Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger Signed the Declaration of Independence Before the All-Star Game

The 2026 MLB All-Star Game hadn’t even started, and the Yankees already owned it.

Before first pitch, the team put out a video on X that showed Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger sitting at a table with actors playing Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, signing the Declaration of Independence. The bit landed because Rice shares a first name with Franklin, and the exchange between the two was perfect — Franklin calls Rice’s first name ‘wonderful’ and Rice just rolls with it. The caption read: ‘Ben keepin’ it 💯 since 1776.’

And then the game itself happened. Rice and Bellinger drove in three runs in the first inning for the American League, which basically decided things early. The AL won 4-0. That put Rice and Bellinger into a weirdly exclusive group of Yankees duos who got RBIs in an All-Star Game — alongside guys like Roger Maris, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. Not bad company for a guy who was a 12th-round pick four years ago.

Rice is no longer a question mark at first base

Rice came up with people wondering where he’d stick defensively. That conversation is basically over. He’s locked in at first base and hitting like one of the best sluggers in baseball. Through 91 games in 2026, he’s got 29 homers and 68 RBI with a .971 OPS. With Aaron Judge banged up, Rice has been the Yankees’ best hitter and the guy fans actually want to see at the plate in big spots.

He’s 27. He’s homegrown. And he was a 12th-round pick in 2021, which means just making the majors was a long shot. Now he’s an All-Star starter and the kind of player the Yankees can build around for years. The video was funny and the game was a blowout, but the real story might be that Rice looks like he belongs in that company with the legends, even if the Declaration signing was just a bit of theater.

Two Ben Franklins in one video. One of them can really hit.