On Saturday, Anthony Rizzo will stand in front of the Wrigley Field faithful one final time as a Cub, retiring as a member of the organization he gave 10 seasons and a World Series title to.

Rizzo officially announced his retirement from baseball on Wednesday morning after an illustrious 14-year career, commencing an outpouring of love from Cubs fans who knew him as a franchise cornerstone.

Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts knew him as such, too. That’s why last month, he personally asked Rizzo if he would join other Cubs legends like Andre Dawson, Billy Williams, Kerry Wood and fellow 2016 teammate Ben Zobrist as an ambassador for the club.

Rizzo joined “Cubs Live!” on Wednesday to speak to Marquee Sports Network’s Cliff Floyd and Elise Menaker about how the next chapter in his life began to unfold.

[Watch the full, exclusive interview with Anthony Rizzo only on the Marquee Sports Network app.]

“I had dinner with Mr. Ricketts and (president of business operations) Crane Kenney, (wife) Emily, and our son,” Rizzo told Floyd and Menaker. “We were able to talk, and Mr. Ricketts invited us to retire a Cub. He asked what retirement looked like and I was telling him that I was pretty much done.”

Rizzo had not yet played in the 2025 season. He became a free agent at the end of 2024 when the New York Yankees declined his $17 million option. He originally signed a two-year, $34 million deal in November 2022 that included a third-year club option. The Yankees paid Rizzo the $6 million buyout.

“I think the timing of everything just played itself out. I let it play itself out,” Rizzo said of the decision to retire. “I was looking for a really good opportunity, obviously, to play, and it just didn’t come to fruition.”

Rizzo had an up-and-down final season with the Yankees, slashing .228/.301/.335 (.637 OPS) in just 92 regular-season games played. He missed over two months of the season from mid-June to early September with a right forearm fracture, but returned as the Yankees made a run to the World Series.

He went 6-for-14 (.429) in the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians, but had just two hits in 16 Fall Classic at-bats as the Yankees fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.

Somehow, Rizzo knew that could have been his last hurrah on the field.

“Last year, at the end and during the World Series and during the playoffs, I looked at Emily, I looked at my family, I said, ‘Enjoy this ride. I don’t know how much longer I have to give to the game,'” Rizzo said.

While he wasn’t playing this year, a major event also occurred in Rizzo’s life to ease him into his retirement decision: His wife, Emily, gave birth to their first child in late June.

“That made it so much easier,” Rizzo said of the birth of his son. “I gave everything I had on the field and off the field. So when the right opportunities didn’t arise, and we had the baby, just getting to spend so much more time at home and have this summer off, it’s been amazing, and it just all came naturally.”

Now, as Rizzo settles into dad life, he’ll also get to bask in the glory of leaving baseball as a Cubs legend forever. But first, he’s focused on enjoying a Cubs game at Wrigley Field as a fan for the first time, sitting in the bleachers surrounded by all the people who adore him as a legend of Chicago Cubs baseball.

“There’s no more stress,” Rizzo said with a smile. “I just get to enjoy a baseball game. I’ll have a hot dog, I’m gonna have a beer and I’m gonna really just take it all in.”