Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg dies at 65

Ryne Sandberg, an iconic player for generations of Cubs fans and a distinguished member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, died Monday at the age of 65 from metastatic prostate cancer, the team announced. Sandberg passed away at his home, surrounded by his family, the Cubs shared.

The loss will be felt deeply around Wrigley Field, where Sandberg’s No. 23 jersey is retired and his image is immortalized with a statue outside the legendary ballpark.

Often called “Ryno,” Sandberg turned himself into one of the best second basemen the game has ever seen. With an unassuming demeanor and a consistent work ethic, he earned seven Silver Sluggers and nine Gold Gloves. His all-around skills and steady production led to 10 consecutive All-Star selections, every season between 1984 and 1993.

In Chicago, a city obsessed with sports, Sandberg approached a level of superstardom that at the time placed him among luminaries such as Michael Jordan and Walter Payton. Though Sandberg was never part of the kind of dynasty that Jordan built for the Bulls, or a team as dominant as the ‘85 Bears surrounding Payton, Sandberg elevated the Wrigleyville experience to new heights.

Sandberg became a face of the franchise as Harry Caray vividly described the scene for the WGN superstation and the organization installed lights for night games at Wrigley Field. That momentum helped transform the neighborhood and preserve the classic ballpark, cementing it as a destination for both tourists and baseball aficionados.

The spotlight found Sandberg, who preferred to do his job quietly and focus on the team rather than individual achievements. He carried the Cubs during his National League MVP campaign in 1984 and remained a constant during some lean years.

The franchise’s championship drought, which would last for more than a century, limited Sandberg to only two postseason appearances, in 1984 and 1989. In those 10 playoff games combined, he batted .385 with a 1.098 OPS, showing the sense of calm and competitiveness that endeared him to longtime teammates.

“We know he’s getting called up to the real big leagues,” said Bob Dernier, who with Sandberg once formed what Caray dubbed the “Daily Double” at the top of Chicago’s lineup. “I love him like a brother.”

Born and raised in Spokane, Washington, Sandberg developed into an outstanding multisport athlete. Recruited by several major college football programs, he signed a letter of intent to stay close to home and play quarterback at Washington State before choosing baseball as his professional pursuit.

The Philadelphia Phillies selected Sandberg out of high school in the 20th round of the 1978 draft. He rose steadily through Philadelphia’s farm system, but he didn’t do much as a September call-up in 1981. Dallas Green, the ex-Phillies manager hired by Tribune Co. to run the Cubs’ front office, saw an opportunity.

Green, a World Series-winning manager in Philadelphia, insisted that Sandberg be included in the Iván de Jesús-for-Larry Bowa trade. That deal went down in January 1982, changing the trajectory of a franchise that would watch Sandberg put up nearly all of his career statistics in a Cubs uniform.

That impressive body of work — 2,386 hits, 282 home runs, a .285 career batting average, seven seasons with at least 100 runs scored, 12 seasons with double-digit stolen bases — made Sandberg part of the Hall of Fame’s 2005 class.

“If I had ever allowed myself to think this was possible, if I had ever taken one day in pro ball for granted, I’m sure I would not be here today,” Sandberg said during his Cooperstown induction speech. “The reason I am here, they tell me, is that I played the game a certain way, that I played the game the way it was supposed to be played. I don’t know about that, but I do know this: I had too much respect for the game to play it any other way.

“I was taught you never, ever disrespect your opponent or your teammates or your organization or your manager — and never, ever your uniform. Make a great play, act like you’ve done it before. Get a big hit, look for the third-base coach and get ready to run the bases. Hit a home run, put your head down, drop the bat, run around the bases. Because the name on the front is a lot more important than the name on the back.”

Sandberg’s speech resonated so much that the Hall of Fame chairman, Jane Forbes Clark, quoted it during this summer’s induction ceremony, when word of his condition had already begun to spread within the baseball community.

“There is not a man seated behind me this afternoon who didn’t play the game the same way Ryno did,” Clark said July 27. “It is that respect, character, sportsmanship, integrity and excellence that leads to just 1% of those who have ever played Major League Baseball to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.”

That attitude fueled Sandberg’s desire to become a major-league manager and help shape the next generation of players. When Cubs officials did not immediately embrace this idea, he made an unheard-of career move. He began managing the club’s Class-A Peoria affiliate in 2007, climbing the ladder to Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa over the next three years.

Sensing the next opportunity would not come in Chicago, Sandberg made the lateral move to manage Philadelphia’s Triple-A affiliate in 2011. By 2013, the Phillies had installed him as a third-base coach and then the interim manager. His understated style as a player and an instructor in the minors did not translate well in Philadelphia. That rocky tenure ended when he resigned in the middle of the 2015 season with an overall 119-159 record.

That timing pulled Sandberg back into the Cubs’ orbit as a team determined to make history marched toward the 2016 World Series. Being around that epic celebration mattered to Sandberg and other former players who envisioned what it would be like when the Cubs finally won it all.

A devoted grandfather, Sandberg maintained a home on Chicago’s suburban North Shore, so that he could stay close to family and be a regular presence at Wrigley Field as an ambassador for the Cubs. He disclosed publicly in January 2024 that he was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer.

That reveal coincided with the team’s statue plans and the 40th anniversary of “The Sandberg Game.” Those moments on national TV catapulted Sandberg, who went 5-for-6 with two late home runs off Hall of Fame closer Bruce Sutter in a wild 12-11 comeback victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. That performance put him on the map.

While guarded as a player, Sandberg opened up more during that cancer scare, sharing health updates on Instagram and welcoming the support. He had a different perspective than the second baseman with flip sunglasses and a pullover V-neck jersey, frozen in a defensive crouch.

“I’ve learned about the people in my life,” Sandberg said the day the Cubs unveiled his statue. “From my family to my friends to my neighbors to my teammates to the Cubs fans, it’s all about the relationships that I have with people. And there’s a lot of them, so it’s just a reflection on that. To see everybody here today, that’s kind of what I’m talking about — how special it is. I’ve felt it.”

Sandberg’s condition recently seemed to worsen. During the All-Star break in mid-July, his Instagram account shared an ominous message that thanked fans for their support.

“It’s been a challenging few months as I have been going through treatment on a regular basis,” Sandberg posted. “While I am continuing to fight, I’m looking forward to making the most of every day with my loving family and friends.

“I haven’t been to Wrigley Field as much as I hoped in the first half but I’m watching every game and am excited for the second half and to see Wrigley rocking like 1984!”

Cubs legends Jon Lester and Kerry Wood wore throwback Sandberg jerseys during that first series out of the All-Star break. Lester and Wood were part of the festivities for a marquee series featuring the Boston Red Sox at the Friendly Confines.

During the July 20 game against the Red Sox, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer joined the Marquee Sports Network broadcast. Sitting in the TV booth at Wrigley Field’s highest level, Hoyer looked out at the picturesque scene and gave a shout-out to Sandberg. The energetic crowd of 40,433, the modern trappings of a classically renovated ballpark and the parties on rooftop buildings don’t just automatically happen.

“I know Ryno watches our games,” Hoyer said. “On behalf of everyone, I just want to say a really heartfelt thank you. This atmosphere is so incredible right now. You look out on all these people and all this excitement. I think the ‘84 Cubs and Ryne Sandberg started all of that. Day baseball, WGN and Ryne Sandberg. That’s how this fervor got going. That’s how this national fan base got going. He was a superhero in this city.

“I can’t imagine a person handling their fame better, their responsibility for a city better than he did. All of us just owe him a debt of gratitude for creating this, and creating all those memories.”

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