Funeral services for Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg will take place Friday, the team has announced.
The private funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. Friday, but fans will be given an opportunity to pay tribute to the legendary star with an event at Gallagher Way, located next door to Wrigley Field on the city’s North Side.
According to the team, the service will be shown on the videoboard on Gallagher Way, with fans encouraged to leave tributes to Sandberg at his statue.
“The Cubs organization is grateful for the continued support of Cubs fans and their expression of compassion during this difficult time,” said Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney. “Beyond his family, Ryno’s great loves were spending time with teammates and other Cubs players and interacting with Cubs fans. We hope this public tribute provides everyone touched by Ryne’s incredible talent as a player and person an opportunity to honor his legacy and pay their respects.”
The Cubs will also display Sandberg’s personal collection of memorabilia, which the team says is now part of the Wrigley Field archives.
Tickets will not be required to attend the event, but fans are asked to bring nonperishable food items, which will be donated to Nourishing Hope and Most Blessed Trinity Food Pantry, according to the Cubs.
For fans who won’t be in Chicago, the funeral services will air on Marquee Sports Network and streamed online.
Sandberg passed away in late July following a battle with metastatic prostate cancer, which had spread to other organs after his January 2024 diagnosis.
The legendary Cubs second baseman was drafted by the Phillies in the 1978 MLB Draft. He appeared in 13 games for the Phillies during the 1981 season, then was traded to the Cubs in 1982, along with Larry Bowa in exchange for Ivan de Jesus.
Sandberg then played nearly his entire MLB career with the Cubs, winning National League MVP honors in 1984 while collecting nine Gold Gloves and seven Silver Slugger awards. He was a 10-time All-Star and won the 1990 Home Run Derby at Wrigley Field.
In all, Sandberg hammered 282 home runs and drove in 1,061 RBI’s in his big league career, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.
He would later serve as a manager at various levels of the Cubs’ organization before being hired by the Phillies as their manager in 2013. He would manage 278 games, with a record of 119-159 before resigning during the 2015 campaign.