Giancarlo Stanton sends heartfelt 4-word message as Anthony Rizzo announces retirement after 14 MLB seasons

Former New York Yankees infielder Anthony Rizzo and his wife Emily attended the Bronx Bombers' series opener against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday.

Following the game, the former World Series winner announced his retirement in an Instagram post. Rizzo shared a clip on Instagram to commemorate his baseball journey.

"This game gave me everything. 14 years later, I'm retiring with nothing but gratitude," Rizzo captioned his post.

Veteran Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who shared the clubhouse with Rizzo from 2021 to 2024, dropped a heartfelt four-word comment on the post.

"You're the man Rizzy," Stanton wrote.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone reflected on his former first baseman's decision to retire after the team declined his mutual option to make him a free agent following the 2024 World Series.

"Obviously a great career," Boone said. "All-Stars, Gold Gloves, Silver Slugger, world champion, a key figure for us here these last few years. He's a great player and [had] a great career that he should be very proud of," Boone later added. "It was great having him here for for a few years and the impact he had on a lot of our guys."

Anthony Rizzo to become team ambassador for Cubs after retirement

Anthony Rizzo played 14 seasons in the major leagues with 10 of them coming for the Chicago Cubs. Rizzo was involved in the final play that helped the Cubs end their World Series drought in 2016.

Rizzo will retire as a member of the Cubs on Saturday and will take the role of team ambassador.

“Anthony Rizzo was the face of one of the most successful eras in Chicago Cubs history, and we are so excited he will be a part of our organization for many years to come,” Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts said.

Despite his decade-long association with the Cubs, Rizzo has fan-favorite status in the Bronx.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash