Skip to content

Rizzo: 'I'm statistically the greatest leadoff hitter of all time'

Brad Penner / Reuters

Joe Maddon appears to have found his leadoff man.

After the Chicago Cubs manager made the bold choice of using power-hitting first baseman Anthony Rizzo as his new leadoff hitter Tuesday, the 27-year-old rewarded his skipper with home runs in two straight games.

Although Rizzo's home run wasn't enough to help his team defeat the New York Mets on Wednesday, as they fell 9-4, he spoke very highly of himself after the contest.

"I'm statistically the greatest leadoff hitter of all time, to lead a game off," he joked to ESPN's Jesse Rogers. "I'd like to retire right there."

Related: Cubs' Rizzo smacks 2nd consecutive leadoff HR

Rizzo appears to be so confident in his home run skills out of the leadoff spot that he even predicted he'd go yard to begin Wednesday's game before it even happened.

Since Maddon's change, Rizzo is 3-for-9 with two home runs, three runs scored, and four RBIs.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox