Anthony Rizzo (33), the representative hitter of the New York Yankees, came out of the 45-game home run quagmire. Colleagues and directors all encouraged.
In the 2023 MLB home game against the Kansas City Royals held at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, USA on the 24th (Korean time), Rizzo started as a 4th batter and 1st baseman, went 4 hits (1 home run), 2 RBIs and 3 runs, leading the Yankees to an 8-5 victory.
Rizzo hit a timely double from opposing pitcher Jordan Riley at the top of the first inning, with the Yankees leading 2-0. After warming up the bat, he hit Lyles’ 8th pitch sinker at the end of the 3rd inning when the Yankees were leading 4-0, with no runners, and crossed the fence in the middle right. The Yankees dugout was infested
. Rizzo looked at his batted ball for a moment, then smiled broadly at his teammates. In a normal situation, it was a strange situation that the relay screen camera was showing Dougout.
A silent (indifferent) ceremony followed when a young player hit his first home run in his debut. It often happens to players who have shaken off a long silence. In the KBO League, on the 27th of last month, teammates held the same ceremony for LG Twins captain Oh Ji-hwan, who hit a home run in the 72nd game of the season.먹튀검증
Rizzo induced a response by tapping the players who were staring at the ground, not himself. Some people laughed at seeing this. It was not a perfect silence ceremony.
There is a reason. Rizzo is an MLB representative giant. However, after hitting his 11th home run of the season against the Cincinnati Reds on the 21st, he has not hit a home run in 45 consecutive games. Both June and July were sluggish with a batting average of 10% (on a monthly basis), and the slugging power also fell
. He hit 30 or more home runs in a single season five times. He also hit 32 last season (2022). He showed good pace this season, hitting 5 in April and 6 in May, but his slugging power suddenly dropped.
It is not a personal record. From June 2011, when he was a member of the San Diego Padres, to June 29 of the following year, Rizzo had no home runs in 46 consecutive games. At the time, Rizzo was a rookie in his first or second year of his big league debut. It was his longest silence since he stepped up as a top hitter. He had a hard time avoiding the ‘disgraceful career high’.
The Yankees won the game against Kansas City that day by scoring 8 points with 11 hits. Rizzo had four hits in a game for the first time since August 4, 2019, when he was with the Chicago Cubs. It was a rebound as meaningful as a home run.
Yankees outfielder Harrison Bader said, “We root for each other. What is more important than the result is that he was positive and did not lose focus.” Yankees manager Aaron Boone also said, “Rizzo has shown that he can still produce good results with his physical characteristics (strengths). It was a good day for him.”
“I learned a lot through the ups and downs. No matter how good or how bad he stays, he usually converges to the average.”