Anthony Rizzo made a career of catching baseballs at major league parks. Specifically at Wrigley Field, where he played 10 of his 14 MLB seasons with the Chicago Cubs.It seems old habits, especially those of a three-time All-Star who retired in 2024, die hard. Even back in the bleachers at Wrigley on Saturday, watching the Cubs’ second game of a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins with a baby in his arms, he was still collecting baseballs flying off bats.And it wasn’t even the first time he’s done so since retiring.
If we had a nickel for every time Anthony Rizzo's caught a Cubs home run in the bleachers, we'd have two nickels.
Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice! pic.twitter.com/XOAK3B1kFo
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 18, 2026On Saturday, a first-inning swing by Cubs first baseman Michael Busch sent a 402-foot home run into the right-field stands. In what was the first run of a 6-2 Cubs win over the Twins, the home run ball found its way into the right hand of Rizzo.“I saw it play (on the scoreboard) in between innings,” Busch told reporters postgame. “I didn’t know, and then (Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya) actually told me, ‘Rizzo caught your ball.’ … That was pretty cool.”Technically, Rizzo didn’t actually “catch” the homer.After Busch launched the ball at 101 mph off his bat, the broadcast camera panned to the bleachers, where a man in an iconic blue jersey with a red No. 44 on the back turned around and emerged with the home run ball in his right hand and a baby in his left arm. Nick Friedell, an NBA reporter with The Athletic and lifelong Cubs fan, said he happened to be sitting directly behind Rizzo and handed him the ball.
