The longest drought of Anthony Rizzo’s career has finally come to an end.
His New York Yankees teammates did something special for him to celebrate.
Since May 20, Rizzo, known for his sweet power from the left side of the plate, hit a moonshot that landed in the short right field porch at Yankee Stadium to extend the home team’s lead against the Kansas City Royals to 5-0.
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Anthony Rizzo celebrates with his teammates after hitting a home run against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium on July 23, 2023, in the Bronx. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)
You could tell how much this meant to Rizzo when he had a big smile around the bases, but the crowd was loud because they’ve also been waiting quite a while to see one of their best hitters take the field.
When Rizzo returned to the dugout, however, he didn’t find the love the crowd was showering Rizzo with.
They old silent treatment was happening. Rizzo laughed as he punched all of his teammates and coaches who ignored him, making his way across the dugout.
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But they finally broke, as they dumped seeds, gum and anything else they could find on him while praising one of the clubhouse’s key leaders.
For a power hitter, slumping doesn’t always mean not getting the batting average where it needs to be. Hitting home runs becomes a key component of why you’re high in the batting order, which Rizzo tends to be every night. He has earned that right during his 13 years in the MLB.
But he had just 11 home runs in that contest as of Sunday afternoon, meaning he hasn’t been able to jog the bases in more than three months.
Anthony Rizzo hits a fourth inning home run against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium on July 23, 2023. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Rizzo still managed to hit .244 with a .332 on-base percentage. However, his .379 slugging percentage would be the worst mark of his career since he debuted with the San Diego Padres in 2011 if the season ended today.
If the Yankees want to make a run at the postseason this October, they need players like Rizzo to get back on track offensively. They have the 22nd-ranked offense in the league in batting average, and that has improved since the start of the second half, as they were third-last in all of MLB. A .301 on-base percentage also ranks them 27th in the league.
New York is still waiting for Aaron Judge to return, but Rizzo needs to get those extra-base hits for the Yankees as a whole to get back on track.
If the Yankees want to make a run at the postseason, they need players like Anthony Rizzo to get back on track offensively. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
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That was a step in the right direction, but it probably felt a lot bigger for the lefty now that he can throw that slump.
Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
