DJ LeMahieu was the leadoff hitter for 144 of the Yankees’ 162 games, and when he went down last weekend, Gleyber Torres took over that spot for the entire final series.
Tonight, though, the first Yankee to bat against Nathan Eovaldi will be Anthony Rizzo, who led off exactly once for the Yankees this year – on August 1 in Miami, a game where the Yankees didn’t have LeMahieu, Giancarlo Stanton, or Gio Urshela in the lineup – and four times for the Cubs before that.
“I love it. I've never done it in the postseason, but I'm excited,” Rizzo said. “I've enjoyed it when I do it, and it won't be any different today. I'll be ready to go and set the tone. Get the first opportunity in the 2021 playoffs to do something special.”
It was a short conversation between Rizzo and Aaron Boone, who said “I’m in” when the skipper mentioned it. However, to Rizzo, who has hit in each of the lineup’s Top 5 spots this year, the old adage that “leadoff hitters only lead off once a game” rings true.
“It doesn't matter where you hit this time of the year, or what you do, because it’s about winning,” he said. “I know individual stories are written about guys who are hot and guys who aren't, but this time of the year it's about playing for the 25 other guys on your team, your staff, your city and your fans.”
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Rizzo was 6-for-23 as a leadoff hitter this year and has a career .321/.407/.554 slash line as the No. 1 hitter in 66 career games (65 starts) there, so there is lots of success to fall back on. But tonight, to his point above, it matters not the number, only the results.
“It's just one of those things where it's only the first at-bat of the game and then you're kind of back into your regular spot, especially with our lineup,” he said. “So I'm hitting in front of Judge still, so that comfort level is still there. I've been doing that pretty much since I've been here. So it's just one slot higher.”
And his goal for that one leadoff at-bat that’s assured tonight?
“My goal is not to let Eovaldi settle in whatsoever, so to be aggressive. He's an aggressive pitcher in the strike zone, and I'm sure he's going to come out firing today with the adrenaline and everything,” Rizzo said.
One other fun fact? His leadoff compatriot on the other side is former Cubs teammate Kyle Schwarber, who will be serving as Boston’s DH, and putting a pair of guys who aren’t your archetype leadoff hitters getting first crack.
“It’ll be exciting. I talked to him earlier, and it's pretty cool coming full circle playing against a really good friend leading off as well,” Rizzo said. “We’re not your prototypical leadoff hitters, but he's excited about it too.”
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