Through it all, Sandberg said he felt the outpouring of love from fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe support has been tremendously overwhelming right from the first week, and it\u2019s continued throughout,\u201d he told the Tribune in June 2024. \u201cIt\u2019s just been incredible and I think that\u2019s been as much medicine to me as anything really.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his last public message to Cubs fans on social media July 16, Sandberg shared he had endured a challenging few months of treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile I am continuing to fight, I\u2019m looking forward to making the most of every day with my loving family and friends,\u201d he wrote. \u201cI haven\u2019t been to Wrigley Field as much as I hoped in the first half but I\u2019m watching every game and am excited to see Wrigley rocking like 1984!\u201d<\/p>\n
Known simply as \u201cRyno,\u201d<\/a> Sandberg developed into one of the game\u2019s best all-around players. The 1984 National League MVP won nine Gold Glove and seven Silver Slugger awards, earned 10 All-Star Game appearances and finished fourth in MVP voting in 1989 and 1990.<\/p>\n Column: Ryne Sandberg left a legacy at Wrigley Field \u2014 and the Chicago Cubs and their fans were better for it<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n His breakout 1984 season \u2014 a .314 average, 19 home runs, 36 doubles, 19 triples, 84 RBIs, 114 runs and 32 stolen bases \u2014 fueled the Cubs to the NL East title, ending a 38-year postseason drought. They lost the NL Championship Series in five games to the San Diego Padres, falling one win short of their first World Series appearance since 1945. The Cubs made only one more playoff appearance with Sandberg on the roster, in 1989.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Sandberg Game\u201d on June 23, 1984<\/a>, became the defining moment of his storied career. He hit game-tying home runs in the ninth and 10th innings off St. Louis Cardinals closer Bruce Sutter in an eventual 11-inning Cubs win at Wrigley Field. The Cubs unveiled a statue of Sandberg<\/a> on monument row at Gallagher Way in 2024 on the 40th anniversary of that memorable game.<\/p>\n \u201cSo very few games have a name,\u201d broadcaster Bob Costas, who called the game for NBC, told the Tribune in 2024. \u201cThis was a signature game of what turned out to be a Hall of Fame career.\u201d<\/p>\n When he retired<\/a>, Sandberg owned the record for most home runs by a second baseman with 277; he\u2019s now third on the all-time list. In 16 seasons, Sandberg hit .285 with 282 home runs and 1,061 RBIs in 2,164 games. His 68.1 wins above replacement rank third in Cubs history behind Cap Anson (84.8) and Ron Santo (72.2).<\/p>\n Sandberg hit 25 home runs or more six times, including a career-high 40 in 1990, and had back-to-back 100-RBI seasons in \u201990 and \u201991. His 344 steals rank fourth on the Cubs\u2019 all-time list.<\/p>\n But it was Sandberg\u2019s stellar defense, coupled with that power and speed, that set him apart and immortalized his name among the game\u2019s all-time greats. His statue at Gallagher Way<\/a> depicts Sandberg, sporting his flip-down sunglasses flipped up, in a slight defensive crouch while awaiting the next pitch.<\/p>\n He chose to be remembered for his glove instead of his bat.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of the things I wanted on the statue was being on the balls of the feet, being ready for every single pitch,\u201d Sandberg told reporters after the statue dedication. \u201cMy defense was very important for me. For me, it was \u2018Bring your glove every single day.\u2019 You might go into some hitting slumps, but as far as defense goes, as long as I did my pregame work, I wanted to play defense every day for the pitcher, for everybody on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n Column: Ryne Sandberg\u2019s statue dedication an emotional day to cherish for the Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Born on Sept. 18, 1959, in Spokane, Wash., Sandberg was a three-sport athlete in high school. He earned All-State honors in basketball, averaging 18 points a game as a guard, and was a Division I football recruit who was named to Parade Magazine\u2019s Prep All-America Team, receiving scholarship offers from Nebraska and Oklahoma before signing a letter of intent to play quarterback at Washington State. The Philadelphia Phillies drafted him in the 20th round in 1978, and he chose to pursue baseball.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know what I wanted to study, I couldn\u2019t picture myself working indoors, sitting behind a desk,\u201d Sandberg told the Tribune in March 1984 of bypassing college. \u201cPlus, I was told I could have a longer career in baseball.<\/p>\n \u201cI never thought it was a mistake to decide on baseball instead of football and college. But I thought it was going to be a long, hard road. They say the odds are that only one or two guys in A-ball will ever make it to the big leagues.\u201d<\/p>\n He began his career as a shortstop, working through the Phillies minor-league system over the next four years, and got his initial taste of the majors as a September call-up in 1981. Sandberg appeared in 13 games for the Phillies and recorded just six plate appearances, with his first MLB hit coming on a single at Wrigley Field.<\/p>\n Sandberg was 22 and playing winter ball in Venezuela when he learned the Phillies included him in a January 1982 trade to the Cubs centered around dealing five-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner Larry Bowa for shortstop Iv\u00e1n de Jes\u00fas.<\/p>\n The Phillies, unwilling to give Bowa a contract extension, looked to move on from the 35-year-old shortstop, though Bowa\u2019s 10-and-5 rights allowed him to reject any trade. The Cubs became an appealing destination for Bowa because of two people in the organization: former Phillies manager and then-Cubs general manager Dallas Green and former Phillies coach and then-Cubs manager Lee Elia.<\/p>\n Green wanted Sandberg included in the deal. He credited Cubs scouting director and former Phillies scout Gordon Goldsberry for hounding him not to make the trade unless Sandberg was part of it. Green described it as \u201cpulling teeth\u201d to get the Phillies to say yes on Sandberg.<\/p>\n \u201cI offered everybody else in the organization,\u201d Phillies GM Paul Owens later said of the trade, according to Rob Neyer\u2019s \u201cBig Book of Baseball Blunders.\u201d \u201cIt went around and around and around. I tried all the young players.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew we had them over a barrel,\u201d Green said in the Phillies book \u201cThe Good, The Bad & The Ugly\u201d by Todd Zolecki. \u201c(Team President Bill) Giles had already made the mistake of telling the world Bowa was gone. I kept saying, \u2018Since we were the Little Sisters of the Poor, we had to get a plus in the trade.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n A 1-for-32 start to his 1982 rookie season didn\u2019t derail Sandberg. The rebuilding Cubs stuck with the young infielder and continued to give him ample playing time. Two years later, Sandberg made his first of 10 consecutive All-Star Games and won the NL MVP award, getting all but two of the first-place votes. He credited manager Jim Frey, who took over before the 1984 season, for helping him refine his offensive approach and tap into more power.<\/p>\n The trade turned into one of the most lopsided deals in big-league history.<\/p>\n \u201cIt didn\u2019t take too long for that trade to not look so good, obviously,\u201d Sandberg said five years ago. \u201cBut at the time, I felt like I was a minor-league player and was given an opportunity to get to the major leagues somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n Whether his journey to enshrinement in Cooperstown still would have happened if he weren\u2019t traded, Sandberg, reminiscing in 2020, said: \u201cIt\u2019s almost hard to imagine that I would have, I can say that very comfortably. For me, the Hall of Fame career, everything just fell into place.\u201d<\/p>\n Photos: Remembering Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n With Bowa locked in as their shortstop after the trade, the Cubs shifted Sandberg off his natural position and used him as their everyday third baseman for most of the 1982 season. As the season progressed, the organization wanted to figure out its future infield. Second baseman Bump Wills was set to become a free agent in the offseason, and third baseman Pat Tabler played well enough at Triple-A Iowa to earn a call-up. Elia gave Junior Kennedy a look at second in July and August and then in September tried Sandberg at the position, where he held his own, posting a .993 fielding percentage in 24 starts.<\/p>\n Sandberg described the position change as a difficult transition given how comfortable he had felt playing third.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think you\u2019re going to see the stellar second base play (by Sandberg) that you saw at third for a while,\u201d Green said on Sept. 4, 1982. \u201cAsk anyone who\u2019s moved from third or short to second base \u2014 that\u2019s a tough move. But we might as well move him now than wait until spring training.\u201d<\/p>\n The Cubs kept Sandberg at second base permanently following the 1982 season. Bowa reported to the team\u2019s complex in early February before spring training for the duo to get a 10-day head start on building the double-play partnership with Sandberg, who lived in Arizona year-round.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s smooth,\u201d Bowa said in March 1983. \u201cHe\u2019s a good athlete and looks more sure of himself this year. Last year he was torn between where he was going to play. It has to ease his mind knowing he\u2019ll be at second base all year.\u201d<\/p>\n Sandberg promptly won a Gold Glove award in 1983. His nine Gold Gloves were the most by a second baseman at the time of his retirement since Rawlings created the award in 1957. It remains the record for NL second basemen.<\/p>\n Competing in the daytime Home Run Derby during the 1990 All-Star Game festivities at Wrigley Field \u2014 the first time the Midsummer Classic had been held at the Friendly Confines since 1962 \u2014 Sandberg\u2019s three home runs beat the rest of the eight-player field. The other hitters combined for two home runs in the event, which from 1985-90 featured two innings with five outs to hit as many homers as possible.<\/p>\n As one of the top all-around players in the game, Sandberg became the highest-paid player in baseball at the time by signing a four-year, $28.4 million extension before the 1992 season that paid him $7.1 million annually.<\/p>\n He announced his surprising midseason retirement at age 34 on June 13, 1994, citing frustration with his physical ability and offensive production. At that time, Sandberg was hitting .238, 51 points below his career average, with five home runs and 24 RBIs in 57 games and was in the midst of a 1-for-28 slump.<\/p>\n \u201cI am not the type of person who leaves my game at the ballpark feeling comfortable that my future is set regardless of my performance,\u201d Sandberg said that day. \u201cAnd I\u2019m certainly not the type of person who can ask the Cubs organization and Chicago Cubs fans to pay my salary when I am not happy with my mental approach and performance.\u201d<\/p>\n But after being away from the game for a season and a half, Sandberg came out of retirement after the 1995 season. During his time away, he and his wife of 16 years divorced and he remarried. Sandberg and Margaret would have celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary on Aug. 19.<\/p>\n \u201cI missed being at Wrigley Field, being in front of the fans and really being a part of the team and having fun. That\u2019s what I\u2019m going back for. I\u2019m looking forward to it,\u201d Sandberg told the Tribune after announcing his comeback in November 1995. \u201cI was a baseball player, I am still a baseball player. I don\u2019t think it really left me. \u2026 I did the retirement thing and I did the summer activities. I think it just got to the point that now is the time to go back and play baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n Sandberg played two more years before his playing career ended for good after the 1997 season<\/a>. He earned induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.<\/p>\n During his memorable Hall of Fame speech<\/a>, Sandberg preached the importance of respect \u2014 for teammates, coaches and the game \u2014 and doing the little things right. The theme of his speech notably came within the shadows of the steroid era.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen did it become OK for someone to hit home runs and forget how to play the rest of the game?\u201d he said. \u201cThese guys sitting up here (other Hall of Famers) did not pave the way for the rest of us so the players could swing for the fences every time up and forget how to move a runner over to third. It\u2019s disrespectful to them and to you and to the game of baseball that we all played growing up.<\/p>\n \u201cIf this validates anything, it\u2019s that learning how to bunt and hit-and-run and turning two is more important than knowing where to find the little red light on the dugout camera.\u201d<\/p>\n One month later, on Aug. 28, 2005, the Cubs retired Sandberg\u2019s No. 23, making him the fourth player in franchise history to have his number retired, joining Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Santo. Greg Maddux and Ferguson Jenkins were added in 2009. (Jackie Robinson\u2019s No. 42 is retired throughout the major leagues.)<\/p>\n Ten years after leaving the game, Sandberg\u2019s desire to become a big-league manager took him back to the minors.<\/p>\n His journey began when the Cubs named him manager of the Class A Peoria Chiefs for the 2007 season. After two seasons with the Chiefs, he earned a promotion to manage the Double-A Tennessee Smokies (2009) and Triple-A Iowa Cubs (2010).<\/p>\n \u201cI look at this as a stepping stone, so one day I can manage in the major leagues,\u201d Sandberg told the Tribune after he was hired to lead Peoria. \u201cThis is the start of what I need to do to prepare myself.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be talking to the players about my passion for the game of baseball and playing the game the right way. I have no doubt they\u2019ll be all ears.\u201d<\/p>\n Column: One game. One man. A million memories. 40 years later, the \u2018Ryne Sandberg Game\u2019 still resonates.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Sandberg departed the organization after Mike Quade was hired for the Cubs managerial vacancy following the 2010 season to replace the retiring Lou Piniella.<\/p>\n General manager Jim Hendry said in 2010 he was \u201cvery cognizant\u201d of Cubs fans hoping to see Sandberg take over the big-league team.<\/p>\n \u201cYou do what\u2019s best for the organization. At the end, we couldn\u2019t have had a bad choice,\u201d Hendry said then. \u201cThat\u2019s what made it hard for me. Forget about how great a player (Sandberg) was. I have a lot of respect for Ryne, and I get along very well with him.\u201d<\/p>\n Still pursuing his major-league managerial dream, Sandberg returned to the Phillies organization as their Triple-A manager and guided the Lehigh Valley IronPigs to their first playoff appearance and the International League championship series in 2011, resulting in Baseball America naming him its minor-league manager of the year.<\/p>\n The Phillies promoted Sandberg to their big-league staff as third-base coach for the 2013 season, then named him interim manager when they fired Charlie Manuel on Aug. 16, 2013. Sandberg did well enough in the role over the ensuing month to have the interim label removed and was given a three-year contract.<\/p>\n Sandberg became only the third Hall of Famer in the modern era to manage in the big leagues, joining Frank Robinson and Tony Perez, though the latter never spent a day managing in the minors.<\/p>\n\n
![\"Ryne](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/CTC-L-HIST-SANDBERG_SPT-102004-p2_181871417.jpg\")
Ryne Sandberg is congratulated by Chicago Cubs third base coach Don Zimmer after evening the score in the ninth inning with a home run against the Cardinals on June 23, 1984. (Charles Cherney\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n
![\"Fans](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/CTC-L-RYNO.jpg\")
Fans of Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg show their appreciation before the Cubs retire his No. 23 before a game against the Marlins on Aug. 28, 2005, at Wrigley Field. (Jos\u00e9 M. Osorio\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n
![\"Cubs](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/CTC-L-RYNE-SANDBERG.jpg\")
Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg tips his cap to the crowd in his final series at Wrigley Field on Sept. 20, 1997. (Bonnie Trafelet\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"Hall](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/CTC-CUBS-CONVENTION-0117-45_217951934.jpg\")
Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg acknowledges fans as he is introduced during the opening ceremony of the Cubs Convention on Jan. 17, 2025, at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk. (John J. Kim\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n
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![\"Phillies](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/CTC-L-RYNO-MANAGER.jpg\")
Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg watches from the dugout before a game against the Cubs on Aug. 30, 2013, at Wrigley Field. (Phil Velasquez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n