Jon Berti showed off his impressive skills in his first game as a professional first baseman.
The New York Yankees had to rely on backups after Anthony Rizzo got hurt, so they put Berti at first base for Monday night’s 4-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals, which tied their AL Division Series at one game each.
Berti made a smooth play on a tricky ground ball from Yuli Gurriel in the second inning and then executed a diving catch to turn an unassisted double play in the sixth, preventing at least one run from scoring.
“I thought he was great over there tonight and at the plate,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Berti made a backhand catch on a hard line drive from pinch-hitter MJ Melendez in the sixth inning, quickly got up, and stepped on first base to double up Michael Massey and end the inning.
“Just reacted to it, obviously, and glad we’re able to get out of that and give ourselves a chance moving forward,” Berti said.
At the plate, Berti went 1 for 4 with a strikeout, including two flyouts and a single in the ninth inning.
“Berti’s an athlete,” said Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. “Just like me, you can put him on any part of the field. He’s going to make plays.”
Berti joined the Yankees from Miami just before the season started and batted .273 in 25 games and 66 at-bats this year while playing second base, third base, and left field.
At 34 years old, Berti has seven years of big league experience but had never played first base before, except for the last three innings of a spring training game on March 25, 2021, when he caught a throw for his only putout.
