Anthony Rizzo made up for two days of miscues with one big Yankees at-bat

CLEVELAND — Anthony Rizzo found an unlikely path to redemption. 

The four-time Gold Glove winner’s two days of defensive near-misses were somewhat washed away Friday when he started the game-winning, ninth-inning rally with a single off MLB’s best closer, helping the Yankees recover from blowing a four-run lead to beat the Guardians, 8-6, in Game 4 of the ALCS. 

“The guy has been there, done that,” Aaron Judge said of Rizzo. “He’s played in Game 7 of a World Series and come out on the better end [for the Cubs]. He understands there’s going to be some ups and downs throughout the game and you may … do something bad, but you’ve got the next opportunity.” 

It was only a few minutes before his single that Rizzo had an underhand toss from scrambling pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. go through his legs, allowing the tying run to score. A come-backer bounced off Leiter’s foot and rolled to the first base line, where he made a flip that seemed to handcuff Rizzo. 

“I tried to stay composed and make a quick flip, but that’s just a tough play,” Leiter said. “You are so close to each other, and I probably got to a blind spot for him a little bit.” 

Playing with two broken fingers on his glove hand and a history of back problems, Rizzo has looked less agile than normal at first base.