Anthony Rizzo Nearly Caught Cubs Player's First MLB Home Run

'That's why I'm retired,' Rizzo hilariously said in the crowd after this improbable moment.
Anthony Rizzo almost made an incredible play in the bleachers at Wrigley Field Saturday
Anthony Rizzo almost made an incredible play in the bleachers at Wrigley Field Saturday / Screengrab via Marquee Sports Netowkr
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Baseball has a funny way of bringing things full circle.

Cubs legend Anthony Rizzo was in attendance Saturday as he was honored in a ceremony at Wrigley Field Saturday and retired a Cub as he's set to become an ambassador for the team. He decided to take in some of the game against the Rays from the Wrigley Field bleachers. Unbeknownst to him, he picked the perfect spot.

Moisés Ballesteros, the 21-year-old Cubs designated hitter, smacked the first home run of his young MLB career on Rizzo's special day. In incredibly miraculous fashion, he hit the ball directly to the heart and soul of Chicago's 2016 World Series championship team.

Ballesteros took an inside fastball to the opposite field up and over the left-field wall. Rizzo saw the ball coming his way and stepped on top of the bleacher where he was sitting to try and make the play. The home-run ball hit him directly in the right hand and bounced two rows above where Rizzo was sitting.

He celebrated with the fan who ended up with the ball after the play as he appeared unable to believe what just happened, similar to the rest of us. Check out one of the most improbable baseball moments you'll ever see below:

"That's why I'm retired," he hilariously mouthed in the crowd after the play.

Maybe Rizzo can make an easy trade with the fan for Ballesteros to get the ball back.


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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.