Baseball Fans Mourn the Death of Hall of Fame Second Baseman Ryne Sandberg

Credit: Rick Stewart/Getty Images

Ryne “Ryno” Sandberg, who garnered respect from coaches, players, and fans for his gritty play style and otherworldly work ethic, passed away on Monday after an on-and-off battle with cancer. Sandberg was 65.

Sandberg has been dealing with prostate cancer since the beginning of 2024. In August 2024, he was diagnosed as cancer-free after a series of treatments. In December 2024, the cancer came back stronger and spread to other organs, but Sandberg remained positive in a time of turmoil, saying that he was looking forward to making the most of every day with my loving family and friends.”

Ryne Sandberg was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 20th round of the 1978 MLB June Amateur Draft.  A 21-year-old Sandberg would make his debut for the Phillies in 1981. He would be traded in 1982 to the Chicago Cubs as a player to be named later in the deal.

The Cubs had no idea who they were getting when Sandberg arrived in Chicago, but it is safe to say that Ryno was their best trade acquisition in franchise history.

In his first two seasons as a Cubs, Sandberg found consistency defensively, winning his first of nine Gold Glove awards in 1983, but struggled at the plate. 

In 1984, Sandberg would make his presence felt throughout the league. The Spokane, Washington native would slash .314/.367/.520 with 19 home runs, 32 stolen bases, and .993 fielding percentage. Sandberg also had his best career game in 1984. Sandberg went 5-for-6 with two home runs and led the Cubs from a six run deficit in front of a nationally-televised audience (NBC). Sandberg would become the first Cub to win the NL MVP award since Ernie Banks in 1959. 

Sandberg would not look back after his MVP season. He would be selected to ten straight All-Star Games, which is a franchise record. He would be nine-time Gold Glove winner, seven-time Silver Slugger winner, 1x MVP. He would retire with the career home runs by a second baseman in MLB history, with 275.

Sandberg also played the best when it mattered most. While he only made two playoff appearances in his 16-year MLB career, Sandberg was a .385 career hitter in the playoffs and only made one error in 84.1 innings at second base.

In 2005, Sandberg was inducted into the Hall of Fame on his third try on the ballot. He would just make the cut, receiving 76.2% of the votes by the Baseball Writers’. Sandberg had a first ballot Hall of Fame career and waited his turn without a grumble, that is why he was loved by so many.

In 2007, Sandberg would start his coaching career managing in the Chicago Cubs minor league system. In 2009, he would return to Philadelphia, this time managing in the Philadelphia Phillies minor league systems for two seasons, before being promoted to the Major League level. In August 2013, Sandberg would serve as the Phillies interim manager after the firing of long-time Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. He would resign as the Phillies manager in June 2015.

The Chicago Cubs will honor the late Cubs great for the remainder of the 2025 season, with a ceremonial patch on their left sleeve with Sandberg’s retired number “23” and signature.

“Ryno was a great teammate and obviously a great player,” Hall of Fame pitcher and former teammate Greg Maddux said in a statement. “He led by example on the field and a mentor off. I was lucky to know him.”

Thank you for reading!

Elias Meredith (@EAM_55)