Shaken up twice, Rizzo declares himself 'fine'

NEW YORK -- Anthony Rizzo said his right upper arm was "fine" at the spot it was struck by Matt Harvey's fastball in the fifth inning, a hit-by-pitch that gave the Cubs their first baserunner and positioned Rizzo to score their first run in a 4-2 loss to the Mets in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Saturday night.

Likewise, Rizzo's left hand was "fine" after it was struck by a thrown ball in the seventh, as he retreated to first base to avoid being doubled off. Rizzo did not need X-rays, he said after the game.

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As much as he's been struck by baseballs this year -- a league-high 30 times during the regular season -- does Rizzo need a body cast instead?

"After the season, I may go into one eventually," he said with a laugh. "But right now, I'm good."

That Rizzo avoided injury was a consolation to the Cubs, who were limited to five hits in their Game 1 loss. Rizzo went hitless in two official at-bats, though he reached safely on the hit-by-pitch and a walk. The Cubs find themselves in a 1-0 deficit for the second straight postseason series, having rallied to win the next three games against the Cardinals in the NL Division Series to advance to the NLCS.

Video: NLCS Gm1: Rizzo on getting plunked in NLCS Game 1

"You can't live and die on one game. That's the beauty of this series," Rizzo said. "We did live and die on one game [in the NL Wild Card Game] a few weeks ago, so now we get to breathe a little bit. We did lose our first game against St. Louis and we bounced back. I expect no different this time."