New York Yankees slugger Anthony Rizzo is off to a hot start and appears to be back to his old self.
Three homers against the Baltimore Orioles proved that last night as the Yankees took the series opener from the O’s by a final of 12-8.
Rizzo led the way as the Yankees remained a half-game behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the American League East division.
With his breakout performance on Tuesday, Rizzo now has eight home runs, which is the most in all of baseball early in the season.
He’s two ahead of Ozzie Albies, Byron Buxton, C.J. Cron, and Joc Pederson, all of whom are tied for second place with six home runs.
Nolan Arenado, Ty France, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Salvador Perez, and Mike Trout are all tied with five homers.
Anthony Rizzo's 3 HR game last night has him FIRMLY in the Major Leauge home run lead 💪
Who do you think ends the year with the MOST ding-dongs? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/wSQeDkRDoL
— The Game Day MLB (@TheGameDayMLB) April 27, 2022
Rizzo At The Top
After some struggles in recent years, Rizzo appears to have rediscovered his power stroke and has put himself in some solid company with some of the best hitters in the business, though that should come as no surprise given Rizzo’s track record.
He seems to be back to his old MVP candidate self and is popping home runs just like he used to do when he was with the Chicago Cubs.
Yankee Stadium’s compact confines surely have helped with that some given the short porch out in right field, but that could be just what Rizzo needs to be back to where he once was.
The fact that he’s leading the majors in home runs is very telling.
He appears to have put his struggles behind him and reclaimed his place as one of the elite hitters in the game.
NEXT: Anthony Rizzo Is Enjoying The Compact Confines Of Yankee Stadium