Anthony Rizzo’s return to the Yankees’ lineup just over two weeks after he broke the fourth and fifth fingers on his right hand got off to a good start, but ended with some questions as Rizzo was replaced at first base by Oswaldo Cabrera to open the top of the ninth in Monday’s 5-2 win. over Cleveland in the first game of the ALCS at the stadium.
Rizzo said he didn’t have any issues with his hand and Boone said he removed Rizzo because he was “just physically and emotionally spent out there late in the game” after not playing for more than two weeks.
The Yankees and Rizzo will see how Hand responds Tuesday before deciding whether or not he returns to the lineup, but there were encouraging signs from the first baseman, who has not faced a live pitch since suffering the injury a day before the end of the regular season. .
Rizzo ripped a single to center in his first at-bat and walked through three second innings and showed no rust on defense until he couldn’t reach a grounder to Bryan Rocchio with one on top and one out in the top of the eighth.
The ball flew to right, and after Stephen Cowan’s RBI groundout cut off the Yankees’ lead, Luke Weaver stopped the bleeding and the Yankees held on for the win.
Before the game, Rizzo admitted he would probably be in some pain, but was confident the atmosphere would make up for it.
“The 50,000 people in the stands and the adrenaline and what’s at stake will outweigh any pain I’ll feel,” Rizzo said.
For the most part, it worked.
“I thought he was sharp, which was really good to see,” Boone said.
The Yankees survived the ALDS without Rizzo on the roster, beating Kansas City with the combination of Cabrera and John Bertie, both of whom pitched well as starters and had good hitting.
However, the Yankees went with Rizzo despite not facing a live pitch in his rehab progress and only hitting high-velocity pitching machines and Trajekt (which mimic the exact pitches of real major league pitchers).
“It was kind of a matter of getting him guilty and the coaches felt like he was in a good place,” Boone said of the decision to activate Rizzo, who suffered a blow to his right hand on Sept. 28 that fractured it. Fingers that usually sideline the player for three to four weeks.
Rizzo did not go to the IL, but acknowledged he was not healed enough to make the ALDS roster.
By Sunday, Boone said Rizzo was “adamant” about being prepared. Rizzo had a brace with extra padding tailored to fit his glove on Monday.
After returning from a broken forearm — which cost him two and a half months — on September 1, Rizzo had just a .660 OPS and no home runs in 22 games.
He’s been much better in his last eight games, with a .962 OPS, but he won’t have the same runway this time around to settle in offensively.
The Yankees value the defense and the veteran presence he brings to the field. One of two active Yankees to have won a World Series (along with Juan Soto), Rizzo knows what it takes to win this time of year, no matter how he feels physically.
It was also important for the 35-year-old Rizzo — who has a $17 million team option for next year or a $6 million buyout — to get back on the roster to take another shot at winning a World Series after doing so with the Cubs in 2016.
“I’ve had the opportunity throughout my career to play a fair amount of baseball in the postseason, and that’s what you play for,” Rizzo said. “The clock is just ticking as I get older and older. You never know when you’ll have the opportunity to play for the pennant again, again forever. You can’t take any of this for granted.”
–Additional reporting by Greg Joyce
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