Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo could fill his own World Series rooting section just with kin from one small North Jersey town — where he always bats a thousand.
“Me and my brother Frank and my sister-in-law Dorothea — we have a ritual where we have to sit during the games,” said Michael Rizzo, who has been proudly watching nephew Anthony and the Bombers battle the LA Dodgers for a series ring.
Michael, a 67-year-old retired New York City union construction worker, told The Post that the family watched Anthony 35, in the 2016 World Series when he was with the Chicago Cubs.
“We have to be sitting in the same spots” as in 2016 when the Cubs ended their 108-year title drought, Michael said.
Anthony, the son of Lyndhurst natives John Rizzo and Lori Rapisardi Rizzo, was born and raised in Parkland, Fla. — but “every vacation, every holiday they were always here,” the uncle said of the family.
Michael is one of the dozens of Rizzo relatives still living in Lyndhurst, a town of roughly 23,000 located about 16 miles from The House that Ruth Built.
“My father had 10 brothers and sisters. The only one that really left was my brother Johnny [Anthony’s father],” Michael said in a phone interview, noting that he himself “had eight brothers and sisters.
“We have so many cousins, nieces and nephews, and I’d say 90% of them are still in Lyndhurst. It’s a huge family, huge support for [Anthony],’’ the uncle said.
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Another Michael Rizzo, 46, a family friend but no relation, said, “Wherever I go, when they hear my name is Rizzo, they ask right away if I’m related to Anthony Rizzo.”
The older Michael Rizzo said that when Anthony was traded to New York in July 2021, it was a “dream come true’’ for his family and friends.
“We were ecstatic. Probably 90% of us are Yankee fans,” the uncle said. “Even the ones that aren’t, of course they root for him. He’s the talk of the family.
“It’s a dream that he’s a ball player for the Yankees.”
Darius Hughes, 56, a Rizzo relative and social studies teacher at Lyndhurst Middle School, where the younger Michael Rizzo is principal, said of Anthony, “His grandfather didn’t live to see it, but he would have been very proud.”
The older Michael Rizzo recalled having his then-12-year-old nephew practice with the Lyndhurst All-Star team he coached when Anthony was in town.
“I had to put everybody in the outfield because of how hard he was hitting the ball — and how far he was hitting the ball,” the uncle said.
Getting goodies from the local Lyndhurst Pastry Shop was always a treat for Anthony when he was around when younger — and it still is, kin said.
“The first thing he does after [visiting] family is he goes to the Pastry Shop” for baked goods and Italian ice, his uncle Michael said.
The slugger is particularly fond of the bakery’s pignoli cookies and its Yum-Yum vanilla and chocolate ice, which is served together and now named in his honor after he reached the majors.
“That’s what he usually gets. We always have it,’’ said Lyndhurst Pastry Shop co-owner Jerry Lanzerotti, whose family has run the business since 1947.
If the Yankees erase their current two-game deficit and go on to win their 28th World Series, the Pastry Shop will do something special to celebrate, according to Darlene Mayewski, the daughter of Butch Lanzerotti and niece of Jerry.
“My dad was a die-hard Mets fan — and now he’s a Yankee fan,” she quipped.
Anthony’s uncle Michael said that when the Yankees take on the Dodgers in The Bronx on Monday night, he will be enjoying some Pastry Shop ice and pignoli cookies while cheering on his nephew.
“To me he’s like a second captain on the team with his experience,” he said. “But that’s an uncle talking.”
