Anthony Rizzo catches Busch's 12th homer at Wrigley
Anthony Rizzo caught Michael Busch's 12th home run of the 2026 season in the right-field bleachers at Wrigley Field on July 18, as the Chicago Cubs hosted the Minnesota Twins. Busch's 401-foot fly ball came on a 96.2 mph four-seam fastball in the bottom of the first with two outs, landing with the former Cubs star and his son.
Key Takeaways
- Michael Busch hit his 12th homer of 2026 to the right-field bleachers at Wrigley Field.
- Anthony Rizzo and his son hauled in the ball during Twins at Cubs on July 18.
- The blast measured 401 feet off a 96.2 mph four-seam fastball from Minnesota's Bradley.
- The Cubs noted it was the second time Rizzo has caught a Cubs homer in the bleachers.
What exactly happened with Anthony Rizzo and the Busch home run?
In the bottom of the first inning with two outs, Busch turned on a four-seam fastball from Twins pitcher Bradley. Per MLB.com tracking, the pitch was thrown at 96.2 mph with a 2,240 rpm spin rate.
Busch's contact was hard and true: a 101.6 mph exit velocity, a 28-degree launch angle, and a 401-foot flight to right field. The ball carried into the bleachers, where Anthony Rizzo was sitting with his son and hauled it in.
CubsHQ described the scene as something you could not script any better, with the ball traveling straight to Rizzo's spot in the Wrigley seats.
Why does Anthony Rizzo catching this ball matter to Cubs fans?
Rizzo remains one of the defining faces of the Cubs' 2016 championship era. The catch arrived during a week when Chicago has been marking the 10-year anniversary of that World Series title, a stretch that has brought alumni attention back to Wrigley Field.
The official Cubs account framed the moment with wry familiarity, noting that if they had two nickels for every time Rizzo caught a Cubs home run in the bleachers, they would have two nickels—and that it was strange it had happened twice.
For a fan base that still celebrates that core, seeing Rizzo share a Busch milestone with his son turns a routine first-inning homer into a viral keepsake. Moments like this also travel fast across highlight feeds and Future Tech & AI Wonders style buzz coverage that tracks what people cannot stop watching.
How rare was the Anthony Rizzo bleacher grab?
Home runs land in the Wrigley bleachers every summer. What made this one different was the recipient. Rizzo was not a random fan with a glove; he was a franchise cornerstone who once anchored those same Cubs lineups.
Busch's 12th homer of the season already carried scoreboard value in a Twins-Cubs matchup. Pairing it with Rizzo's second documented bleacher catch of a Cubs dinger gave the clip an instant second life beyond the box score.
Video of the play circulated through MLB and Cubs channels, locking in the image of Rizzo securing Busch's fly ball in right field with his son beside him.
What should fans remember from this Wrigley moment?
Remember the basics: Busch's 12th homer, a 401-foot shot in the first inning, and Anthony Rizzo closing the glove in the right-field bleachers. The numbers confirm how well the ball was struck; the reunion vibe explains why the clip spread.
It is a small baseball story with a large emotional payload—current Cubs power meeting a beloved alum in the seats where so many Wrigley memories are made.