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Chicago Cubs great Anthony Rizzo showed exactly why he recently retired during the team’s 5-4 loss against the Tampa Bay Rays at Wrigley Field on Saturday.
Rizzo, 36, joined the Cubs as a team ambassador and threw out the ceremonial first pitch to former teammate Ian Happ to begin the day. Rizzo then went out to the left-field bleachers to enjoy the game and became a part of the action.
Cubs designated hitter Moisés Ballesteros ripped his first career home run right at Rizzo, who stepped up on top of the bleacher seats to make a play.
Instead, Rizzo reached up and dropped the ball, which deflected off his hand. He was shown on television appearing to say, “That’s why I’m retired.”
Rizzo, a 14-year major league veteran, said he planned to eat a hot dog, drink adult beverages and possibly throw a baseball to Happ in left field.
“I have one day to really live it up,” Rizzo said.
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The three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner hit .272 with 242 homers and 784 RBI in 10 years with the Cubs. He helped the team win the World Series in 2016 for the franchise’s first title since 1908.
Rizzo was traded to the New York Yankees as part of a sell-off at the 2021 trade deadline.
Rizzo and his family were visiting Chicago for the music festival Lollapalooza this summer when Cubs owner Tom Ricketts invited them to dinner, where they discussed the ambassador role.
“Getting traded was just such a whirlwind, heartbreaking, so many emotions and getting to play for the Yankees was so special for me,” Rizzo said. “I grew up a Yankees fan.
“To be invited back here where I really created my legacy is very special to me and very humbling.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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