The ball from current Cubs first baseman Michael Busch's first-inning solo homer against the Minnesota Twins 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.
"That was super mind-blowing," Busch said after the game, a 6-2 win for the Cubs. "That was pretty cool."
It's the second homer Rizzo has nearly caught over the past year. He was also in the Wrigley stands when designated hitter Moises Ballesteros homered during a game on Sept. 13.
Rizzo, a three-time All-Star who played 10 of his 14 seasons with the Cubs and retired from MLB last year, 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.
"You can tell by the fans how much [the 2016 Cubs] were loved and how much joy they brought to the city," Busch said. "Rizzo was a cornerstone. That's something that I won't forget."
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 Saturday in a ceremony that included some 20 players from the team. Maddon and the players returned to the field before the game, and right-hander Kyle Hendricks threw a ceremonial first pitch.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
