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Cubs honor legacy of 2016 hero Anthony Rizzo, who celebrates retirement by almost catching homer

Related Topics: Anthony Rizzo, Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs

Kamil Krzaczynski/AP Photos

Anthony Rizzo isn’t at first base for the Cubs anymore.

So it’s OK that he missed a catch in the second inning Saturday.

Improbably, as Rizzo took in the Cubs’ 5-4 loss from the bleachers, he nearly caught a second-inning homer, the ball going off his hand.

“He said that’s why he’s retired,” former teammate and Cubs left fielder Ian Happ joked after the game, “can’t catch them anymore.”

That unscriptable moment will perhaps be the lasting memory from an afternoon-long party at Wrigley Field, one that honored the legacy of one of the franchise’s modern icons, arguably the central figure of the group that broke a century-long curse in 2016.