{"id":92509,"date":"2025-09-14T00:21:02","date_gmt":"2025-09-14T00:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=92509"},"modified":"2025-09-14T00:21:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-14T00:21:02","slug":"chicago-cubs-fete-anthony-rizzo-in-retirement-ceremony-at-wrigley-field-he-made-a-big-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=92509","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Cubs fete Anthony Rizzo in retirement ceremony at Wrigley Field: \u2018He made a big impact\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Perhaps one of the reasons Anthony Rizzo has been loved in Chicago can be traced to a story his former teammate Ian Happ told.<\/p>\n

Happ\u2019s father, Keith, died of brain cancer in 2015 a little more than a month after the Happ family visited Wrigley Field while Ian was a prospect. On Father\u2019s Day 2017, Happ, a suburban Pittsburgh native and a rookie at the time, hit an emotional home run.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnthony and (former strength director) Tim Buss were the two guys who could not have been more happy,\u201d Happ said. \u201cThey knew exactly what was going on. They were aware. He (Rizzo) gave me a big hug and it was really a cool moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe always knew what was going on around him, regardless of what was happening with himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, the Cubs loved the first baseman\u2019s hitting and fielding during his 10 years in Chicago, but Rizzo\u2019s good-guy persona and tireless work with cancer patients resonated with fans and teammates alike.<\/p>\n

Rizzo officially retired as a Cub on Saturday and rejoined the organization as a team ambassador. His family surrounded him as he took pregame photos at Wrigley Field. He donned a jersey that was autographed by cancer patients he has visited over the years.<\/p>\n

Rizzo threw out a ceremonial first pitch to Happ, sang with Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder and model Cindy Crawford during the seventh-inning stretch while sitting in the bleachers. Oh, and while in those bleachers, the most beloved bleacher bum almost caught rookie Moises Ballesteros\u2019s first major-league home run.<\/p>\n

Rizzo, 36, said his family taught him the value of making people feel welcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, we\u2019re human beings and this is just a game,\u201d Rizzo said. \u201cI remember Happer being drafted and having his dad come out to see him take BP because he was battling brain cancer. He hits the home run on Father\u2019s Day and it\u2019s just an emotional day. His first Father\u2019s Day in the big leagues. His dad watching down. It was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

During Rizzo\u2019s tenure, the Cubs won a World Series in 2016, which he said had \u201cglobal impact\u201d that is still lasting nearly a decade later.<\/p>\n

Photos: Chicago Cubs honor Anthony Rizzo at Wrigley Field<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Rizzo was a hot prospect with the Boston Red sox and San Diego Padres before coming to the Cubs in 2012. He hit .272 with 242 home runs and 784 RBIs before he was traded to the New York Yankees in 2021. Injuries hindered his last two seasons with the Yankees, but he played five games in the 2024 World Series.<\/p>\n

Rizzo couldn\u2019t find the right situation in 2025 and with the birth of his son, Anthony Jr., he decided to leave the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can just wake up and do what I want,\u201d Rizzo said. \u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

44 things about former Chicago Cubs star No. 44 Anthony Rizzo<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But after all these years of playing the sport, he will miss parts of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one thing I missed singlehandedly was using multiple towels after I shower,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n

But he also misses the camaraderie of being on a team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI miss the guys,\u201d he said. \u201cWatching the game on TV, the game looks harder. I don\u2019t know how people think it looks easier from TV. I\u2019m so fresh removed from it, I know how hard it is to hit 100 (mph). Seeing guys throw that hard with the stuff they have, it\u2019s nice knowing I don\u2019t have to hit that anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Chicago
Former Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo sits in the bleachers while the Cubs play the Tampa Bay Rays at Wrigley Field Saturday Sept. 13, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saturday morning started with thunder, lightning and heavy rain. The afternoon was filled with sunshine.<\/p>\n

Rizzo thought that was fitting.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s symbolic as a baseball player,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to go through the storm and those dark days were some of my favorite days as a baseball player of figuring out who you are as a person. You can\u2019t appreciate the sunny days without the rainy days. I really live by that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose dark days teach you and make you grow and when you have those sunny days you have a great afternoon, and you get to enjoy it all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Editorial: Banks, Williams, Jenkins, Sandberg and, yes, Anthony Rizzo \u2014 all Cub legends<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Cubs manager Craig Counsell was managing the Milwaukee Brewers and watched Rizzo from afar but was still impressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had an incredible impact on the Cubs and the city of Chicago,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cAs I saw it, it was always Rizzo and (Javier) Baez were the heart of this thing and the engine of those Cubs teams \u2026 and I would put Jon Lester in there too. He just felt like he was impacting everything from its personality to its play on the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a real tribute to Riz. You don\u2019t try to do that, it\u2019s who you are. He made a big impact that way and you felt it from the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Close observers also admired his ability to enjoy himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s had fun playing baseball,\u201d Happ said. \u201cSome of us can\u2019t do that. We can\u2019t have as much fun as he has. He could keep it light and have a blast while he was playing. He is a large child, and I mean that in the best way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Chicago Cubs celebrated the career of Anthony Rizzo on Saturday, honoring the franchise great in a retirement ceremony at Wrigley Field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":92510,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[2227,282,3634,823,3633,200,2153,3635,1168],"class_list":["post-92509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-anthony-rizzo","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-cindy-crawford","tag-craig-counsell","tag-eddie-vedder","tag-ian-happ","tag-javier-baez","tag-jon-lester","tag-wrigley-field"],"yoast_head":"\nChicago Cubs fete Anthony Rizzo in retirement ceremony at Wrigley Field: \u2018He made a big impact\u2019 - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=92509\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chicago Cubs fete Anthony Rizzo in retirement ceremony at Wrigley Field: \u2018He made a big impact\u2019 - 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