The last out of the 2016 World Series ended in Anthony Rizzo's glove, and then in his pocket. He kept the ball. That single image is why an Anthony Rizzo jersey still sells at Wrigleyville pace years after he left the North Side: the number 44 is tied to the night a 108-year drought ended.
Rizzo arrived from San Diego in a January 2012 trade, played ten seasons at first base for the Cubs, made three All-Star teams in blue, won four Gold Gloves and took the 2017 Roberto Clemente Award. Below is how the different Rizzo jerseys in our Chicago Cubs jersey collection actually differ, so you buy the one you will keep wearing.
The 2016 champions jersey: buy this if you were watching
Some jerseys are about a player and some are about a night. The white home look tied to the 2016 title run is the second kind. If you remember where you were for Game 7 in Cleveland, this is the version that means something, and it is the one Cubs fans reach for first.
Practical upside: white home with royal-and-red lettering is the cleanest Cubs colorway there is. It works with any cap in your closet and it photographs better in bright afternoon light than the darker options — useful, given how many Wrigley games start at 1:20.
Blue Cooperstown throwback: the everyday pick
The royal blue throwback is the jersey to own if you want something you can wear all summer without babying it. Darker fabric hides ballpark life — mustard, dust from the bleachers, an errant beer — in a way white simply cannot. The Cooperstown cut also runs a little fuller through the body, which makes it the friendlier layering piece for April in Chicago.
Cubs fans building an era shelf usually put Rizzo next to the club's other signature infielder, and our Ryne Sandberg Cubs jersey guide covers that side of the collection. If you follow the city rather than just the club, the Frank Thomas White Sox jersey breakdown is the South Side counterpart.
Special-event and fashion versions
Rizzo's Cubs years lined up with the league's holiday uniform programs, so there is a middle tier between plain home whites and full throwbacks. Father's Day, Memorial Day and Mother's Day jerseys keep the familiar Cubs shape and change trim and accent detailing — a good option if you want something less common without it reading as a costume.
The fashion cut is the other direction: a softer, less structured take on the same colorway, built for wearing rather than for looking authentic on the field. If you plan to wear the jersey open over a tee more often than buttoned up, this is the one to consider.
One note for collectors who follow players rather than clubs: Rizzo finished his career in pinstripes after the 2021 trade, so a Cubs 44 and a Bronx jersey are a natural pair. Our Derek Jeter Yankees jersey guide covers how those pinstripe cuts differ from Chicago's.
Getting the size right
Baseball jerseys are cut looser than football or basketball tops, so ordering up out of habit usually backfires. Three rules that cover most buyers:
- Over a t-shirt: order your normal shirt size.
- Over a hoodie: one size up, and lean toward the Cooperstown throwback, which already has room in the chest and sleeve.
- Between sizes: size up. A button-front jersey that pulls at the placket is the flaw everyone notices first.
Skip the guesswork: lay a shirt you already like flat, measure armpit to armpit, double it, and match that number to the size chart.
Care that protects the stitching
Stitched twill numbers are tough but heat is their enemy. Wash cold, inside out, gentle cycle. Hang dry — the dryer is what curls the edges of a 44 and fades royal blue toward grey. Wash the blue throwback with darks the first couple of times, and never bleach a white Cubs jersey; it eats the red trim before it lifts any stain. On patched jerseys, spot clean around the patch and keep the iron off it entirely.
Game day fits
The easy Rizzo look is the white home jersey buttoned over a royal blue tee, straight-leg denim, white sneakers and a fitted Cubs cap — bright, simple, and correct for a day game. For night games or a cool spring afternoon, wear the blue throwback open over a grey hoodie so the number still shows. Keep the rest of the outfit solid; Cubs blue and red already do enough work.
Browse the full range — white home, royal throwback, patched and fashion cuts — in our Cubs jersey collection, and pick the Rizzo jersey that matches how you actually watch baseball.
