​PHILADELPHIA — While warming up for Monday night’s All-Star Home Run Derby, Yankees first baseman Ben Rice really thought he had a chance to win. His dad, former Brown pitcher Dan Rice, was grooving in pitches with every one barreled up with some height.“I was in the cage,” Rice said, “and I was like, ‘I’m gonna hit 20 home runs. I’m on fire right now.’”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhen they went outdoors and lived out “a dream of ours ever since I was a little kid,” Rice’s emotions got the best of him.“I’ll tell you what, I didn’t realize how out front my first swings were gonna be,” Rice said, “Then I took my first one. I was like, ‘My God, I’m going so fast right now.’ So I just had to figure out a way to slow down.”In his 20 swings, Rice ended up popping seven into the Citizens Bank Park seats, but that left him last in an entertaining derby that concluded with Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker edging Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber in the finals.Rice’s goal was to just have fun, and he had a blast reliving what he’s been doing in the backyard batting cage that his dad built a couple of decades ago.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“That was sick,” Rice said. “Just getting to be out there with my dad, hearing all the boos and everything, I just tried to take it all in. It was so fun.”One thing Rice was not concerned about was being the next victim in the so-called Home Run Derby curse.“Well, I practiced for the Derby two times (in the last week) and did two full rounds, and I don’t think anything was wrong with my swing in the game,” Rice said.On the contrary …After losing 11 of 13, the Yankees went into the break winning four in a row with Rice going 6-for-14 with three homers and eight RBI.“If that’s any indication, I think we’ll be all right,” Rice said.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Yankees are counting on it because Rice has been their best hitter in a season that’s included a fractured rib for three-time MVP Aaron Judge, who has been sidelined since June 5 and probably won’t be back until August or September.Rice’s 29 homers and 68 RBI in the first half of his second full season are a big reason the Yankees are 54-42 and in a playoff position.“His swing is great,” said Mets left fielder Juan Soto, a teammate of Rice’s on the 2024 Yankees. “It’s beautiful, and he has a lot of power.”But did Rice risk hurting the Yankees by taking part in the Home Run Derby? Is the curse a real thing or a myth? Can a star slugger really mess up his swing or get hurt swinging for the fences in a home run contest?AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“I think it’s a wives’ tale,” said Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger, who was in the 2017 Derby. “You hit BP one day. You’re gonna take 45 swings, and then the next day you’re getting ready for a game and you’re back in the cage doing your routine. If there’s fatigue, you have