CLEVELAND — The Yankees entered the postseason with a problem at first base, thanks to Anthony Rizzo’s fractured fingers on his right hand and the inexperience of his replacements at the position.
Through their first six games of the postseason, it wasn’t an issue.
In Thursday’s 7-5, 10-inning loss to Cleveland in Game 3 of the ALCS, they weren’t as fortunate.
With lefty Matt Boyd on the mound for Cleveland, Aaron Boone went with righty-hitting Jon Berti at first after the veteran infielder performed well there in the ALDS despite never having played the position before.
And though Berti didn’t make any errors before being replaced by Rizzo for defensive purposes in the bottom of the eighth, he botched several plays, including one in the third inning that led to a run.
Rizzo, too, had a rough couple of innings after he came into the game, including on a Will Brennan double that got by him and into right field with one out in the eighth and an error on a Jose Ramirez grounder to open the ninth.
Neither runner came around to score.
Fry was stranded in the eighth and Ramirez was erased on a Josh Naylor double play.
Rizzo said his hand felt “pretty good” Thursday.
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It’s still been less than three weeks since he fractured the fingers when he was hit by a pitch a day before the regular season ended.
“I just want to be mindful that [Rizzo] is playing with broken [fingers],’’ Aaron Boone said before the game. “As good as it’s gone, I want to keep that going too if we can.”
Rizzo said he “felt ready to go … starting or off the bench.”
Boone also started Jose Trevino behind the plate for the first time since the regular season, again going with Trevino’s right-handed bat — and keeping the slumping Austin Wells’ lefty bat out of the starting lineup.
Trevino delivered a run-scoring single in the second inning, but also got picked off first and allowed Cleveland to steal a pair of bases.
Wells, like Rizzo, entered the game late, with Wells pinch-hitting for Trevino in the top of the eighth — and striking out twice.
The rookie catcher is hitless in his past 20 at-bats in the playoffs, but he and Rizzo figure to be back in the lineup for Friday’s Game 4, with Cleveland going with right-hander Gavin Williams.
If Rizzo can’t go, switch-hitting Oswaldo Cabrera would be the other option.
