Ben Rice had those closest to him among the Yankees crowd Tuesday, and one in particular couldn’t hold back in celebrating his big night.
The young Yankees star’s girlfriend, Sara Falkson, gave Rice a shoutout following the whopping 9-0 Game 1 win over the Red Sox in which he tallied two homers and six RBIs, including a grand slam.
“LFGGGG,” Falkson wrote over the video on her Instagram story that featured the lefty first baseman’s show-stopping grand slam in the eighth inning.
She also shared a photo of Rice celebrating while rounding the bases and a snapshot of Yankee Stadium after the last out.
Falkson was in attendence alongside two friends, including Rice’s sister Sarah, to witness the big win.
Prior to the game, Falkson made a souvenir for Rice, 3D-printing an image of the designated hitter and catcher off of a “Let’s Go Ben Arroz!!!!” poster she made.
Falkson, a Harvard graduate known for her craftiness as an entrepreneur and founder of Robyn Athletic, said she wanted to make something “special to celebrate everything that is to come this October” in an Instagram reel.
She surprised Rice with the gift, and he responded in the video, saying “This is special right here.”
Falkson shared she is at work with another creation ahead of Game 2 on Wednesday.
She posted a video of her 3D printer, which seemed to be printing a scene of the New York City skyline and the Statue of Liberty.
“Wake up & 3d print obviiii PART 2 coming,” she wrote on the Instagram Story of her business, which is a sports apparel company that redesigns sports bras.
“I’m so excited for this one…”
It proved to be a good luck charm for Rice, who finished the night with two home runs, four hits and six RBIs.
The latter tied a franchise record for a postseason game.
He laced a first-inning double off Boston starter Payton Tolle, and the first homer later came in the fifth inning, sending a solo shot to center field off of a 96-mph sinker from another lefty, Erik Miller.
It put the Yankees up 2-0.
He later singled off a third left-hander Alec Gamboa, knocking in Spencer Jones and advancing other runners to put the Yankees ahead 4-0 with the bases loaded and no outs.
The grand finale came in the eighth inning when Rice laced a ball to center field off of Brayan Bello that sent Yankees fans into hysterics.
Yankees fans were quick to encourage Falkson to keep the creative juices flowing throughout the postseason.
“@robyn_athletic you were the catalyst for game one. NOW we need you to do this for every postseason game going forward. LoL,” one fan commented on her reel.
“AND BRO JUST HIT A GRAND SLAM, make him do this every game day !” another wrote.
The two are both natives of Massachusetts and attended Dartmouth College, where Falkson played field hockey while Rice was on the diamond.
In his third season in pinstripes, Rice had a .897 OPS with 41 home runs and 97 RBIs during the regular-season. It earned him his first career All-Star nod.
The wild-card series continues Wednesday night with Game 2 in The Bronx at 8 p.m.
