Hall of Fame Ryne Sandberg He died at the age of 65. The Cubs announced the devastating news Monday night. Sandberg has been battling metastatic prostate cancer since at least January 2024.
“Ryne Sandberg is a legend in the Chicago Cubs franchise and a figure in the entire Major League Baseball. He is a five-factory player who excels in every aspect of the game because of his strength, speed and work ethics.
“Ryne remained active in the game he loved as an ambassador for the Cubs, a manager for the Phillies and in the Minor Leagues, and a frequent participant at the Hall of Fame. His many friends across the game were in his corner as he courageously fought cancer in recent years. We will continue to support the important work of Stand Up To Cancer in Ryne’s memory. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Ryne’s family, fans of the Cubs everywhere and their admirers in our national pastime.”
Bear boss Tom Ricketts issued his own condolence statement. “Ryne Sandberg is a hero of a generation of Chicago Cubs fans and will be remembered as one of the great men in the history of this historic franchise for nearly 150 years,” Ricketts said. “His dedication and respect for the game, as well as his unremitting integrity, courage, hustle and competitive fires are a hallmark of his career. He is proud of his teammates and his global ambassador to baseball games, but most are proud of Margaret, his children and husband, father, father and grandfather.”
Although Sandberg will become an icon in Bears history, he began his career in Philadelphia. The Phillies signed the Spokanes after the 20th round drafting in 1978, breaking away from their commitment to Washington State. Sandberg made his debut with Phils in the September 1981 Call, making 1-6 appearances in 13 games. His first hit, once Mike Krukow As a visitor to Wrigley Field, it will be the only one in his career as a Major League Baseball that doesn’t wear the Cubs uniform.
During the 1981-82 offseason, the Philadelphia traded 22-year-old Sandberg with senior shortstop Larry Bowa Go to the Cubs to the Outfielder Iván DeJesús. This is one of the best moves in the history of Chicago franchise. Sandberg played the season as their starting third baseman. He hit .271 with 33 doubles and 7 home runs, finishing sixth in the NL rookie of the year. Cubs win six All-Star Third Baseman Ron Thi The subsequent offseason was from the Dodgers. Sandberg will permanently move to second base by 1983.
He will continue to be one of the greatest positions ever. Sandberg won the Golden Gloves for his first full season at Keystone. Although he was mostly a highlight defensive power in ’83, Sandberg really attacked in his third year in the majors. He beat the National League with 19.314/.367/.520 and hit MLB with 19 three-pointers. He hit 19 home runs, two of which were shots in a future Hall of Fame game Bruce Sutter In the so-called “Sandberg game” against the Cardinals in June. His only hit in his career hit 200 times.
Sandberg won his second straight gold gloves and led the Cubs to a 96-win season and NL East title – the team’s first playoff berth in 39 years. Sandberg was voted for by the most valuable players on the Senior Tour. He reached .368 in his best in five NL Championship Series at the time, but the Cubs lost three straight games after leading by 2-0 and beating the World Series berth.
That was the first of Sandberg’s 10 consecutive All-Star Games. Between 1983-91, he won the Golden Gloves nine times in a row, while winning the silver medal outside of the 1984-92 two years. He hit .306 with 26 long balls and a career-high 54 stolen bases as a follow-up to his MVP season.
After a relatively average season in the mid-1980s Bats, he was one of the best batsmen in the Major League Baseball for four years. Sandberg ranked fourth in the MVP votes in 1989 and 90. He led the Cubs back to the ’89 playoffs, where he defeated his efforts against the NLCS Giants. The 1990 campaign was arguably the best of Sandberg’s career. He leads the National League with a career-high 40 home runs and scores in the NL with 116. He drove 100 consecutive times in 1990-91.
The Cubs signed Sandberg to enter the 1992 season for four years at $28.4mm. This made him the highest-paid player in Major League Baseball at the time, and his answer was a monster.304/.371/.510 with 26 home runs and 87 RBIs. He reached .309 in 1993, but started the 94 season very slowly. Sandberg announced his shocking retirement, which he retired in June, later explained that he lost the momentum of the game every day and felt that he would cause damage to the organization, fans and himself at less than 100%. He sat in 95 seasons before making a comeback, ending his career with two more seasons in Wrigleyville.
Sandberg retired permanently after his 1997 campaign. He ended his career with the .285/.344/.452 batting line. Sandberg scored 2386 hits, drilled 282 home runs and drove more than 1,000 times. He has more than 400 doubles, reaching 76 3-pointers and stealing 344 bases. He ranks fourth in Cubs history, fifth in home runs and seventh in running. According to baseball references, Hat Anson and Ron Santo Among position players, more wins were achieved in cub uniforms.
This production from the middle infielder is almost unheard of – much less from Sandberg and Sandberg’s case. Among second basemen, only Roberto Aroma Top with Sandberg’s nine gold gloves. He still ranked fifth in his career in his career, surpassing only Jeff Kent,,,,, Robinson Cancon,,,,, Rogers Hornsby and Craig Biggio. Sandberg was 11th in Bwar’s second baseman, while Jay Jaffe’s jaw score was a player’s professional value and peak season as an agent for his Hall of Fame candidacy.
Sandberg’s numbers compare to other Hall of Fame for the position. The vote took three years, but he was elected Cooperstown in 2005. The Cubs retired his #23 shortly after being admitted to the Hall of Fame. A year later, Sandberg took a management position in their farm system, hoping to eventually work hard to manage the franchise he starred in.
While this never passed, Sandberg did have a chance to manage his former team in Philadelphia. The Phillies hired temporarily after sacking Charlie Manuel in the mid-2013 season. Sandberg signed a three-year contract to hold the position permanently in the next offseason. He resigned during the 2015 campaign, when the Rebuild Club was 26-48 and the overall record was 119-159. He returned to the Cubs in a part-time teaching role and worked with the team during last spring’s training.
In addition to his live achievement list, Sandberg has received high respect from his teammates, fans and colleagues for his work ethics and humility. The Cubs will wear jersey patches and honor him for the rest of the season. His legacy will be far more than this year in the memories of generations of fans inside and outside Chicago. MLBTR joins others throughout the game to mourn Sandberg’s family, loved ones, friends and countless others.
Image courtesy of David Banks, Imagn images.
