Anthony Rizzo and his wife Emily Vakos are going to be parents!
On Thursday, Jan. 23, the New York Yankees player, 35, recruited his fur baby Kevin to help announce that he and Vakos are expecting their first child.
“Kev dog is gonna be a big brother!!!!” Rizzo captioned his Instagram message. He tagged Vakos in the post and added a series of blue heart emojis.
The single photo upload contained a picture of the couple’s dachshund sitting on a sofa with a scarf tied around his neck. Kevin’s new title of “big brother” was printed on the garment.
Draped on the back of the sofa behind Kevin were multiple ultrasound photos, a pair of baby’s shoes and a custom onesie.
Written on their unborn child’s clothes was “Baby Rizzo.” Underneath, the mom and dad-to-be added their expected due date of “June 2025.”
His teammate, slugger Aaron Judge, commented on the post, writing, “Let’s goo.” Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo also sent his well wishes, adding, “Dad Gang!!!🔥🔥.”
Rizzo and Vakos met in 2016 when the baseball player, a member of the Chicago Cubs at the time, was practicing during spring training in Arizona. Vakos was an intern with the team’s nutrition department, finishing up her last year at Arizona State University.
She told the Chicago Splash in 2017 that when the MLB star first tried to ask her out, she gave him a fake number. However, she said he was “relentless” in his approach, so she agreed to go out with him once her internship ended.
“The rest is history,” she told the outlet.
Following Rizzo’s 2017 proposal to Vakos, the couple tied the knot on Dec. 29, 2018 in South Florida, where Brett Eldredge performed for their first dance.
“I had a wedding beyond anything I could have ever dreamt,” Vakos told Modern Luxury of the ceremony in 2018. “It’s going to be perfect no matter what, because you’re marrying your best friend.”
More recently, the pro athlete and his wife participated in the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation’s 12th Annual Walk-Off for Cancer 5K in December 2023.
The non-profit organization was started in 2012 after Rizzo himself was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma cancer in 2008.
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“When I got diagnosed, I had the mindset of beating it and getting past it and then starting a foundation. Back then, the big thing was how (famed cyclist) Lance Armstrong did that. I wanted to do the exact same thing, and I did,” the World Series champion told Yankees Magazine in May 2024.
“It’s one of the most incredible things to witness,” Vakos said of his involvement. “You see the direct effect that Anthony has on these children.”
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