After a 14-year MLB career, Anthony Rizzo is retiring as a Chicago Cub. The team announced on Wednesday that the former All-Star is returning to the organization as an ambassador for the club, and will retire as a Cub during an on-field ceremony at Wrigley Field before Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Rizzo will join other Cubs ambassadors including Andre Dawson, Ryan Dempster, Fergie Jenkins, Lee Smith, Billy Williams, Kerry Wood and Ben Zobrist.
Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts in a statement: “Anthony Rizzo was the face of one of the most successful eras in Chicago Cubs history and we are so excited he will be a part of our organization for many years to come. His play on the field spoke for itself and was recognized with multiple All-Star appearances, Gold Glove Awards, the Roberto Clemente Award and, ultimately, being a team leader on the 2016 World Series championship team.”
Rizzo, 36, played 14 years in MLB including a decade with the Cubs where he made three All-Star teams and won four Gold Gloves. His biggest accomplishment was helping lead the Cubs to a World Series title in 2016 — the first for the organization in 108 years. Rizzo played his final 3½ seasons for the New York Yankees after being traded there in the summer of 2021.
Rizzo was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 2007 draft. He was later traded to the San Diego Padres in the deal that sent Adrián González to Boston; and made his big-league debut with San Diego in 2011, appearing in 49 games. That offseason, he was traded to the Cubs where he blossomed into one of baseball’s top first basemen. He posted four seasons with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs, earned three All-Star selections, and picked up four Gold Gloves along with a Platinum Glove. In 2016, he added a Silver Slugger Award to his résumé, and the following year he was honored with the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award for his community work.
His best season came in 2016, when he had a career-high 32 homers and drove in 109 runs. In that year’s postseason, Rizzo hit .277 with three home runs—including a memorable shot off Clayton Kershaw in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series—and knocked in 10 runs overall. His performance helped propel the Cubs to their historic World Series victory over the Cleveland Indians in seven games. Rizzo famously secured the final out by catching Kris Bryant’s throw across the diamond.
With 242 home runs in Chicago, Rizzo ranks sixth all-time in franchise history, trailing only Sammy Sosa, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, and Ryne Sandberg
Editorial credit: Conor P. Fitzgerald / Shutterstock.com
