There are 162 baseball games in a season, and not all of them can be special. But Anthony Rizzo and a boy running races for pediatric cancer research made the Cubs’ 6-5 win against the Padres one of the good ones.
Matteo Lambert, a healthy 9-year-old from Vienna, Virginia, is attempting to run 33 races in 15 states to support kids with cancer. That includes Saturday’s Rock ‘n’ Roll 5K in Chicago’s Grant Park. The day before the game, he visited with Rizzo in the dugout and asked him for a home run to support his efforts.
Rizzo responded with a grand slam that provided the Cubs a 6-5 victory.
Down 3, Anthony Rizzo SLAMpic.twitter.com/2l4ShqOMIu
— Starting 9 (@Starting9) July 19, 2019
Message received
According to the Chicago Tribune, Lambert posted on Facebook after the grand slam.
“I asked Anthony Rizzo to hit a moonshot for kids with cancer,” he wrote. “He told me he would and just smashed a go ahead grand slam home run!”
Ask and you shall receive! #TeamRizzo pic.twitter.com/VAZdn1qewa
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 19, 2019
Rizzo’s personal connection
The story is especially meaningful to Rizzo, who beat cancer himself. Rizzo underwent treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2008, early in his career. He needed chemotherapy for six months, and his grandmother was battling breast cancer at the same time.
Rizzo hosts an annual 5K in his Florida hometown during the offseason to support cancer research, and so he was more than happy to help in Lambert’s efforts.
Yesterday I asked @ARizzo44 of @Cubs to hit a ‘moonshot’ for kids w/ cancer. He hit a game-winning grand slam. HERO! Today’s 5K was canceled by heat. Anthony wouldn’t give up, so I’m running in Sunday’s 10K to honor @Hopecam kids. Let’s do this! https://t.co/PbGgKdzA6y pic.twitter.com/jCpV3PRqI5
— Matteo Lambert (@MatteoRuns) July 20, 2019
