{"id":62025,"date":"2025-08-06T06:57:22","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T06:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/62025\/"},"modified":"2025-08-06T06:57:22","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T06:57:22","slug":"ryne-sandberg-cubs-icon-and-hall-of-fame-second-baseman-dies-at-65","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/62025\/","title":{"rendered":"Ryne Sandberg, Cubs icon and Hall of Fame second baseman, dies at 65"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ryne Sandberg, an iconic player for generations of Chicago Cubs<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

The loss will be felt deeply around Wrigley Field, where Sandberg\u2019s No. 23 jersey is retired and his image is immortalized with a statue outside the legendary ballpark.<\/p>\n

With great sadness, we share that Ryne Sandberg has passed away today. pic.twitter.com\/LJJ0jGqSy5<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Often called \u201cRyno,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

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 \u201885 Bears surrounding Payton, Sandberg elevated the Wrigleyville experience to new heights.<\/p>\n

Sandberg became a face of the franchise during an era in which 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The franchise\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know he\u2019s getting called up to the real big leagues,\u201d said Bob Dernier, who with Sandberg once formed what Caray dubbed the \u201cDaily Double\u201d at the top of Chicago\u2019s lineup. \u201cI love him like a brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sandberg is survived by his wife, Margaret, his children, Justin (Ashley), Lindsey (Adam), Steven (Megan), BR (Katie), and Adriane, as well as his 11 grandchildren: Joshua, Micah, Eli, Brooklyn, Owen, Nathan, Weston, Adalyn, Bode, Stella, and Roman.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The Philadelphia Phillies<\/a> selected Sandberg out of high school in the 20th round of the 1978 draft. He rose steadily through Philadelphia\u2019s farm system, but he didn\u2019t do much as a September call-up in 1981. Dallas Green, the ex-Phillies manager hired by Tribune Co. to run the Cubs\u2019 front office, saw an opportunity.<\/p>\n

Green, a World Series-winning manager in Philadelphia, insisted that Sandberg be included in the Iv\u00e1n de Jes\u00fas-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.<\/p>\n

That impressive body of work \u2014 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 \u2014 made Sandberg part of the Hall of Fame\u2019s 2005 class.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I had ever allowed myself to think this was possible, if I had ever taken one day in pro ball for granted, I\u2019m sure I would not be here today,\u201d Sandberg said during his Cooperstown induction speech. \u201cThe 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\u2019t know about that, but I do know this: I had too much respect for the game to play it any other way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was taught you never, ever disrespect your opponent or your teammates or your organization or your manager \u2014 and never, ever your uniform. Make a great play, act like you\u2019ve 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sandberg\u2019s speech resonated so much that the Hall of Fame chairman, Jane Forbes Clark, quoted it during this summer\u2019s induction ceremony, when word of his condition had already begun to spread within the baseball community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is not a man seated behind me this afternoon who didn\u2019t play the game the same way Ryno did,\u201d Clark said Sunday. \u201cIt is that respect, character, sportsmanship, integrity and excellence that leads to just 1 percent of those who have ever played Major League Baseball to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.\u201d<\/p>\n

That attitude fueled Sandberg\u2019s 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\u2019s Class-A Peoria affiliate in 2007, climbing the ladder to Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa over the next three years.<\/p>\n

Sensing the next opportunity would not come in Chicago, Sandberg made the lateral move to manage Philadelphia\u2019s 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 a 119-159 record.<\/p>\n

That timing pulled Sandberg back into the Cubs\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

For the rest of this season, the Cubs will commemorate Sandberg with a special jersey patch, remembering \u201cone of the all-time greats in nearly 150 years of this historic franchise,\u201d Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said on behalf of his family and the entire franchise.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis dedication to and respect for the game, along with his unrelenting integrity, grit, hustle, and competitive fire were hallmarks of his career,\u201d Ricketts said in a statement released by the Cubs. \u201cHe was immensely proud of his teammates and his role as a global ambassador of the game of baseball, but most of all, he was proud of Margaret, his children and his role as husband, father, and grandfather.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sandberg maintained a home on Chicago\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

That reveal coincided with the team\u2019s statue plans and the 40th anniversary of \u201cThe Sandberg Game,\u201d a nationally broadcast game in which Sandberg 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<\/a>. It was a performance that put him on the map.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI\u2019ve learned about the people in my life,\u201d Sandberg said the day the Cubs unveiled his statue. \u201cFrom my family to my friends to my neighbors to my teammates to the Cubs fans, it\u2019s all about the relationships that I have with people. And there\u2019s a lot of them, so it\u2019s just a reflection on that. To see everybody here today, that\u2019s kind of what I\u2019m talking about \u2014 how special it is. I\u2019ve felt it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement Monday, Major League Baseball<\/a> commissioner Rob Manfred described Sandberg as a \u201cbeloved figure\u201d throughout the sport and a\u201cfive-tool player who excelled in every facet of the game thanks to his power, speed and work ethic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manfred noted how \u201chis many friends across the game were in his corner as he courageously fought cancer in recent years.\u201d Sandberg\u2019s condition, though, recently worsened. During the All-Star break in mid-July, his Instagram account shared an ominous message that thanked fans for their support.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a challenging few months as I have been going through treatment on a regular basis,\u201d Sandberg posted<\/a>. \u201cWhile I am continuing to fight, I\u2019m looking forward to making the most of every day with my loving family and friends.<\/p>\n

\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 for the second half and to see Wrigley rocking like 1984!\u201d<\/p>\n

Cubs legends Jon Lester<\/a> 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<\/a> at the Friendly Confines.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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\u2019t just automatically happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know Ryno watches our games,\u201d Hoyer said. \u201cOn 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 \u201884 Cubs and Ryne Sandberg started all of that. Day baseball, WGN and Ryne Sandberg. That\u2019s how this fervor got going. That\u2019s how this national fan base got going. He was a superhero in this city.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Photo: Jonathan Daniel \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n