Baseball fans pour one out for the end of an era — Yankees ace Anthony Rizzo is officially calling it a career, and baseball fans everywhere are feeling all the feels. Fourteen seasons. Three All-Star nods. Four Gold Gloves. A heart of gold, a bat that could shake Wrigley, and a legacy that’s going straight into the Chicago Cubs’ history books.
A Farewell Fit for a Champion
The 36-year-old fan favorite is set to retire as a Cub — where else, right? — with an on-field ceremony at Wrigley Field this Saturday before the Cubs face the Rays. But don’t get too misty-eyed just yet, because Rizzo isn’t vanishing into the cornfields like it’s “Field of Dreams.” Nope — he’s sticking around as a team ambassador. That’s right, Rizzo will still be repping the Cubbies, just with a little less pine tar and a little more front-office flair.
Let’s rewind a bit. Rizzo didn’t just play for the Cubs — he became a Cub. After arriving in a 2012 trade, the guy basically became a cornerstone of the franchise. We’re talking MVP votes five years running. Thirty-plus homers in four of those seasons. And, oh yeah, helping the Cubs snap a 108-year curse and bring home that legendary 2016 World Series title.
From Cubs to the Yankees and Back
But Rizzo’s career didn’t end in Chicago. He spent his last four seasons with the Yankees — battling through a string of freak injuries, including a concussion, a fractured forearm, and busted knuckles. That kind of streak could demoralize anyone. He stayed himself, though, still showing up. Still leading. Still cracking a smile — and beers, apparently.
Yep, just days before retirement, the man was spotted chugging a beer at Yankee Stadium after cameras caught him mid-sip. The crowd went wild, of course. Classic Rizz — enjoying the moment, soaking it all in with a grin and a cold one.
He told The Athletic back in February that he still felt like he had more to give, but also admitted that the MLB isn’t exactly rolling out the red carpet for veterans these days. “Older guys get squeezed,” he said. And he’s not wrong — we’ve seen it before, and we’ll see it again. But there’s something refreshing about the way Rizzo owned that truth. He wasn’t bitter. He was just real.
Legacy Beyond the Box Score
Off the field, he made just as big an impact — launching the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation to support pediatric cancer patients and their families. For a guy who crushed homers and raised banners, he also lifted hearts. That’s legacy stuff.
So yeah, Rizzo might be hanging up the cleats, but the man’s never really leaving the game — or the city that made him a legend. Cubs fans, get ready to give your captain one last standing O. He earned every bit of it.
