Ben Rice’s eighth-inning triple lifts Yankees past Nationals

The New York Yankees escaped Nationals Park with a 5-3 victory on Sunday, July 12, 2026, thanks to a clutch eighth-inning triple from Ben Rice that proved to be the difference in a game that felt far too close for comfort. This wasn’t a vintage Yankees performance. This was a team that scraped and clawed its way to two points in a ballpark where Washington had every reason to leave them empty-handed.

James Wood’s Leadoff Shot Sets the Tone, But Yankees Answer

James Wood announced himself immediately, launching a solo home run to center field in the bottom of the first inning to give the Nationals an early 1-0 advantage. It was a statement blast, the kind that would have looked ominous in a packed stadium. But here’s where the Yankees showed their mettle: they didn’t panic. They didn’t fold. They responded methodically in the top of the fifth when Jazz Chisholm Jr. ripped a line drive single to right field, scoring Cody Bellinger, and Austin Wells followed with his own RBI single to give New York a 2-1 lead.

Curtis Mead answered back in the sixth with a solo home run of his own, knotting the game at 2-2. For two hours, this felt like it could go either way. Both teams were hanging in, neither willing to deliver the knockout punch. It was the kind of Sunday afternoon baseball that makes you simultaneously love and hate this game.

Rice Delivers When It Matters Most

Then came the eighth inning, and Ben Rice, a player who honestly hasn’t done much to move the needle this season with just three career triples, absolutely tattooed a sharp fly ball to left field that bounced off the wall for a two-run triple. That one swing swung momentum completely to New York’s corner. Max Schuemann and Trent Grisham both scored, and suddenly the Yankees had a 4-2 lead that felt substantial.

José Caballero added a sacrifice fly in the ninth to extend the lead to 5-2, which meant that even when Curtis Mead‘s heroics weren’t enough, the Yankees had built enough cushion to survive. Paul Blackburn sealed it with a clean two-inning save, striking out two batters and allowing nothing.

What really happened here is that New York’s bullpen completely shut down Washington after the second inning. Andrew Alvarez lasted just two innings for the Nationals, giving up four hits and three runs. That was malpractice. Ryan Yarbrough, despite posting microscopic numbers on the stat sheet, got credited with the win, and frankly, the Yankees took what they could get. This wasn’t pretty baseball. This was winning baseball.

Aaron Boone’s team, when they absolutely had to have it, found a way. That’s what separates good teams from pretenders. The Nationals fought hard and had their chances, but ultimately they couldn’t string together enough production to put the Yankees away. On a sunny Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park, that proved to be the fatal flaw.