Ben Rice homers and ties career high with 7 RBIs as Yankees beat Cardinals 12-8

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Ben Rice homered and tied a career high with seven RBIs, Aaron Judge also went deep in his first multi-hit game since the All-Star break and the New York Yankees beat the St. Louis Cardinals 12-8 on Saturday night.

Trent Grisham singled four times and scored four runs, and Ryan McMahon hit his first homer since being acquired by the Yankees to overcome a shaky start by Max Fried (13-5).

Masyn Winn hit a three-run homer and Nolan Gorman had a two-run shot for St. Louis as Fried yielded multiple homers for the third time this season.

Fried notched his 1,000th career strikeout when he fanned Alec Burleson immediately after Winn’s second-inning homer, but he exited after yielding seven runs on eight hits in five-plus innings. Gorman’s 389-foot blast ended his outing with no outs in the sixth.

After two-out infield singles by Winn and Burleson in the ninth, David Bednar entered and induced Iván Herrera to foul out for his 20th save.

Sonny Gray (11-6) allowed six runs on nine hits in five innings as St. Louis lost its fourth in a row.

Rice had three of New York’s 15 hits and finished a triple short of the cycle.

In a matchup of aces, there was plenty of offense despite the Yankees playing without Giancarlo Stanton (lower body soreness) and Cody Bellinger (illness), while the Cardinals rested Brendan Donovan (left foot) and Willson Contreras (right foot) for a second straight game.

Judge led off the third with his 39th home run, which bounced off the top of the wall and into the front row of the right-field bleachers. Judge, who has played his entire career with the Yankees, has now homered against every other major league team.

He also had an RBI double in the first and drew two walks. Judge hadn’t delivered multiple hits in a game since July 13 against the Cubs.

After putting New York ahead with a three-run homer off Gray in the fourth, Rice added a three-run double off reliever Kyle Leahy in the sixth to extend the lead to 9-5.

With a run-scoring single in the seventh, Rice matched his RBI total from July 6, 2024, when he homered three times in a 14-4 win over Boston.

The Yankees go for the sweep Sunday, when they send RHP Will Warren (7-5, 4.34 ERA) up against St. Louis RHP Miles Mikolas (6-9, 4.97).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

New York Yankees' Ryan McMahon rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

New York Yankees' Ben Rice celebrates a victory over the St. Louis Cardinals following a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

New York Yankees' Ben Rice, right, is congratulated by teammate Jose Caballero (72) after hitting a three-run home run as St. Louis Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages, center, watches during the fourth inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

CARY, N.C. (AP) — Clayton Kershaw isn't done pitching just yet, agreeing Thursday to join the U.S. team for this year's World Baseball Classic.

The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner wanted to pitch for the Americans in the 2023 tournament but was prevented because of insurance issues. He had a $20 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers at the time.

“I was too broken for the insurance to cover my arm and everything,” Kershaw said on MLB Network, “so now that it doesn't matter I get to go and be a part of this group.”

A left-hander who turns 38 two days after the March 17 championship game, Kershaw announced last September that he was retiring at the end of the season, his 18th in a stellar career for the Dodgers. He won his third World Series title and finished 223-96 with a 2.53 ERA and 3,052 strikeouts.

“I just want to be the insurance policy,” Kershaw said. “If anybody needs a breather or if they need me to pitch back-to-back-to-back or if they don’t need me to pitch at all, I’m just there to be there. I just want to be a part of this group.”

Later Thursday, new Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman announced he will join the U.S. team.

When Kershaw received a call from U.S. manager Mark DeRosa, he thought he was being invited as a coach.

“I didn't have a whole lot of interest in picking up a baseball again," Kershaw said. “I started throwing 10, 12 days ago and it doesn’t feel terrible, so I think I’ll be OK.”

Kershaw joins a U.S. pitching staff that includes right-handers David Bednar, Clay Holmes, Griffin Jax, Nolan McLean, Mason Miller, Joe Ryan, Paul Skenes and Logan Webb along with left-handers Tarik Skubal and Gabe Speier.

The American roster also includes catchers Cal Raleigh and Will Smith; infielders Ernie Clement, Gunnar Henderson, Brice Turang and Bobby Witt Jr.; outfielders Byron Buxton, Corbin Carroll, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Aaron Judge; and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.

The U.S., which lost the 2023 championship game to Japan, opens March 6 against Brazil at Houston, part of a group that also includes Britain, Italy and Mexico.

Shohei Ohtani struck out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to end Japan's 3-2 win in the 2023 championship. Kershaw doesn't anticipate facing Ohtani, his teammate for the Dodgers' World Series titles in 2024 and 2025.

“I think something will have gone terribly wrong if I have to pitch against team Japan in the finals or something. I think we got plenty of guys to get that guy out and not me,” Kershaw said. “But if that happens, I'll be nervous. I'll be nervous at this point.”

AP baseball: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw celebrates the end of the top of the 12th inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of baseball's World Series, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)