Anthony Rizzo is the heart and soul of this 2023 Yankee team. Sure, Aaron Judge is the Captain and yes, Anthony Volpe is the Rookie but Rizzo, well he is so endeared by this team. On the first day of the season, Rizzo gifted each teammate two 750 milliliter bottles of Chianti and in blue ink, he wrote personal notes to every member of Yankees’ roster. On the field, Rizzo is optimistic, a fierce competitor, clearly excited to be on the team and is always smiling. He is the Yankees everyday first baseman but on Tuesday night, he was not in the lineup.
According to Aaron Boone's Tuesday's lineup, Rizzo gets the night off with the Phillies lefty Matt Strahm on the mound. DJ LeMahieu filled in at first base and batted leadoff while Gleyber Torres batted in Rizzo's third slot. Seriously? Why? Rizzo is batting .333 with four hits including a 2-run homerun in Monday's win against the Phils. Boone shuts down the hottest players. Just does not make sense. And Josh Donaldson plays. And Aaron Hicks plays. Honestly, it does not matter what side of the plate Hicks bats, he can't hit and when he does, it is too little too late.
Rizzo was in the dugout Tuesday night to cheer on his team. He gives so much to his teammates even when he's not in the lineup. He learned how to be, well, a gentleman and a friend from other veterans around him while he played in Chicago. And he pays it forward. Just ask his ex-teammate, Kyle Schwarber, now a Phillie outfielder.
“He was always making sure that I felt comfortable,” Schwarber said. “Having conversations about the pitcher. Talking about off-the-field things. Or, if we’re oh-for-the-century, he’d say, ‘Let’s meet up and talk about it, have some food and have a water or two.’ That’s just who he is. He has an infectious personality. … Chicago had something special with him, and now New York gets to see what’s special with him, too,” reported The Athletic.
With the bats silent in the Yankee lineup on Tuesday night, would Rizzo's bat have made a difference? Not sure. He was on deck to pinch hit for Hicks if Donaldson actually put the ball in play, but instead he popped out, in perfect measure.
Look, I like Rizzo's bat in any lineup, every night. I know Rizzo tends to have his chronic back issue rear its ugly head every now and again, but not five days into the season. Boone, stop sitting hot players. And stop playing guys that consistently go 0-4. Knock this crap off, because all it does is hurt the team.
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--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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