Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Anthony Rizzo Gives Injury Update on Hand After Hit By Pitch Scare

Looks like the Yankees and Anthony Rizzo dodged a bullet on Opening Day

Max Goodman

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NEW YORK — At first glance, it looked like Anthony Rizzo was destined for the injured list.

Red Sox right-hander Nathan Eovaldi yanked a first-pitch fastball high and tight in the bottom of the fifth on Friday, hitting Rizzo on his right hand.

Instantly, Rizzo crumbled down to the dirt beside home plate, hunched over as manager Aaron Boone and a member of the team's training staff quickly joined him to assess the damage.

Rizzo took a few seconds for the pain to subside before staying in the game. Later in the evening, after a dramatic, 6-5 victory over Boston in 11 innings, Rizzo assured that his hand is feeling alright.

"Got me pretty good, but thankfully, nothing's wrong," Rizzo told reporters in New York's clubhouse.

Rizzo added, "it just kind of didn't feel normal. But thankfully, I kind of went away right away."

Earlier in the game, in his first at-bat of the season, Rizzo launched a two-run home run to right field, a no-doubter soaring 414 feet. Considering Yankees ace Gerrit Cole permitted three runs to score in the top of the first, Rizzo's blast was a key response to set the tone that this resilient club wasn't going anywhere.

"It definitely felt good to give us a boost like that," Rizzo said. "When you give up three runs there early, it's how we respond and it's a nice response for us even losing the lead again later, coming back."

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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