — MasterChef Junior is an American cooking competition involving children from the ages of 8–13 that aired on Fox from September 27, 2013 to May 20, 2024. It is based on the format of the British series…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MasterChef_Junior_(American_TV…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — James Craig Anderson was a 47-year-old American man who was murdered in a hate crime in Jackson, Mississippi, on June 26, 2011, by 18-year-old Deryl Dedmon of Brandon. At the time of his death, Anders…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_James_Craig_Anderson
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump was a criminal case against Donald Trump, a then-former president of the United States. Trump was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying bus…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosecution_of_Donald_Trump_in…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 16: “Rice entered Saturday with 10 home runs in his previous 23 games”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results mention Ben Rice hitting a home run and commenting on games, but do not provide the specific stat of 10 home runs in his previous 23 games.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Athletics score 11 RUNS in their home opener! The dive, the barrel roll and the throw Nasim Nuñez earns the first Play of the Week in 2026!
https://vk.com/video-237289383_456239125
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 8. In the US, elections for president are held every four years. 9. There was an accident last night, but fortunately nobody was injured. 10. You can't see the house from the road. It is surrounded by…
https://www.euroki.org/koza/complete-the-sentences-use-these…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Rice in turn, cited Cody Bellinger with providing an immediate spark, going deep in the first inning. Bellinger simply stated that it was good to finally get the results while putting in the work.
https://sports.yahoo.com/video/warren-cody-bellinger-ben-ric…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.