Anthony Rizzo will forever be a fan-favorite in Chicago, and he’ll return to Wrigley Field for the first time since being traded by the Cubs when the New York Yankees come to town this weekend.
Rizzo has faced his former team before, but both series were at Yankee Stadium, with this trip back for the first time in more than three years giving fans reason to cheer the long-time Cubs star.
Of course, Rizzo’s resume with the Cubs is the stuff of legends. He appeared in three straight All-Star Games and finished in the top-five of MVP voting twice during his time in Chicago, but most importantly of all he hit 32 home runs and drove in 109 RBI’s for the 2016 squad that snapped the team’s historic World Series drought.
Rizzo also caught the final out of that Game 7, forever cementing himself in Cubs lore.
Since being traded to the Yankees in 2021, things haven’t gone exactly according to plan, but the slugger appears to be getting back on the right track. Rizzo has gone 3-for-13 with two runs and three RBI’s in his first four games back with the Yankees after being sidelined since mid-June.
Rizzo is slashing .224/.286/.343 on the season, but will still play an important role for the Yankees as they seek out a return trip to the postseason.
The series will get underway on Friday, with first pitch at Wrigley set for 1:20 p.m.