The Yankees got solid play at first base from Berti and Cabrera

It’s one of those baseball expressions that still gets used over and over again, even though it’s been debunked time and time again: “Anyone can play first base.”

Former Yankee Mark Teixeira, a five-time Gold Glove winner at the position, always had a rejoinder ready when presented to him. “Yeah, anyone can play first base,” he would say. “Not everyone can play it well.”

Also remember the conversation between A’s general manager Billy Beane, catcher Scott Hatteberg and infield coach Ron Washington in “Moneyball” when the A’s wanted Hatteberg to learn first base:

Beane: “It’s not that hard, Scott. “Tell him, Wash.”

Washington: “It’s incredibly difficult.”

The Yankees ran into trouble just before the start of the postseason when Anthony Rizzo suffered two broken fingers on his right hand after being hit by a pitch. That initially left them with two inexperienced options, both utility players – Oswaldo Cabrera and Jon Berti.

Each made two starts in the Yankees’ four-game ALDS victory over the Royals; Each of them filled the position more than adequately and in some cases even well. The 3-3-6 double play that Berti launched behind Gerrit Cole in the Yankees’ Game 4 victory after a burnt ground ball hit by Michael Massey immediately comes to mind (Berti’s strong throw to Anthony Volpe, who retired a slipping Maikel Garcia, landed). a base clearance incident).

“A lot harder than I think people think. I told it [Rizzo] “That the other day,” Berti said with a smile on a Zoom call Saturday. “There’s just a lot to it, a lot of different positioning, a lot of different things around the bag that you have to keep an eye on and be involved in at all times.”

Rizzo suffered the injury in the penultimate game of the regular season on September 28 and attempted to prepare for the Division Series, but became too unwell and was removed from the roster. He thought he might be ready for the ALCS if the Yankees got there, but Aaron Boone didn’t seem particularly optimistic about that on Saturday.

“There has been progress [but] He didn’t do much physically in baseball,” Boone said. “He let the thing heal as long as possible and did a lot of treatments.”

Additional bases

Boone said the club has not yet made a decision between Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt when it comes to who will start in ALCS Game 1 against Cleveland on Monday. Boone has said that Cole should start in Game 2 and that AL rookie of the year candidate Luis Gil, who is in the bullpen for the ALDS since the Yankees only needed three starters for the series, at some point “later” in the ALCS will start. . . Boone said Alex Verdugo, who started all four games against the Royals, will again be his starter in left field rather than Jasson Dominguez in the ALCS. . . The Yankees fielded 11 pitchers and 15 position players for the Division Series, and Boone said the team will likely enter the ALCS with “12 or 13” pitchers, which opened the door for a roster spot for Marcus Stroman, who is coming off the Division Series The ALDS squad was excluded.