In order to tie last night’s game in the 9th inning and thus sentence everyone to another nine innings of misery baseball, Anthony Rizzo had to be the sacrificial lamb: he took a 100mph Aroldis Chapman fastball squarely off the left forearm with the bases loaded. You can watch the play here if you’re so inclined – it did not look or sound good.
Rizzo stayed in the game, but was clearly in discomfort the rest of the way, not infrequently grimacing, rotating his wrist, shaking things out.
Fortunately, after the game, Rizzo revealed that X-rays on his forearm were negative for a fracture (ESPN), and he had a good sense of humor going, all things considered:
Anthony Rizzo: “Luckily, there’s nothing significant. I thank my parents I drank my milk when I was a kid and have some decent bones.”
— Patrick Mooney (@CSNMooney) May 8, 2017
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So you’re planning to play tomorrow? Anthony Rizzo: “You mean in a few hours? Yeah, I’ll be in there.”
— Patrick Mooney (@CSNMooney) May 8, 2017
Obviously, it’s great news that Rizzo is not dealing with a fracture as near as anyone could tell during the game. But even with a bad bruise, you do worry about lingering soreness impacting his swing, especially if he doesn’t have any time to rest it up. Here’s hoping that, miraculously, there is no serious bone bruise and no lingering effects. And if there’s any hint of that, here’s hoping the Cubs and Rizzo take the long view, and rest up for the time being.