Anthony Rizzo has seen too many would-be home runs curl foul, many of them coming in his short tenure as a Yankee, but on Tuesday night, he finally saw one tail back and stay inside the right field foul pole.
When it landed, it sealed the red-hot Rizzo’s first three-homer game of his career.
“I thought it was way foul, to be honest…it came back a good bit,” Rizzo said after leading the Yankees to a 12-8 win in the Bronx. :I was actually shocked. I’ve never done this in my career before, so it’s a great feeling.”
Rizzo, seen by many as an underwhelming free-agent signing when Freddie Freeman was potentially there for the taking, now leads the league in home runs with eight, ahead of Ozzie Albies, Byron Buxton, and former teammate Joc Pederson, who are all tied with six.
“He’s one of the catalysts on our team,” Joey Gallo said. “He’s started out unbelievably hot. Such a great character on the team, and I’m so happy to be able to play with him.”
Rizzo has started the season looking like the lefty power bat that the Yankees have craved, one who can finally feast on the short porch in right field, which Rizzo visited three times on Tuesday to cap his sox RBI night.
“I think he will be someone that should be able to take advantage of that porch,” Aaron Boone said. “I think he likes Yankee Stadium, and I think after tonight, it definitely sealed it that this is a place he likes to hit.”
It is a place Rizzo likes to play in general, and the fans love what they see so far, as Rizzo has helped bring to life an offense that has felt dormant since the beginning of last season.
“I’ll remember this forever,” Rizzo said. “It's a game that I'll never forget. Obviously a first-time game. A curtain call here at Yankee Stadium is special.”
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