Massachusetts natives on the Yankees have been shining against the Red Sox.
Walpole’s Cam Schlittler, a candidate for the American League Cy Young Award, got the start in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, striking out 10 Red Sox batters in 6.1 innings.
Ben Rice, from Cohasset, hit two home runs in the contest, including a grand slam.
Before reaching the big leagues, Rice attended Noble and Greenough School in Dedham.
“This is just a story of a really high-character kid with an incredible work ethic, turning himself into a superstar professional athlete,” said Alex Gallagher, the school’s athletic director. “When he led off with a double, I giggled, cause it was like, ‘This is unbelievable.’ And then he hit the homer, and then you laugh a little bit harder, cause you can’t believe what you’re seeing — and then he hits the grand slam, and you just sort of laugh, it just brings you such joy and such pride.”
Walker Farrington, a 7-year-old Yankees fan, is rooting for his team in Red Sox nation as he waits for a new heart, and some special visits have helped him pass the time.
Folks around here root for the Sox, but they’re still cheering on Rice.
“It’s always tough to watch your team struggle against a kid from Walpole and a kid from Duxbury like we did last night, but no matter what happens in this playoff series, if the Yankees end up on top, there are a lot of us here who have been lifelong baseball, Red Sox fans, who will be Yankee fans because of how special he is and how much he matters to us,” Gallagher said.
While Rice grew up in the Boston area, he also grew up a Yankees fan. After his performance last night, he said it’s always good to get a win against “them,” referring to the Red Sox.