The longest home run 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 on the right-field short 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 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 very rowdy because they had also been waiting quite a while to see one of their best sluggers go to the yard.
However, when Rizzo returned to the dugout, the love the crowd was giving Rizzo was not to be found.
The old silent treatment was happening. Rizzo was laughing as he pummeled all his teammates and coaches who ignored him, working his way through the dugout.
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But they eventually caved, pelting him with seeds, gum and whatever else they could find while praising one of the key leaders in the clubhouse.
For a power hitter, slumping doesn’t always mean not getting your batting average where it needs to be. Hitting home runs becomes a key component of why you’re up 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 only had 11 home runs going into this contest on Sunday afternoon, which means it’s been more than three months since he’s been able to trot the bases.
Anthony Rizzo hits a home run in the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium on July 23, 2023. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Rizzo was still hitting .244 with a .332 on-base percentage. However, his .379 slugging percentage would be the worst 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 postseason run this October, they need players like Rizzo to get back on offense. They have the 22nd-ranked offense in the league in terms of batting average, and that has improved since the start of the second half, as they were in the bottom three in the entire MLB. A .301 on-base percentage also ranks them 27th in the league.
New York is still waiting for the return of Aaron Judge, but Rizzo needs to get those extra-base hits to get the Yankees back on track.
If the Yankees want to make a postseason run, they need players like Anthony Rizzo to get back on offense. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
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This was a step in the right direction, but it probably felt a lot bigger for the lefty now that he can shake off that slump.
