Yankees’ first baseman Anthony Rizzo, unable to contribute with his bat, made his presence felt by standing up for his teammates. However, this led to his ejection on Thursday.
Just two days after being ruled out for the remainder of the season, Anthony Rizzo was ejected from Thursday’s 10-3 defeat to the Tigers after engaging in a heated dispute with home-plate umpire Alan Porter.
The incident occurred during the bottom of the third inning in a game played in The Bronx. Jasson Dominguez was called out on strikes on a pitch that bordered on the edge of the strike zone, resulting in the third out of the inning.
Dominguez stayed in the batter’s box for a prolonged moment, displaying what appeared to be a sense of disbelief at not receiving a walk after a full-count changeup. Subsequently, he retrieved his glove, and the Yankees‘ defense started its warm-up routine. However, the discussions and comments persisted from the home dugout.
At the commencement of the fourth inning, Porter singled out Anthony Rizzo and promptly ejected him from the game.
Anthony Rizzo’s absence from the field dates back to August 1, and the Yankees officially declared he would not return this season due to his recovery from post-concussion syndrome, an announcement made on Tuesday.
Not the Yankees, but the Cubs saved Anthony Rizzo
The New York Yankees officially sidelined first baseman Anthony Rizzo for the remainder of the 2023 season on Tuesday. The 34-year-old had been on the injured list since August 3, following a diagnosis of post-concussion syndrome, a condition he had been playing through for over two months. The decision to conclude Rizzo’s season was influenced by a conversation with Cubs manager David Ross.
During Tuesday’s game between the Yankees and the Detroit Tigers, YES reporter Meredith Marakovits initially mentioned the exchange between Anthony Rizzo and Ross. This conversation revolved around Ross advising Anthony Rizzo to undergo further testing, as Rizzo had not felt himself for several weeks after suffering the undiagnosed concussion.
His last appearance in a game was on August 1. Just a few weeks ago, Yankees manager Aaron Boone had expressed optimism about Rizzo’s potential return this season.
It is believed that Anthony Rizzo sustained the concussion on May 28 during a game against the San Diego Padres when Fernando Tatis Jr. collided with him at first base while Rizzo was covering the bag. This collision resulted in Anthony Rizzo leaving the game early and subsequently missing several more days before returning to the Yankees’ lineup.
Up until May 28, Anthony Rizzo was on track for a strong season, with an .880 OPS in slightly over 200 at-bats. However, following the collision, he struggled with a .496 OPS in his next 169 at-bats before being placed on the injured list in early August.
Last November, Anthony Rizzo signed a two-year, $40 million contract that includes a $17 million option for the 2025 season.
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Huge miss by entire Yankee staff, especially meducal and training staff. It was obvious enough after a few games back, but became more obvious with each at bat thereafter. Someone should be held accountable.
Porter was described as being “hitter friendly” before the game. He must have suffered a similar concussion to Rizzo’s, because his strike zone was all over the place.
I’ve seen too many horrible umpire calls behind the plate this year. The umpires must want an electronic strike zone to be put into place, because they seem to be getting far worse at it with each passing season.
Porter, the crew chief, was absolutely terrible last night.