Ben Rice Booed, Embraces Dad After Early Home Run Derby Exit in Philadelphia

Ben Rice walked into Citizens Bank Park on Monday night to a chorus of boos from the Philadelphia crowd — and walked out with one of the more human moments of the entire 2026 T-Mobile Home Run Derby. The Yankees first baseman blasted seven home runs in the opening round with his father, Dan, serving as his personal pitcher, then embraced him at the mound after his final swing landed as a harmless pop-up. Rice was eliminated after Round 1, but the moment made him one of the most talked-about names of All-Star week.

The 27-year-old is in the middle of a breakout campaign that earned him his first career All-Star nod, part of a wave of first-time All-Stars headlining this year’s Midsummer Classic. A 12th-round draft pick out of Dartmouth in 2021, Rice has become one of the Yankees’ most reliable power sources, entering the Derby as the team’s home run leader while Aaron Judge has been sidelined since May with a rib injury — one of several stars missing from Tuesday’s All-Star rosters. Rice hit .255/.337/.499 with 26 homers in 2025 and has already climbed into the top five in the American League in home runs this season, a rapid ascent for a player who spent parts of his first two seasons shuttling between Triple-A and the Bronx. Bettors tracking the Yankees’ playoff push have leaned on a DraftKings promo code to back New York’s lineup depth even with Judge sidelined.

A Father-Son Moment Steals the Show

Rice’s Derby run doubled as a family story from start to finish. His father, Dan, pitched college baseball at Brown University in the 1980s and has been throwing batting practice to his son for decades, including regular offseason sessions that require a drive of an hour or more from the family’s home in Cohasset, Massachusetts. Getting to share the Derby stage with his dad, Rice said, had “always been a dream of ours.” Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler even volunteered to be Rice’s on-field Gatorade assistant for the night, though he was never called into action.

Rice went deep seven times in the first round, not enough to advance past Willson Contreras, Jordan Walker, Junior Caminero and Kyle Schwarber, who all posted higher totals. Sportsbooks had installed Rice among the field’s longer shots to win the event, a range that also drew attention on the sportsbooks hub for derby prop markets. But he embraced the hostile road-arena atmosphere rather than letting it rattle him. “The boos were crazy, especially in the opening ceremony,” Rice said afterward. “I always like to say, ‘They don’t boo nobodies.’ It was just really cool to have them rain down on me, even in the first round, too. That was fun.” He and his father spent the rest of the night watching from seats near the third-base dugout as the event played out.

Walker Wins, But Rice’s Season Keeps Building

The Derby itself ultimately belonged to Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker, who erupted for 31 total homers and outlasted Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber 12-11 in the finals to become the first Cardinal ever to win the event. But Rice’s participation continued a trend for the Yankees, who have now sent a Derby representative in back-to-back years after Jazz Chisholm Jr. competed in 2025. No Yankee has actually won the Home Run Derby since Judge took the title in 2017, and Rice’s early exit means that drought continues for at least another year. Fans weighing a FanDuel promo code for the Yankees’ second-half odds will note the club remains among the American League’s top home run producing lineups even without a Derby title to show for it.

Back in pinstripes, Rice’s regular-season production shows no signs of slowing. He entered the All-Star break riding a hot stretch, having gone deep multiple times in his final week of first-half action, including a two-homer, five-RBI game against the Rays at Tropicana Field. Rice has punished mistakes all year, and his home run-to-fly ball ratio ranks among the best in baseball, trailing only Caminero in the American League. He also holds a piece of Yankees history, having become the first rookie in franchise history to hit three home runs in a single game during a July 2024 matchup with the Red Sox.

For a player who wasn’t a top prospect and needed three seasons to establish himself as an everyday piece of the Yankees’ lineup, Monday’s Derby appearance was validation of just how far Rice has come. The early exit stings competitively, but the viral embrace with his father and the good-natured trash talk with a rival fanbase gave Rice a moment that will outlast the box score. As the Yankees push toward the stretch run without Judge, New York will be counting on Rice to keep launching baseballs at the same pace that got him to Philadelphia in the first place. Anyone tracking the AL East race can find the latest Caesars Sportsbook Promo Code among the offers built around the Yankees’ remaining schedule.