Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Rice homered in the first two innings and the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-4 in a game interrupted by rain for nearly three hours.

On a day that Aaron Boone described as exciting for some players and anxious for others, the Yankees took care of business on the field with the trade deadline looming over them.

Ben Rice hit a three-run homer in the second inning after Giancarlo Stanton blasted a two-run shot in the first as the host New York Yankees raced out to a seven-run lead and recorded a 7-4 victory over the sliding Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday afternoon in the final game before the trade deadline.