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How Yankees' best hitter matches up with AL's best team

Ben Rice has emerged as a crucial offensive weapon for New York in the absence of Aaron Judge, carrying strong momentum into the postseason following a dominant Wild Car series performance against Boston. As the Bronx club prepares to clash with Tampa Bay, attention turns to how Rice matches up against the top-ranked American League opponent, especially given his stellar regular-season numbers against them including a high on-base percentage and seven home runs across thirteen games.

However, a major hurdle awaits the slugger in the form of starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen, who limited the batter efficiently during the regular season by heavily relying on cutters and changeups while largely avoiding fastballs. The entire Tampa Bay pitching staff mirrored this strategy against Rice, heavily utilizing off-speed deliveries and cutters while minimizing standard fastballs.

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