BOSTON — Yankees manager Aaron Boone thought it over, talked to his coaches, met up with the analytics staff and then made a final decision to switch up his lineup for Tuesday night’s American League Wild Card Game.
The big change was dropping second baseman Gleyber Torres from first to fifth and moving first baseman Anthony Rizzo from the two hole to leadoff.
“I love it, I love it,” Rizzo said before the Yankees-Red Sox’s game at Fenway Park. “I’ve never done the postseason, but I’m excited. I’ll be ready to go and set the tone. I have the first opportunity in 2021 playoffs to do something special.”
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Boone’s other big lineup decisions was deciding to start Andrew Velazquez at shortstop, play Gio Urshela at third base and keep infielders Rougned Odor and Tyler Wade on the bench. Rizzo leading off and Velazquez playing was a product of third baseman DJ LeMahieu being placed on the injured list last Sunday with a sports hernia.
“Boone just let me know and I said, ‘I’m in,’” Rizzo said. “It doesn’t matter where you hit this time of the year. It doesn’t matter what you do. I know individually stories are written about guys who are hot, guys who aren’t. But this time of the year is about winning and playing for the 25 other guys on your team and playing for your staff, playing for the city, your fans.”
Rizzo’s Wild Card Game plans were to make an impact in the first at-bat of the game facing Red Sox All-Star righty Nathan Eovaldi.
“My goal is not to let Eovaldi settle in, so be aggressive.” Rizzo said. “He’s an aggressive pitcher in the strike zone and I’m sure he’s going come out firing with the adrenaline and everything.”
Boone says that that he made the move because he preferred dropping Torres down in the lineup. Torres hit leadoff the three previous games and was just 2-for-11.
“Essentially, just not having DJ, our leadoff hitter, that spot I guess has been in flux a little bit and really just valuing Gleyber in the middle of the order,” Boone said.
This was just the second time Rizzo was at the top of the order since joining the Yankees in a July 29 trade, but he’d done it four times this season with the Cubs and 66 times over his career. He hit just .217 with one RBI and no walks batting first this year, but fared very well over his career with a .321 average, 14 homers, 38 RBI, 29 walks and a .407 on-base percentage.
Rizzo said batting first in the Wild Card Game wouldn’t feel much different than hitting second because he remained hitting ahead of right fielder Aaron Judge, who was bumped up from third to second.
“It’s just one of those things where it’s only the first at-bat of the game and then it’s kind of back into your regular spot, especially with our lineup,” Rizzo said. “I’m hitting in front of Judge still, so that comfort level is still there.”
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Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com.
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