New York, July 2025 – While pundits praised Anthony Rizzo for his stellar performance during the Yankees’ winning streak, few knew that just days earlier, he had lost his best childhood friend – Tony D’Angelo, who had shared both the field and the MLB dream with him since they were boys with wooden bats on the streets of Florida.
Tony never got to wear a Yankees jersey like Rizzo. He died early of leukemia – an irony, since Rizzo had also battled the disease at age 18. When he heard the news of Tony’s death, Rizzo didn’t post anything on social media or share it with his teammates. He simply arrived at the field earlier than usual the next day, quietly walked into the locker room, and changed into a new glove embroidered with the words:
For T.D. – Forever 2nd Base.”
In a game against the Red Sox three days later, Rizzo was unexpectedly reassigned to second base, the position Tony had played in his youth. No one understood why – except for coach Aaron Boone, who nodded silently when Rizzo asked.
When the first home run ricocheted off the right-field wall at Yankee Stadium, Rizzo didn’t raise his arms in celebration. He just put his hand over his heart, whispered something, and looked up at the empty third-deck bleachers – where Tony had sat when they were both unknown boys looking for a ticket to the Bronx.
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Immediately after that 5-1 win, Anthony Rizzo quietly left a handwritten note in the middle of the clubhouse, which read:
“I’ve fought cancer, but Tony is the greatest fighter I’ve ever known. Baseball is my life, but the guy who taught me to love it was someone who never made it to the Major Leagues. Today, I hit for him. And if I end this season with a title, it won’t be for me – it will be for a No. 2 that never appeared on a Yankees jersey.”
After the story went viral, the Yankees announced they would wear special jerseys with the “T.D. #2” logo in their final game of July in honor of Rizzo’s late friend. Yankee Stadium lit up purple – the color of leukemia ribbons – and the crowd stood for a moment of silence not for a legend on the field, but for a friend who inspired them to live.
Not every home run goes the distance. Not every hero wears a catcher’s mitt. But Anthony Rizzo’s friendship, heartfelt memories, and fighting spirit – they left a mark far beyond the Bronx.