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The Herald Scotland
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Ryne Sandberg, Hall of Fame second baseman, dies at 65
A 10-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove award winner, Sandberg blazed a trail in the 1980s for a wave of power-hitting middle infielders who would come along later. "Ryne Sandberg was a legend of the Chicago Cubs franchise and a beloved figure throughout Major League Baseball," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "He was a five-tool player who excelled in every facet of the game thanks to his power, speed and work ethic." At the time he retired as a player (for the second time), Sandberg held the major league record for career home runs by a second baseman with 282. And his seven Silver Slugger awards are the most ever at the position. Sandberg finished his career with 2,386 hits, a .282 batting average and 344 stolen bases. A native of Spokane, Washington, Sandberg was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies out of high school in the 20th round of the 1978 draft. He made his MLB debut in 1981 as a September call-up, playing in 13 games and getting a total of six plate appearances. That winter he was involved in a trade that would change the course of baseball history. With Sandberg seemingly blocked by veteran second baseman Manny Trillo and third baseman Mike Schmidt, the Phillies sent him, along with veteran shortstop Larry Bowa, to the Cubs for shortstop Ivan de Jesus. The next season, the 22-year-old Sandberg became the everyday starter for the Cubs at third base - before moving to second for good in 1983 and winning the first of his nine Gold Gloves. Sandberg was the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1984, hitting .314 with 19 homers, 32 stolen bases and a league-leading 114 runs scored as the Cubs won the NL East division title and reached the playoffs for the first time in 39 years. 35 years ago today. The Sandberg Game. — Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 23, 2019 That season also marked the first of 10 consecutive All-Star appearances for Sandberg. His best was yet to come. After leading the Cubs to another division title in 1989, Sandberg followed it up by hitting .306 and leading the NL with a career-high 40 home runs. He also led the league in runs scored (116) and total bases (344). However, the Cubs fell back into their traditional state of mediocrity, and Sandberg never again played in the postseason. After playing in just 54 games during the strike-shortened 1994 season, Sandberg announced his retirement at age 34. But after sitting out the '95 season, he returned to play two more productive but mostly uneventful seasons. Perhaps the biggest highlight was surpassing Joe Morgan for the most home runs in baseball history by a second baseman, a feat he accomplished in his final year. His career .989 fielding percentage was also a major-league record for a second baseman when he retired. Sandberg was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his third try, joining Wade Boggs in Cooperstown as a member of the Class of 2005. Even after his induction into the Hall, Sandberg remained connected to the game. The following year, 2006, he began his career as a manager with the Peoria (Ill.) Chiefs, the Cubs' Class-A affiliate in the Midwest League. From there he moved up the organizational ladder and was a candidate to replace the retiring Lou Piniella as Cubs manager, but the job went to interim skipper Mike Quade. Disappointed at not getting the job, Sandberg left the Cubs organization and caught on with the franchise that originally drafted him, the Phillies. After two years managing in the minors, he was promoted to the major-league staff in 2013 and took over as interim manager when Charlie Manuel was fired. Over parts of three seasons under Sandberg, the Phillies went 119-159 (.428) and never finished higher than fourth place. He resigned June 26, 2015, and eventually returned to the Cubs organization - where he served as a team ambassador and occasional color commentator on the team's television broadcasts. "His many friends across the game were in his corner as he courageously fought cancer in recent years," Manfred said. "We will continue to support the important work of Stand Up To Cancer in Ryne's memory."
Forbes
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Ryne Sandberg, Hall Of Fame Second Baseman And Cub Legend, Dead At 65
Wrigley Field marquee reads Ryne "Ryno" Sandberg 1959-2025 in honor of the death of Hall of Fame ... More second baseman for the Chicago Cubs. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) It has been a rough few days for '80s icons. First, we lost Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who, in the eighties, introduced the world to a middle-class Black teenager during a time his demographic was portrayed very differently in film and on television. Two days later it was Ozzy Osbourne, the hard-core, heavy-metal lead singer of Black Sabbath who found a second chapter on the eponymous reality show 'The Osbournes.' Then it was Hulk Hogan, the man who in many ways transformed professional wrestling in the last part of the 20th century. And yesterday, we lost baseball legend Ryne Sandberg, a player who, in the words of Joe Posnanski, 'changed the very meaning of Cubs baseball.' Ryne Sandberg was your favorite baseball purist's favorite baseball player. Unheralded out of high school, he had planned to play quarterback at Washington State. But Bill Harper, a seasoned scout for the Philadelphia Phillies, took a shine to the player, and convinced the club to both draft Sandberg in the 20th round and to give him a $30,000 signing bonus. In one of the great heists in baseball history, the Phillies traded Larry Bowa and Sandberg to the Cubs for Iván DeJesús. Bowa didn't do much for the North Siders, accumulating just 1.5 bWAR over three-plus seasons, but the throw-in changed everything. Sandberg came in sixth in Rookie of the Year voting in 1982 (another second baseman, Steve Sax, won it as part of a four-year run of Dodgers' ROYs). His sophomore year he won the first of nine Gold Gloves (all won in succession). But it was 1984 that put Sandberg and the Cubs on the map. The second baseman led the league in bWAR (8.5), runs (114), and triples (19, to go along with 19 home runs). He slashed .314/.367/.520, became an All-Star for the first time (nine more would follow in succession), won the first of seven Silver Slugger awards, and was named the National League MVP. More importantly, he led the Cubs to the National League East title, and within a game of the NL pennant (he slashed .368/.455/.474 in the NLCS loss to the San Diego Padres). 'Ryno' is probably best remembered for 'The Sandberg Game,' which took place on a sunny Saturday in June of 1984. The contest against the Cardinals was the 'Game of the Week,' which has special meaning to baseball fans of a certain age. Bob Costas and Tony Kubek were on the call, and they – and America – witnessed Sandberg go 5-for-6 with two home runs, 7 RBI, including two run-scoring singles, a game-tying homer off Bruce Sutter to lead off the bottom of the ninth, and a game-tying two-run dinger with two outs in the bottom of the tenth. The Cubbies ultimately won the game in the bottom of the eleventh on a Dave Owen single, but the day belonged to Sandberg. Ryne Dee Sandberg played 16 impeccable seasons in the major leagues. He carried himself with confidence, but not arrogance. He was humble to a fault. He ran out every ground ball, and was technically sound on every play at or around second base. He was a leader on the field and in the clubhouse. He hit 282 home runs in his career, 275 while playing second, which ranks third all time (behind only Jeff Kent and Robinson Cano). Sandberg is in the top-10 of essentially every offensive category for second baseman going back over a hundred years. On the defensive side, his nine Gold Gloves denote a player who is tenth in career fielding percentage at second. But that ranking belies the fact that he played four thousand more innings at the position than anyone else above him. After 'The Sandberg Game,' Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog – a baseball lifer not prone to hyperbole – said 'Sandberg is the best player I have ever seen.' Now, that may be open to debate, but his impact on the game and the Chicago Cubs organization are not. With Sandberg leading the charge, the Cubs won the division again in 1989. But, as impactful, consider that in the eight years prior to that 1984 season, Chicago averaged 1,267,670 fans. From 1984 through the end of Sandberg's career, that went up by 70%, to 2,161,129. Which set the stage for a Wrigleyville renaissance, wherein attendance has only dropped below 2.6 million one time (not including the 2020 season) in the past 26 years. Sandberg retired after the 1994 season, but the pull of baseball was too much for the Washington native. He rejoined the Cubs in 1996 and slugged 25 home runs while playing in 150 games. He put up similar slash numbers in 1997, but hit only half as many homers. That is when he decided to call it quits…forever. In his first year on the Hall of Fame ballot, Sandberg received 49.2% of the vote. The next year, 61.1%. In his third year – just like his third year in the big leagues – he made the cut. Garnering 76.2% of the vote, Ryne Sandberg was elected to the Hall of Fame. In January, 2024, Sandberg publicly announced that he was suffering from metastatic prostate cancer. He kept his friends and fans apprised of his struggles and treatment via social media, and that summer proclaimed himself to be cancer free. Unfortunately, last December he reported that the cancer had returned and spread to other parts of his body. While receiving cancer treatment in 2024, the fan favorite ventured back to Wrigley Field to attend the unveiling of the statue erected in his honor, which sits outside the park along with other Cubs legends, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, Ferguson Jenkins, and Harry Caray. Ryne Sandberg stands next to his statue at its unveiling last year. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty ... More Images) With Sandberg's condition worsening, Hall of Fame writer Jayson Stark reported that there was a great deal of sadness in Cooperstown this past weekend as fellow Hall of Famers braced for what was sure to be bad news. In fact, Jane Forbes Clark, the chair of the Board of Directors for the Hall of Fame began this weekend's ceremonies reciting Sandberg's words from his induction ceremony in 2005: That respect is a two-way street. Clark and Addison will never be the same. RIP, Ryno. Ryne Sandberg at Wrigley Field during his MVP season, 1984. (Photo by)
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cubs honoring former star, Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg with jersey patch
The Chicago Cubs are honoring former star and Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg throughout the rest of the season. The Cubs will debut a special patch on their jerseys on Tuesday night, one day after Sandberg died following a long battle with cancer. The blue patch on the left shoulder features Sandberg's number and his signature, and it will remain on the team's jerseys the rest of the year. Everyone in the Cubs' clubhouse wore special shirts to honor Sandberg on Tuesday, too. The Milwaukee Brewers are also planning a special moment of silence for Sandberg ahead of their matchup with the Cubs at American Family Field on Tuesday night. Sandberg spent nearly his entire MLB career with the Cubs, save for a 13-game stint with the Philadelphia Phillies at the very beginning of his time in the league. The fan favorite and former NL MVP made 10 straight All-Star appearances, won nine Gold Gloves and seven Silver Slugger awards before he retired after the 1997 campaign. Sandberg was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005, the same year that the Cubs retired his No. 23 jersey. The team unveiled a Sandberg statue outside of Wrigley Field last year, too, which was quickly covered in flowers, Cubs gear and other memorabilia after news of his death broke on Monday. After his playing career, Sandberg spent time coaching both in the Cubs and Phillies' organization, and he briefly served as the Phillies' manager from 2013-15, though he only completed one full season in that post. Sandberg died due to complications with cancer, something he was diagnosed with twice in 2024. He was first diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer, but announced eight months later that he was cancer-free. Then in December, he revealed that the cancer had actually spread to other organs in his body. "Ryne Sandberg was a hero to a generation of Chicago Cubs fans and will be remembered as one of the all-time greats in nearly 150 years of this historic franchise," Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement. "His dedication to and respect for the game, along with his unrelenting integrity, grit, hustle and competitive fire, were hallmarks of his career. He 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 a husband, father and grandfather. Margaret and their children and grandchildren will always be a part of the Cubs family. 'Ryno' will never be forgotten by the Cubs community and baseball fans around the world."
Fox News
a day ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Obama remembers Cubs great Ryne Sandberg as ‘class act who never cheated the game'
Former President Barack Obama was among the many that paid tribute to Hall of Famer and Chicago Cubs great Ryne Sandberg, who died this week after a long battle with cancer. The former president posted a tribute to Sandberg in a post on X early Tuesday morning. "Hall of Famer and Cubs stalwart Ryne Sandberg wasn't just a great baseball player – he was a class act who never cheated the game," the post read. "Everyone in Chicago – including White Sox fans – will miss him deeply." Obama, a known White Sox fan, invited the Cubs to visit the White House in the final days of his second presidency after they won the World Series in 2016. "I've only got four days left," he said during the ceremony, via The New York Times. "I made a lot of promises in 2008. We've managed to fulfill a large number of them. But even I was not crazy enough to suggest that during these eight years we would see the Cubs win the World Series." Major League Baseball announced Sandberg's passing on Monday. He was 65. "Ryne Sandberg was a legend of the Chicago Cubs franchise and a beloved figure throughout Major League Baseball. He was a five-tool player who excelled in every facet of the game thanks to his power, speed and work ethic. Ryne earned 10 consecutive All-Star selections, nine straight Gold Gloves, seven Silver Sluggers and 1984 National League MVP honors," Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "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." Sandberg was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer in January 2024. In August of that year, he announced that he was cancer-free after undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments. In December, he revealed that the cancer had returned and spread to other organs.
The Hill
a day ago
- Sport
- The Hill
Obama mourns Cubs great Ryne Sandberg: ‘Class act'
Former President Obama is remembering Ryne Sandberg as a 'class act' following the Chicago Cubs second baseman's death. Sixty-five-year-old Sandberg died Monday, the Cubs said in a social media post. The famed baseball player had announced last year that he had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. 'Hall of Famer and Cubs stalwart Ryne Sandberg wasn't just a great baseball player — he was a class act who never cheated the game,' Obama said on Tuesday. 'Everyone in Chicago — including White Sox fans — will miss him deeply,' he added. The former commander in chief, whose home city is Chicago, is a noted White Sox fan. But he's expressed admiration for the Windy City's crosstown rival before. Ahead of the Cubs' 2016 World Series win, then-White House press secretary Josh Earnest said of Obama, 'The president is a loyal Chicago White Sox fan.' 'But the president is also a champion of his hometown, and he has been pleased to see the Chicago Cubs play so well this year,' Earnest said at the time. In a statement, MLB commissioner Bob Manfred called Sandberg a 'legend of the Chicago Cubs franchise.' 'He was a five-tool player who excelled in every facet of the game thanks to his power, speed and work ethic,' Manfred said, recognizing Sandberg's '10 consecutive All-Star selections, nine straight Gold Gloves, seven Silver Sluggers and 1984 National League MVP honors.'
