Witt prepares for Royals to take on New York at Yankee Stadium by watching Jeter videos

NEW YORK (AP) — Happy to be on track for an AL Division Series matchup against the Yankees, Bobby Witt Jr. streamed YouTube on the train ride from Baltimore to New York to watch some Derek Jeter highlights of postseasons past.

“Just being able to see it,” Witt recalled Friday, “just because of just how the stadium is, how the fans at, just wanted to kind of just take it all in.”

A year removed from a 106-loss season, the wild-card Royals face the AL-best Yankees in a best-of-five series starting Saturday night, a renewal of passion-filled playoffs of 1976-78 and '80.

“This isn't a series, this is war,” said Hall of Famer George Brett, a Royals star of those memorable matchups, tossing in a profanity for emphasis.

Kansas City won its only championships in 1985 and 2015. Witt remembered as 14-year-old watching the Royals — and current teammate Salvador Perez, reach the World Series only to lose to San Francisco in seven games.

“Just to see what that team did and kind of like the underdog story in ways,” he said.

Witt drove in both go-ahead runs in the first-round sweep at Baltimore as the Royals outscored the Orioles 3-1.

New York had a first-round bye. With Aaron Judge and free-agent-to-be Juan Soto together for perhaps their only season, the Yankees play before demanding fans insisting on the team's first title since No. 27 in 2009.

“Thankfully we’re not playing against their tradition,” Royals manager Matt Quartraro said. “We’re playing against the team that we’re facing off against this week.”

Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole (8-5) starts for the Yankees and Michael Wacha (13-8) for the Royals.

“The passion comes through in the noise and then the pageantry of the Stadium. It’s hard not to think about all the great moments of the franchise," Cole said. “It's cold. The sound like fills you from the feet up. It’s just a different sound. It’s wonderful.”

Judge and Witt are the marquee stars. Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers and 144 RBIs while hitting .322, and Witt topped the major leagues with a .332 average along with 32 homers, 109 RBIs and 31 stolen bases.

Since Judge joined the Yankees, they've lost three times in the ALCS, twice in the ALDS and once in the wild-card game.

“It eats at me every time we don’t finish the job,” he said. “I take a lot of responsibility for that, being on the team, and if we don’t win it all, I feel like it’s my fault.”

Soto, a World Series champion with Washington in 2019, will experience his first playoff game in pinstripes.

“All the guys are talking about is how loud this place is going to be,” he said. “That’s what I’m looking forward to, to see and to hear those fans going crazy.”

Witt's father, Bobby, pitched a hitless eighth inning for Arizona in Game 6 of the 2001 World Series. The Diamondbacks won the first two games at home, lose three straight in the Bronx, then rallied in the desert to win the title.

“Hearing that and seeing his World Series ring was really cool,” Witt Jr. said, “so that’s just motivation for me to kind of do what he did.”

Judge is 1 for 18 against Wacha, a 33-year-old right-hander whose 30.9% changeup use was fourth-highest among pitchers with 150 or more plate appearances. Wacha's four-seam fastball averaged 93.6 mph, part of a six-pitch mix that also includes cutters, sliders, sinkers and curves.

“It’s a tough at-bat but definitely a fun one,” Judge said.

Soto is 2 for 5 against Wacha and Giancarlo Stanton 2 for 17 with a homer.

Anthony Rizzo will miss the series after fracturing the fourth and fifth fingers when hit by a pitch from Pittsburgh’s Ryan Borucki on Sept. 28.

“Gutting through it, I wouldn’t be able to be my best version defensively or offensively,” he said. “I’m confident hopefully in the next round to join them."

Yankees reliever Jake Cousins, who hasn't pitched since Sept. 19 because of a strained right pec muscle, could be activated Saturday.

“He threw in the sim game,” Boone said before Friday's workout. “Stuff was really good.”

Witt wears No. 7 with the Royals, he had a No. 17 jersey at Colleyville Heritage High School in Texas as a tribute to Jeter (No. 2) and Boston's Dustin Pedroia (No. 15).

“Got those two jerseys hanging up on my wall still back in my room at my parents’ house," Witt said. “Just how they played the game hard and just how they just would always rise up to the occasion when needed.”

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New York Yankees' DJ LeMahieu takes batting practice during a baseball workout, Friday, Oct 4, 2024, in New York, in preparation for the American League Division Series against the Kansas City Royals. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Kansas City Royals pitcher Michael Wacha speaks during a news conference Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in New York, ahead of the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees,. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole speaks during a baseball news conference Friday, Oct 4, 2024, in New York, ahead of the American League Division Series against the Kansas City Royals. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone watches his players during a baseball workout, Friday, Oct 4, 2024, in New York, in preparation for the American League Division Series against the Kansas City Royals. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' DJ LeMahieu prepares to take batting practice during a baseball workout, Friday, Oct 4, 2024, in New York, in preparation for the American League Division Series against the Kansas City Royals. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. runs from first to third base on a single by Salvador Perez during the third inning in Game 2 of an AL Wild Card Series baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024 in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

The New York Yankees take batting practice during a baseball workout, Friday, Oct 4, 2024, in New York, in preparation for the American League Division Series against the Kansas City Royals. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

The New York Yankees take batting practice during a baseball workout, Friday, Oct 4, 2024, in New York, in preparation for the American League Division Series against the Kansas City Royals. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. speaks during a news conference Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in New York, ahead of the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees,. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

The New York Yankees warm up during a baseball workout, Friday, Oct 4, 2024, in New York, in preparation for the American League Division Series against the Kansas City Royals. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo will miss the AL Division Series against Kansas City because of fractured fingers that he thinks will heal in time for him to rejoin the team for the Championship Series if New York advances.

RIzzo fractured the fourth and fifth fingers when hit by a pitch from Pittsburgh’s Ryan Borucki last Saturday. He said he hit and fielded Friday.

“You don’t really know what fingers you squeeze with your glove until you have two broken ones,” he said ahead of Saturday's opener.

A three-time All-Star and a 2016 World Series champion with the Chicago Cubs, the 35-year-old hit .228 with eight homers and 35 RBIs in 92 games during an injury-wrecked season.

“Gutting through it, I wouldn’t be able to be my best version defensively or offensively,” he said. “I had to be honest with myself, and it's tough but this team has a different aura right now and a different energy that I’m confident hopefully in the next round to join them.”

If the Yankees advance, they would open the Championship Series on Oct. 14.

Rookie Ben Rice or Oswaldo Cabrera are the likely starters at first base against the Royals. Rice, 25, hit .171 with seven homers and 23 RBIs in 50 games with the Yankees, including a three-homer game against Boston on July 6. A catcher coming up through the Yankees system, Rice has been getting tips from Rizzo.

“Just kind of picking his brain about certain things like when we're just doing fungos, like, hey, `If the ball's hit this way or that way, how should I approach that?'” Rice said.

Cabrera, 25, batted .247 with eight homers and 36 RBIs in 108 games.

Rizzo said staff figured out how best to wrap around his hand in his glove.

“Just catching balls at a high velocity definitely hurts it more than it should,” he said. “Talking to the doctors hopefully with another 10 days or a week I’ll feel significantly better.”

Rizzo missed 62 games with a fractured right forearm after colliding with Boston reliever Brennan Bernardino on June 16. He batted .380 (8 for 21) after returning from the injured list on Sept. 1.

“It’s definitely nowhere near what my elbow was,” Rizzo said. “It's literally 20 hours a day doing treatment. All the trainers, physical therapists is like, man, if people in PT school knew how much you were doing, they’d be absolutely shocked. So it’s all good stuff. It’s just, unfortunately, just not enough time.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

New York Yankees' Anthony Rizzo runs to third base during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)