Anthony Rizzo isn’t at first base for the Cubs anymore.
So it’s OK that he missed a catch in the second inning Saturday.
Improbably, as Rizzo took in the Cubs’ 5-4 loss from the Wrigley Field bleachers, he nearly caught a second-inning home run, but the ball went off his hand.
“He said that’s why he’s retired,” former teammate and Cubs left fielder Ian Happ joked after the game, “can’t catch them anymore.”
That unscriptable moment will perhaps be the lasting memory from an afternoon-long party at Wrigley, one that honored the legacy of one of the franchise’s modern icons, arguably the central figure of the group that broke a centurylong curse in 2016.
While fans cheered loudest when highlights from that World Series win played during a pregame tribute video, much of the conversation around Rizzo’s return focused on his off-the-field impact, talk of quieter interactions with fans who greeted him in airports, young cancer patients who signed his jersey, Cubs staffers who shared beers alongside stories and teammates with whom he went through the baseball wars.
“At the end of the day, we’re human beings,” Rizzo said. “The impact you have on other people’s lives as a teammate, as a leader, is the best thing you can do.
“What makes a great leader is really investing in your teammates. I just want to get to know them and then build a relationship with them.
“There’s guys from all over the world playing, guys who don’t speak the language. It’s hard to fit in. And it’s the leader’s job to make them feel loved, to make them feel comfortable, to make Javy Baez feel like Javy Baez and know that he is ‘El Mago’ and he doesn’t need to be anyone else.”
Talk of meaningful moments went hand in hand with talk of Rizzo as an eternal fun-lover, with Happ calling him “a very large child, in the best way.”
That’s the guy who showed up Saturday, and the energy he brought to the ballpark with him evoked those 2016 feelings.
Heck, Eddie Vedder was even in attendance and teamed with Rizzo for “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
But Rizzo is on to his next chapter, thrilled to be a new father and ready to be part of the Cubs’ family again.
The celebration on a sunny afternoon seemed a near-perfect start, one that, according to Rizzo, was made all the more special by a rainy Chicago morning.
“That was a good storm this morning,” he said. “Kind of symbolic. As a baseball player, you have to go through the storm. And those dark days were some of my favorite days as a baseball player, figuring out who you are as a person.
“Those dark days teach you, they make you grow. And when you have those sunny days, it should be a great afternoon.”
Concussion symptoms for Caissie
The Cubs brought outfielder Owen Caissie up from Triple-A Iowa and started him in right field, but he made an early exit with concussion symptoms after hitting his head on the outfield wall while making a catch in the third inning.
Caissie initially remained in the game, but the team removed him as the game progressed and he got worse. Manager Craig Counsell said the Cubs began the league protocols and will evaluate him moving forward.