Taylor Swift boosts the Yankees offense after Anthony Rizzo ends home run slump

25 July 2023 , 23:35

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Anthony Rizzo of the New York Yankees gestures to the dugout after a home run.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo has credited Taylor Swift for the home run and his perfect 4-for-4 against the Kansas City Royals to end his slump. The Yankees beat the Royals 8-5, with Rizzo's homer, four hits and two RBI as catalysts for the team's offense.

Rizzo admitted to searching for answers to snap his 45-game skid without a home run before listing his persistence to get better as a reason for finally hitting it out of the park. But he also changed his walk-up song to Swift's song, "Ready for It."

" Taylor Swift, it's her summer, really," Rizzo said when asked about the change. "She's helping the economy in every city she goes. So, yeah, that was good."

Not only did Swift assist in Rizzo hitting a home run and going 4-for-4 but he also scored three runs, hit two doubles, his dinger and two RBI. It was his first four-hit game since Aug. 4, 2019, when he was still a member of the Chicago Cubs.

Before his third-inning home run against Jordan Lyles, Rizzo had gone through the second-longest home run drought of his MLB career. He explained that the scarcity of home runs is due to the challenging nature of baseball and the importance of maintaining a consistent routine.

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"It's just sticking to a routine and tweaking, making little tweaks here and there," Rizzo said after the game. "This game is such [about] feel. You could take a thousand swings, and it could go the opposite way, and you can take three swings and feel like miles and miles of success. So, it's just all part of it."

"I've learned through the ebbs and flows of this game, going through ups and downs," Rizzo said. "It comes and goes. No matter how good you think it's going or how bad you think it is, it usually evens out if you stay the course."

Anthony Rizzo celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a home run.

No batter in MLB has faced Lyles as often as Rizzo's 43 plate appearances. After the game, Lyles said, "I know he is not swinging it as well as he wants to right now, but he is a really good hitter, and pitchers don't love seeing him in lineups."

In May, Rizzo had an injury scare after a collision with San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. The Yankees called it a neck injury and took Rizzo out of the rest of the game for precaution.

In June, Rizzo had to leave a game against the Oakland Athletics early because a pitch hit him on the back of his elbow. Rizzo has confirmed that he went through concussion protocol and has recovered from the injury. He also stated that he had not experienced any lingering effects that could affect his swinging mechanics or his ability to hit the ball.

Rory Robinson