Anthony Rizzo wasted no time endearing himself to the Yankee faithful, homering in each of his first two games with the Bronx Bombers after he was sent there via trade on July 29. Almost a week later, he’s still going. He’s now played in six games with the Yankees, driving in one run in each of the six games.
No player has ever started his Yankees career by collecting at least one RBI in each of his first six games until now. Rizzo is the first ever in the history of this storied franchise, per STATS. Pretty remarkable.
The RBI in Wednesday’s Yankees win was an emphatic one. The Yankees were actually without a hit against Orioles starter Matt Harvey through three innings. Rizzo greeted him with one out in the fourth with this shot:
Call him the catalyst, because thing picked up from there. The Yankees would get their second run later that inning and tie it up in the fifth. They broke things open with a five-run seventh and won, 10-3.
The Yankees are now 5-1 since acquiring Rizzo. They are 58-49 overall and sit two games back of the second AL wild card. They are also within striking distance, six games, in the AL East.
As for Rizzo himself, he’s on a big-time hot streak. In his last six games with the Cubs, he was 8 for 22 (.364) with three homers and five RBI. Now through six Yankees games, he’s 8 for 20 (.400) with three homers and six RBI. He’s flexing his well-rounded hitter muscles, too, because he has a sac fly, has been hit by a pitch twice and has walked four times against just one strikeout.
