Cubs reflect on Rizzo's emotional Wrigley homecoming

CHICAGO -- The last time Anthony Rizzo was in Wrigley Field, he walked through the outfield with his parents and wife, while his dog trotted through the grass. Rizzo stopped at the famous ivy-covered wall, spread his arms wide and leaned back into the leaves.

Three years later, Rizzo sat in the visitors’ dugout as a member of the Yankees -- his first trip back to the Friendly Confines since being traded at the 2021 Deadline. Ahead of Friday’s game in his old home ballpark, the former core member of Chicago’s 2016 World Series team smiled and reminisced.

“It’s cool to see the ivy again -- nice and green,” Rizzo said ahead of the Cubs’ 3-0 loss to the Yankees. “I’m just excited for this weekend.”

Cubs fans have had a string of these reunions with the old core favorites, but the chance to celebrate Rizzo took some patience. The wait led to a love fest at the mention of Rizzo’s name in the lineup announcements, and continued through the afternoon. That included a stirring montage video before the day’s first pitch.

As much as Rizzo is celebrated for being a key piece to the many playoff runs and World Series triumph -- he fittingly caught the final out in the historic Game 7 in Cleveland -- his decade with Chicago began with three rebuilding years. That is what stands out to Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner.

“He was able to be here through a rebuild all the way through a championship, and be at the heart of it,” Hoerner said. “I’ve always felt that would be the coolest thing I could be a part of here -- being a part of each phase from the end of the previous great team through some challenging years and to the next run of a lot of playoff baseball and championships, and all those things we strive to do.

“That’d be as satisfying as it gets, and he’s someone who’s actually done it.”

Rizzo said “probably” when asked before the game if he might shed a tear during the festivities, which a large contingent of family and friends attended on Friday. The first baseman said he saw the return receptions for core members like Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant, Jon Lester and Javier Báez, and knew he was in for an emotional day.

After the highlights from Rizzo’s Cubs career flashed on the video boards, the Yankees' first baseman made his way up the dugout steps to a rousing standing ovation. With his family on the field with him, Rizzo raised his cap to the crowd and turned to thank each section of the stadium. He later jogged out to center field to acknowledge the fans in the bleachers.

“When we were here, we turned a franchise from lovable losers to expected winners,” Rizzo said. “I’m removed [from it here now], but I know in New York the expectation is to win every day. That brings the best out of you.”

The Yankees are battling it out at the top of the American League East with the Orioles in this season’s final month. The Cubs got on a strong run in August and are trying to make up ground in the National League Wild Card race. The defeat against New York knocked the North Siders 4 1/2 games behind the Mets and Braves (pending their late games on Friday) for the third Wild Card spot.

The current Cubs roster has just one remaining player from the 2016 World Series team in veteran pitcher Kyle Hendricks. The careers of Hoerner and Ian Happ connect back to the last core group, and they are now part of the leadership structure. Happ said Rizzo’s fingerprints remain in the Cubs’ clubhouse.

“He was so important to me early in my career,” Happ said. “You learn from all those guys … that have been around it a long time that are great leaders of groups. You take little things from all those guys. Anthony was one of the biggest influences on that for me.”

Prior to his first at-bat, Rizzo’s old walk-up music (“Intoxicated” by GTA and Martin Solvieg) blasted from the ballpark’s sound system, giving the fans one last chance to clap along as the first baseman soaked in the scene.

“To hear the walkup song here at Wrigley,” Rizzo said, “[I thought about] all the years of guys going crazy in the dugout. And even looking at our dugout, they were pumped to hear the walkup song. To be able to do that is really cool.”

Rizzo said at the time of the trade -- one that netted the Cubs outfield prospect Kevin Alcántara (No. 71 on Pipeline’s Top 100 list) -- he could not have envisioned himself playing for another club. Three years later, he says he hopes to retire with the Yankees, noting that the move gave him a newfound perspective on life and change.

That was refreshing to hear for Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, who has known Rizzo since he was a 17-year-old prospect.

“I’m glad he reflects on it that way. I think I probably learned a lot, too,” Hoyer said. “That group of players meant so much to the organization -- Rizzo, as much as anybody. And obviously, it was brutally hard to trade those guys. I think it was really hard for the fan base.

“But it’s realizing that, in the end, I think it was ultimately the right thing for the Cubs in that moment.”