Unlike most of his teammates, Anthony Rizzo has World Series experience.
But the celebration after the ALCS win over Cleveland was just as sweet for Rizzo as it was for anyone else — albeit for different reasons.
When the first baseman was injured by a pitch to his right hand on September 28, the day before the end of the regular season, it was unclear whether he would return to the field in 2024.
“I remember seeing the fracture myself,” Rizzo said of seeing the X-ray of the injury. “I saw the crack and said to the doctor, 'It's a crack, right?' He said yes, so I just started screaming.”
After all, it usually takes several weeks for a broken finger to be ready to play, but the Yankees had just one week until the ALDS began.
“Once I realized that, I let out a lot of emotions,” Rizzo said. “I remember it was very difficult. My wife came down and we sat there for about 45 minutes.”
And that's when Lizzo's attitude changed.
“Then we moved on to thinking about how to attack this. [injury] So I was able to play until the end,” Rizzo said.
It still proved too painful for Rizzo to return in the ALDS win over Kansas City, but he was able to return against Cleveland and appeared in all five games.
He had 6 hits for 14 at bats, a double and two walks.
Rizzo's defense was shaky against Cleveland, and he did not start in Game 3 against left-hander Matt Boyd, and was replaced by Oswaldo Cabrera in the 9th inning of Game 1.
On a Zoom call from the stadium on Monday, manager Aaron Boone said Rizzo's hand condition is about the same as it was in the ALCS.
He is forced to catch the ball with both hands to compensate for the instability of his right (glove) hand, but despite his lack of strength, the Yankees still value his presence. That seems especially true against the Dodgers. Rizzo, who played for the Cubs in 2016, and Juan Soto, who played for the national team in 2019, have World Series wins on their resumes.
If his hands hold up, maybe they'll get another one.
