NEW YORK – Ben Rice waited his whole life for this: Yankees-Red Sox on a postseason stage, the youngster in pinstripes facing the team he grew up following from Cohasset, Mass.

Rice made the most of his first playoff moment, launching a Brayan Bello cutter into the right-field seats for a two-run first-inning homer that sparked instant electricity in Wednesday night’s Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series.

It was a full-circle moment for Rice, who once scribbled “Yankees Rule!” on the Pesky Pole at Fenway Park and wore a Derek Jeter replica jersey for his first-grade photo day. Now, instead of a tourist in the stands, he’s the one creating Yankee Stadium memories.

The blast represented a continuation of a late-season surge that included a pair of homers in Sunday’s Game

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