The days off between the ALCS and the World Series have been especially helpful for New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo as he continues to recover from two broken fingers on his right hand, the veteran said in a video call with reporters on Wednesday.
Rizzo, 37, played through pain in the Yankees' win over the Cleveland Guardians last round, hitting .429 during the five game series. Game 5 was on Saturday, giving Rizzo five full days of recovery time before the World Series begins against the Los Angeles Dodgers this Friday.
"The biggest thing is getting the swelling out," Rizzo explained. "Between games it blows up, just from the pressure. The bones are still broken but to be able to get the swelling out has been key. Hopefully in the series we'll be able to battle the best we can."
Rizzo was hit by a pitch at the end of the regular season forcing him to miss the ALDS, but he was added to the roster for the ALCS and performed beyond expectations. He was 6-for-14 with a double and two walks, seeing his first action in several weeks.
"I can't even believe it to be honest with you," teammate Austin Wells said. "It's a pretty incredible thing, to have two broken bones in your hand and go out there and do what he's been able to do. I don't have a lot of words for that. It shows how tough he is and the character that he has and his willingness to be out there and go through whatever it takes to help the team win."
Rizzo indicated the team has some "good medicine" to help him get through each game. He could be a key bat in the lower half of the Yankees' lineup as the Dodgers don't have a multitude of lefty relievers to use on him and fellow lefties Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo and Jazz Chisholm.
Adrenaline and the excitement of being in the World Series also help Rizzo deal with the pain. He expressed an understanding that these moments don't come along very often.
"This is what you dream of," Rizzo said. "This is what you prepare for. When the crowd is loud and everything is going crazy, I feel like that's when I settle down the most."
Rizzo is one of a few Yankees with World Series experience, having won a championship with the Chicago Cubs in 2016. He has been asked a lot of questions by teammates about playing in the Fall Classic.
"Guys ask what was it like," he said. "That [2016] World Series was arguably one of the best World Series ever. Now I get to be [in] another, what could shape out to be, one of the best World Series ever."
Rizzo will go up against good friend and Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who has been nursing his own injury, an ankle ailment which kept him out of the lineup in several games of the NLCS.
"He's a gamer," Rizzo said of Freeman. "He's putting it all on the line for his team. I wouldn't expect anything less from him. It will be fun to share the field with him on the World Series stage."
Wells is also excited for the series but comes at it from a different place than Rizzo. He's going through the postseason in his first full year in the big leagues. It's a lot to take in.
"I don't think any of this has processed for me yet," Wells said. "We're just going to keep rolling and keep winning, After it's all said and done, it will be a lot crazier for me in my own eyes. At the moment I just feel like I'm in it and trying to help the team win."