CHICAGO (AP) — The ball from current Cubs first baseman Michael Busch’s first inning solo homer in a 6-2 win over Minnesota on Saturday was recovered in Wrigley Field’s right-field bleachers by former Chicago first baseman Anthony Rizzo.
Rizzo didn’t catch Busch’s 12th homer on the fly, but reached behind and picked the ball up off the concrete after it landed. Rizzo held it high in the air with a small boy on his shoulder.
Rizzo, a three-time All-Star who played 10 of his 14 seasons with the Cubs, took part in dedicating an arching, 31-foot wide “Champions Gate” on the west side of Wrigley Field before the game. It commemorated the 10th anniversary of Chicago winning the World Series in 2016.
Busch initially didn't know Rizzo retrieved the ball. He was told by catcher Miguel Amaya, who doubled in two runs in the second inning.
The notion of a previous Cubs slugging first baseman snaring the home run ball of the current one wasn't lost on the 28-year-old Busch, who homered 34 times last year. The 36-year-old Rizzo hit 242 regular-season home runs with Chicago and 303 for his career.
"I thought that was super, just like mind-blowing," Busch said. "Who knows how things work out, but I thought that was pretty cool.
“Just the 2016 team, what they did for this city and the championship that they brought was obviously a big deal," Busch added. "You could just tell from the fans how much they were loved and how much joy they brought to the city. And then Rizzo was kind of a cornerstone for them.”
Rizzo hit .292 with 32 homers and 109 RBIs in the 2016 regular season, then went on to add three homers and 10 RBIs in the postseason as the Cubs ended a 108-year championship drought.
Team owner Tom Ricketts, 2016 manager Joe Maddon and Rizzo addressed the crowd in a ceremony that included some 20 players from team. Maddon and the players returned to the field before the game and right-hander Kyle Hendricks threw a ceremonial first pitch.
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