It's been a tough few weeks for Anthony Rizzo, who has been battling multiple broken fingers throughout October.

Still, the New York Yankees first baseman weathered injuries in the ALCS, and did so with great success. Rizzo hit .429 with a 1.000 OPS and contributed an additional .232 win percentage over the course of the series.

Beating the Cleveland Guardians in five games meant the Yankees had a full week to go before their World Series showdown against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Two days before Game 1, Rizzo spoke to reporters and talked about how important the extra time off was for his fingers.

“The biggest thing is getting the swelling down between games, the pressure is really on,” Rizzo said. “The bones are still broken, but getting rid of the swelling was key.”

It has been less than a month since Rizzo suffered his injuries when he was hit by a pitch on September 28 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The broken fingers knocked him out of the ALDS against the Kansas City Royals, and that wasn't the first time the 35-year-old missed time in 2024.

Rizzo played in just 92 games in the entire regular season and missed more than two months with a fracture of the radial neck in his right arm. While active, he hit .228 with eight home runs, 35 RBI, a .637 OPS and 0.2 WAR, all of which were his worst marks since his rookie year in 2011.

Still, Rizzo is one of the few players on the New York Yankees roster who has any kind of World Series experience. He won a World Series ring with the Chicago Cubs in 2016, helping break their 107-year championship drought.

The 15-year gap between the Yankees' titles hardly matches the Cubs' curse, but it is rare for MLB's most successful franchise. Should New York prevail over Los Angeles in the next few weeks, it would secure their 28th World Series title.

Rizzo hit .360 with one home run, five RBI, four walks and an OPS of 1.084 during the 2016 World Series, contributing .483 in added win probability. If he can bring such a performance to the Yankees, the Bronx Bombers may win the Commissioner's Trophy again at the end of the postseason.

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