Major League Baseball

Rizzo to the Rescue

Updated Jul. 17, 2020 6:55 p.m. ET

With the NBA, NHL, NASCAR and other major sports leagues and sporting events suspended or canceled, professional athletes are using their platforms to facilitate financial support for arena workers and those affected by COVID-19 across the nation. Each day, we will feature a philanthropic effort taking place in the sports world.

Just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit its stride, so did Anthony Rizzo.

Chicago Cubs' first baseman and 3-time All-Star Anthony Rizzo is supposed to be in his ninth season with the franchise, but with the 2020 MLB season currently postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, he'll have to wait for his next Opening Day.

Now, his attention is aimed at a different team: frontline healthcare workers in Chicago and Florida.

Rizzo is no stranger to difficult times.

After being drafted in the sixth round of the 2007 MLB Draft, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in the spring of 2008. He underwent chemotherapy for months and was cleared of cancer in November 2008. In 2012, he founded the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation, which supports families affected by the disease and benefits cancer research.

In addition, before landing in Chicago, Rizzo's first home was Parkland, Florida. He attended Stoneman Douglas High School. A school shooting at the high school in February 2018 rocked the nation, as well as Rizzo's hometown.

So with COVID-19 affecting the two cities he calls home, Rizzo has sprang into action, doing everything he can to support those that are the face of the fight: the hospital workers.

Rizzo is all in, and Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago is thankful to the 3-time All-Star for joining the fight.

He is also promoting local restaurants in Florida and Chicago who are trying to stay above water during social distancing.