MIAMI — Anthony Rizzo was born and raised in Florida, but as Jerry Lanzerotti, the owner of Lyndhurst Pastry Shop in Lyndhurst, N.J., said Friday, “His roots are here.”
That’s because Rizzo, who was traded from the Cubs to the Yankees on Thursday, spent many summers with family in the Garden State. His parents, John and Laurie, are both Lyndhurst natives.
Rizzo, who went 2-for-3 with a key 449-foot homer in the Yankees’ 3-1 win over the Marlins, said of his trade that he was going “from one historic franchise to another.”
He knows the Yankees well, having gone to games at the old Yankee Stadium as a kid, in between trips to the Jersey Shore, spending time with his grandparents and playing stickball in New Jersey.
“I spent pretty much every summer there as a kid,’’ Rizzo said. “I have a lot of memories and I’m looking forward to making more.”
His top moment in The Bronx came in 1999, when he attended David Cone’s perfect game.
“I was lucky enough to be there for that,” Rizzo said.
It’s one of the reasons he’s looking forward to his first game at the new stadium.
“To be able to put the Yankee uniform on and play there is definitely special,’’ Rizzo said.
He said he would visit the area when the Cubs were in town to face the Mets or Yankees.
Those trips would include, according to Lanzerotti, an Anthony Rizzo Special, “half yum yum, half chocolate” Italian ice, which is still served at the shop.
Rizzo, who will turn 32 in August, has the next two months to create his own legacy with the Yankees. He is set to become a free agent following the season, but his focus is on 2021.
“I’ve heard nothing but great things about the Yankees,’’ said Rizzo, before adding, “This is just about winning baseball games.’’
Rizzo isn’t the only new Yankee with New York ties in his family.
Joey Gallo, who was acquired from the Rangers on Thursday, also arrived in Miami on Friday and made his Yankees debut.
Gallo grew up in Las Vegas, but his father, Tony, was born in Queens and went to East Rockaway High School. The Gallos moved to Nevada in 1988.
Gallo and Rizzo add two powerful left-handed bats to a Yankees lineup that was lacking lefty sluggers.
