NEW YORK.- Anthony Rizzo continues to play despite having two broken fingers on his right hand, although the swelling continues to go down.
At this point, the veteran first baseman continues playing thanks to the adrenaline generated by the attempts of the New York Yankees to win his first title World Series since 2009.
“The most important thing is to reduce inflammation between games,” Rizzo said Wednesday before the Yankees traveled to Los Angeles. “It swells from the pressure. The fingers are still fractured, but being able to reduce the inflammation has been key and we hope that during the series we can manage it in the best way.”
Rizzo will play in the World Series for the second time and for the first time since he hit .360 and caught the final out in 2016 as the Cubs ended their 108-year title drought by beating Cleveland in seven games.
New York had lost its previous five trips to the Championship Series, including a sweep against the Astros in 2022. Although Juan Soto hit the go-ahead three-run homer in the 10th inning in Game 5 in Cleveland and Giancarlo Stanton was considered MVP with four home runs in the series, Rizzo contributed significantly at the plate as the Yankees finally returned to the World Series.
Despite the fracture, Rizzo hit .429 (6 for 14), his best average in a playoff series and his highest percentage since Alex Rodríguez in the 2009 ALCS.
“I take it one day at a time,” Rizzo admitted. “The adrenaline is real.”
Rizzo missed the Division Series victory over the Royals after fracturing the fourth and fifth fingers of his right hand on September 28 after being hit by a pitch from Pittsburgh’s Ryan Borucki. The Yankees chose not to put him on the disabled list so he wouldn’t miss the ALCS. The veteran received treatment while continuing to hit on the machine.
Key piece in New York
The slugger was ranked eighth in the batting order in the first two games of the ALCS, but moved up to sixth for Games 4 and 5. In the fourth game he had two hits.
“I can’t believe it, to be honest,” said New York rookie catcher Austin Wells.
A three-time All-Star, the 35-year-old batted .228 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs in 92 games, despite missing 62 games due to a fracture in his right forearm in a collision with the Boston reliever Brennan Bernadino on June 16.