For Yankees' Anthony Rizzo, it doesn't hurt to desire a return from injury in postseason
Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo singles against the Cleveland Guardians during the second inning in Game 2 of an American League Championship Series baseball game at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
When Oswaldo Cabrera replaced Anthony Rizzo at first base for the ninth inning of the Yankees’ 5-2 victory over Cleveland in Game 1 of the ALCS on Monday, it was fair to fear the worst.
Was the pain in the two fingers that Rizzo broke on Sept. 28 so bad that Rizzo couldn’t make it all the way through his first game back?
No, said manager Aaron Boone.
“He was just kind of physically and emotionally spent,” Boone said.
The physically, we get. It was Rizzo’s first game in a while.
Come to think of it, we get the emotionally part, too.
Rizzo is 35. Over the past two seasons, he has been a below-average hitter and has been beset by injuries.
The Yankees hold a $17 million option on Rizzo with a $6 million buyout for 2025. It’s hard to see them spending the extra $11 million to keep Rizzo around, no matter how close he is with Aaron Judge.
It’s possible this postseason will be Rizzo’s pinstriped swan song, especially if the Yankees re-sign Juan Soto for megabucks and have to trim payroll elsewhere.
“I've had opportunity throughout my career to play a good amount of postseason baseball,” Rizzo said before Game 1, “and this is what you play for. The clock is only ticking on my age and getting older. You just never know when you're going to have an opportunity to play for a pennant again. You can't take any of this for granted.”
After going 1-for-3 with a walk on Monday, Rizzo was back in the lineup for Game 2 on Tuesday despite being, according to Boone, “a little sore this morning — but nothing out of the ordinary.”
What is ordinary when it comes to how two broken fingers on your right hand feel when you try to hit a 93.7 mile per hour fastball in a playoff game?
Rizzo answered that question right away. In his first at-bat on Monday – after a sustained ovation from appreciative Yankees fans – Rizzo lined that 93.7-mph fastball from Alex Cobb into centerfield for a single.
The ball left Rizzo’s bat at 105.4-mph. That had to feel good.
“It didn’t really hurt,” the always stoic Rizzo said.
Rizzo added another line single to center in his first at-bat in Game 2. It was off a 93.6-mph fastball from Tanner Bibee and left Rizzo’s bat at 105.1 mph. It was part of the Yankees’ two-run second inning as they took a 3-0 lead.
“I was super pleased with his at-bats,” Boone said after the opener. “I didn't expect him to be that good. I thought he was really sharp. I thought he was recognizing pitches well, taking the right ones, got some really good swings off.”
Rizzo watched as the Yankees dispatched the Royals in four games in the ALDS. He worked and got treatment and hoped, and was deemed healthy enough for the ALCS roster. Or deemed himself healthy enough. The Yankees know Rizzo wouldn’t fudge how he feels going into the most important games of the season.
The phenomenon of injured players returning in the postseason is not a new one. Seems like every team goes into the playoffs with at least one player who hopes to contribute if the club makes a “deep postseason run.”
Most of the time, it doesn’t work out as the player doesn’t heal fast enough or the team gets eliminated early. But it does happen.
Rizzo was a key cog with the 2016 World Series champion Cubs, who had an even more inspirational comeback story in that magical postseason.
Kyle Schwarber, who had suffered a torn ACL in his second game of the season, returned for the 2016 World Series for his first action since early April. Schwarber hit .412 with a .971 OPS as the Cubs bested Cleveland in a seven-game classic.
Just recently, Kodai Senga made a surprise NLDS Game 1 start for the Mets against Philadelphia after missing all but one outing this season with multiple injuries. (A second start against the Dodgers in Game 1 of the NLCS didn’t go too well).
Jeff McNeil of the Mets made his 2024 postseason debut with a pinch-hit appearance in Game 1 against the Dodgers. McNeil had been out since suffering a broken wrist on Sept. 6.
The Yankees are also hoping Nestor Cortes can be an option if they reach the World Series. The lefthander, out since Sept. 25 with a flexor strain in his elbow, has been throwing.
“Really excited how his throwing program’s gone since he started,” Boone said. "We’re very encouraged by how it’s going so far.”
Coming back from injury in the postseason — or trying to — has to be physically and emotionally draining for all those players. So an inning off every now and then isn’t too much to ask.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
