AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: GUARDIANS VS YANKEES

October 15, 2024

Anthony Rizzo

Yankee Stadium

New York Yankees

Postgame 2 Press Conference

Yankees - 6, Guardians - 3

Q. Anthony, two hits tonight, a hit yesterday, what do you think has allowed you to come in and have immediate success despite the injury and despite the layoff?

ANTHONY RIZZO: Just stayed with it. The ALDS, tried to keep my adrenaline as high as I could for the guys in the dugout the entire time, and just stayed locked in and focused on every guy's at-bat and how they were pitching them to stay in the flow of the game.

An injury like this, there's not a lot I can do in between games, so it's just recovery, recovery, recovery, and less is more at the plate. Just really trying not to hurt it.

Q. How does it feel after two games?

ANTHONY RIZZO: It feels good. It feels -- today was a big day, just back to back, woke up pretty sore. We're doing recovery. Right after the game, we have stuff going. I'll spend another couple hours here doing recovery stuff, and tomorrow I'll be right back at it.

Q. How would you describe the impact of the bottom of the order today?

ANTHONY RIZZO: It's huge. Our bottom of the order could be the top of our order. Our top of the order is so potent and so good. We know our role down at the bottom. We just want to get it to the next guy, get it to the next guy, and that's been our mentality.

The closest -- how close we are as a team, I think it really shows because all we're trying to do is just get it to the next guy.

Q. What was your reaction to Aaron's home run? It seemed to really get the dugout going.

ANTHONY RIZZO: I'm a little disappointed in Gleyber for not knowing Judge's pop there. We were ribbing him a lot about that. It's a big swing for Judgey. He's had really good at-bats and come up in big situations. To get the home run, it was a really easy swing, and he's the best in the business at that.

Q. How much of a lift when Aaron homers does it give the whole dugout? It seems that it's a jolt every time, what, 59 times now this year.

ANTHONY RIZZO: I think the preparation he does, who he is as a person, who he is as a teammate, it's so easy to root for him. In these games, it really doesn't matter who it is, how excited we are for everyone, but when Aaron does stuff, it's extra special just because he's such a special human being.

Q. Anthony, every game hasn't been a Rembrandt in the playoffs, but it's all about winning anyway. What do you think about the way you guys are grinding and getting wins in the postseason here?

ANTHONY RIZZO: It's been amazing. It really starts with Booney. Booney's been pulling the right triggers, leaving the starters in, giving them the leash, going to the bullpen, making all the right moves. It's been a lot of fun seeing him manage, even from the DS too, just sitting on the bench.

Our guys, we're coming in every day prepared. We're not satisfied. We know the Guardians are a very, very good ball club, and being up two games means nothing to us. We need to go into there, it's going to be hostile, and take care of business.

Q. What have you seen in Judge's ability to kind of compartmentalize not having big hits, but also taking good at-bats? I guess his OBP was .364 in the playoffs coming in. How does he stay on focus and still put together great plate appearances and eventually what happens tonight comes?

ANTHONY RIZZO: When he's going well, he's still working on his swing and tweaking things and going about his business the same way when he's, quote, unquote, not going well.

The only place that he's not doing well is maybe in some of the papers, but I'm pretty confident I know he doesn't really look at any of that. Whatever the narrative outside of this is the narrative, but inside, he does not falter from who he is every day.

Q. Anthony, understanding Giancarlo didn't have a big night offensively tonight, but he has been huge in this series. What has he meant to you as a teammate since you've been here?

ANTHONY RIZZO: He's very steady, steady Eddie. He comes in, so professional. He does his work. He knows who he is, and it's been a lot of fun. I've played against him for a while, and just coming in and getting to play with someone his caliber of a player, it seems like he's extra, extra, extra locked in.

That's the beauty of this team. When he has a, quote, unquote, off night, other guys pick him up. If we're going to keep going, that's the way it has to be for sure.

Q. Aaron Boone was telling us before the game that he was surprised how good your at-bats looked yesterday. Does any part of this surprise you that you've been able to come in here after 16 days off and pick up where you left off?

ANTHONY RIZZO: Yes and no. I kind of relate it to when I've had like back issues in the past and you're just trying not to blow out your back. That's what I say. Obviously I'm not going to do that. So you don't really focus on the game as much. You just focus on being easy.

When you can be in that mindset, I think it really helps the player. I cannot do too much or I think my hand will fall off. But just I felt really good end of the year for a little while. I felt like I found something I've been searching for for a while. So I just want to roll with it.

Q. Anthony, what kind of a lift have you gotten from the bullpen throughout the playoffs, including tonight?

ANTHONY RIZZO: We're going as far as they take us. They are our dogs. They are -- they're the front liners. They come in. They're ready for every guy who's down there. We have full confidence in it. Like I said, Booney's firing it on all cylinders, and they're ready.

They've been worked a lot, but they are mentally prepared for this. I think it's good they know how much we have their back because they're every bit a part of this team as much as the guys that are playing every day.

Q. When they walked Soto in the second inning to set up the bases loaded with Judge, what was your reaction to that? Did that make sense to you, or what was your reaction when you saw that?

ANTHONY RIZZO: I mean, you're picking your poison there. It's the playoffs. It's a big, big spot. I'm personally probably not doing that, but you set up a double play.

I respect Stephen Vogt. I've respected him so much as a player and what he's doing as a manager has been amazing his first year. I think he's been out of the game for two years now. It takes a lot of courage to do that move, and ultimately we got the sac fly. But you definitely respect it as a player probably playing behind him too.