TAMPA — At times Thursday night, it did not take much squinting to make it look like the Yankees and Rays were playing a Grapefruit League exhibition.

Beyond the game being played at George M. Steinbrenner Field, now the home of the Rays, there was Ben Rice mashing and the Yankees using a parade of pitchers after an early exit by their starter.

Fortunately for the Yankees, the former is no longer just a spring mirage, and it helped compensate for the latter.

Rice, who continues to smoke the ball, collected his first four-hit night, and the Yankees bullpen perfected the art of bending without breaking in a 6-3 win over the Rays in front of a sellout crowd of 10,046 that favored the visitors.

Ben Rice belts one of his four hits in the first inning of the Yankees’ win over the Rays on April 17, 2025. Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

After Will Warren recorded just five outs because of a soaring pitch count (throwing 38 pitches in the second inning before he was pulled), the Yankees (12-7) pieced together the rest of the game with Ryan Yarbrough (2 ²/₃ innings), Tim Hill (two innings), Ian Hamilton (1 ²/₃ innings) and Devin Williams (one inning).

The group performed something of a high-wire act, leaving the bases loaded three times through the first five innings (twice by Yarbrough, once by Hill) to keep the Rays from blowing the game open and giving the Yankees a chance to get back in it.

One aspect of the night that was certainly not spring training-like was Jazz Chisholm Jr. getting ejected in the seventh inning for vehemently arguing balls and strikes.

Aaron Judge rips an RBI single during the first inning of the Yankees’ win over the Rays. AP

The second baseman was heated with home plate umpire John Bacon, who called a 3-2 pitch below the zone strike three, and although Aaron Boone raced out to try to get Chisholm back to the dugout before he was tossed, it was not enough.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

Minutes later, Chisholm tweeted from the clubhouse, “Not even f–king close!!!!!”

The Yankees trailed 3-1 in the fifth inning, when Oswaldo Cabrera homered and a Rice double helped set up Cody Bellinger’s RBI fielder’s choice that tied the game off Taj Bradley.

Then in the sixth, they took the lead on Jasson Dominguez’s RBI fielder’s choice before Rice drove in a pair of insurance runs on his fourth hit of the night, a single to left-center.

Warren was knocked out of the game with two outs and the bases loaded in the second inning because of the mounting pitch count.

A frustrated Will Warren reacts in the dugout after being pulled in the second inning. Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Oswaldo Cabrera belts a solo homer in the fifth inning of the Yankees’ win over the Rays. Getty Images

The last three batters he faced put together at-bats of seven, nine and eight pitches, respectively, resulting in a walk, a sacrifice fly (that tied the game 1-1) and another walk.

Yarbrough relieved Warren and struck out Brandon Lowe to leave the bases loaded.

Aaron Judge, who put the Yankees ahead in the first inning with an RBI single, helped Warren out in the bottom of the frame by throwing a runner out at third base.