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Ben Rice homered twice — and the Yankees still lost the postseason opener

Tampa Bay punished a sloppy New York night with a four-run fifth to win 5-2 at Tropicana Field.

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01Oct 6, 2026Rays capitalize on Yankees errors in 5-2 Postseason winTampa Bay beat New York 5-2 at Tropicana Field, powered by a four-run fifth, clean defense and steady relief. Ben Rice’s two homers were not enough.02Oct 5, 2026Braves 3-2 Dodgers: Walks and bullpen win the day in LAAtlanta beat the Dodgers 3-2 at Dodger Stadium, turning seven walks and a steady bullpen into a road postseason win despite two LA home runs.03Sep 24, 2026Brewers power past Phillies 4-1 after a fast startMilwaukee beat Philadelphia 4-1 behind homers from Yelich and Turang and a spotless bullpen. The Phillies stranded 22, wasting extra traffic despite six hits and four walks.04Sep 24, 2026Yankees mash four homers to beat Rays 9-2 at Yankee StadiumNew York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 9-2 at Yankee Stadium, powered by four home runs and strong pitching from Gerrit Cole and a scoreless bullpen.05Sep 24, 2026Braves beat Reds 3-2 in 10: homers, Sale’s 10 K and an unearned walk-off runAtlanta beat Cincinnati 3-2 in 10 innings at Truist Park. Homers by Olson and Riley, Sale’s 10 strikeouts, and a late unearned run sealed it.06Sep 13, 2026Reds rally past Brewers 4-3 in Milwaukee as Suárez deliversCincinnati beat Milwaukee 4-3 at American Family Field. Eugenio Suárez’s three-run homer and a late sac fly backed a steady Reds bullpen in MLB action.07Sep 13, 2026Blue Jays power past Orioles 8-1 at Rogers CentreToronto beat Baltimore 8-1 behind three home runs, 15 strikeouts, and a four-run 8th inning. See the key MLB box score notes and pitching lines.08Aug 27, 2026Braves outlast Dodgers 6-5 with a ninth-inning winnerAtlanta beat the Dodgers 6-5 at Truist Park with a run in the ninth. Extra-base hits and a steadier bullpen made the difference in a tight MLB game.09Aug 27, 2026Yankees beat Astros 9-3 as seventh-inning surge flips gameNew York beat Houston 9-3 at Yankee Stadium behind a four-run seventh and 13 hits. A steady start and a sharp bullpen closed the door.10Aug 19, 2026Pirates 4-3 Tigers: Ninth-inning homers win it at PNC ParkPittsburgh beat Detroit 4-3 at PNC Park, riding three homers and a sharp bullpen. Key OPS, strand rate and pitching lines, with links.11Aug 14, 2026Brewers stun Dodgers with ninth-inning rally, 5-4Milwaukee rallied with three in the ninth to beat Los Angeles 5-4 at Dodger Stadium. Muncy’s three-run shot stood out, but the Brewers owned the traffic.12Aug 14, 2026Phillies power past Twins 7-1 at Field of DreamsKyle Schwarber’s two homers and Aaron Nola’s nine strikeouts powered the Phillies to a 7-1 win over the Twins at the Field of Dreams in Dubuque.

Ben Rice hit two home runs and New York still walked away beaten. Tampa Bay turned a sloppy Yankees night into a 5-2 postseason win at Tropicana Field, and the damage came in one brutal stretch.

The Rays struck for four runs in the fifth, cashing in on New York's mistakes while playing error-free ball themselves. Steady relief work closed the door after that, and Rice's pair of solo shots never got company — nobody else drove him in.

For a Yankees side that had thumped Tampa Bay 9-2 earlier this season behind four homers, the reversal stings. Clean fielding and a settled bullpen won the night, and October baseball rarely forgives gifts.

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