This was supposed to be a get-right series against a rebuilding Nationals club. Instead it turned into a three-day heart attack. Every single win in the sweep came from behind, and every night it was somebody different pulling the Yankees out of it late.
My god did this team and Jazz need that swing. FINALLY
That Friday night game had Barstool's Eric Hubbs going through the full range of emotions in real time, from dread over Tim Hill giving up back-to-back homers to disbelief when Jazz Chisholm Jr. delivered the game-tying, eventually game-winning shot in the 9th (post-94f00ad5-0aa1-47da-bb2d-80da8ea6db31, post-7ca6e854-405d-498d-a7d7-89abbe22c5b9). Austin Wells piled on right behind him off a Nationals bullpen that was completely unraveling (post-531ad5da-dcf0-41e0-b757-0170c2ba375a, post-653c04f0-2dcc-406a-825c-417fb58eb599).
Saturday belonged to the other side for a stretch. James Wood, the 22-year-old outfielder having a monster breakout year, has made a habit of setting the tone from the leadoff spot, and he got the Nationals on the board first with a solo shot before the Yankees clawed back late off a Trent Grisham homer (post-c17cdcd0-6656-49de-b60f-9fe225b2ead6, post-eefb53c1-39cb-4c0a-8447-884351209cd2). Wood entered the break among the National League's home run leaders and has been legitimately terrifying all summer, which is exactly why Hubbs joked he'd had enough of seeing him by the time the series wrapped.
Then came Sunday, and Ben Rice. The 27-year-old first baseman has quietly turned into the best hitter on a Yankees roster that includes actual MVP candidates, and he delivered again with a deep, well-struck hit that put New York back in front for good. According to research, Rice has led the Yankees in nearly every meaningful offensive category this season, including batting average, on-base percentage, slugging and RBI, and he's been on an absolute tear in July after a rough June.
Ben Rice is our lord and savior. Ball just kept carrying and carrying.
Marty Mush and DoubleVodkaDon both jumped in to say the quiet part loud: Rice isn't just a nice story anymore, he's a legitimate difference-maker (post-ef2ae0fe-853e-4b6b-8761-be9ef7d93cf1, post-ff013318-e4ef-4fda-8480-09a9535f6988). Cody Bellinger chipped in defensively with a heads-up slide to manufacture a run, and Paul Blackburn locked down a two-inning save to seal the sweep and send the Yankees into the break at 54-42 (post-43872a3a-d37c-498b-99e6-5632c93cbf67, post-ae795768-abe9-493c-b4f4-767d44356ff2).
Hubbs summed up the whole weekend with a McGwire-Sosa reference, framing Rice and Wood as two sluggers running neck-and-neck at the break. It's a fun bit, and it's not far off, both players have been among the most productive home run hitters in the sport this season, even if the two aren't on the same team chasing the same record the way McGwire and Sosa were in 1998. What matters more for New York is that Rice has emerged as a genuine building block just as Hubbs had been begging for reinforcements beyond the top of the lineup, noting Jasson Dominguez's own hot stretch as evidence the depth is finally showing up.
The Yankees head into the All-Star break with real momentum and a bullpen question mark still hovering over Tim Hill, who Hubbs has now openly demoted in his personal trust rankings. The Nationals, meanwhile, keep proving Wood is going to be a problem for opposing pitching staffs for years. Whether Rice's second half can keep pace with the hype he's building is the thing to watch when the season resumes.