Ryne Sandberg

Ryne Dee Sandberg was born on September 18, 1959, in Spokane, Washington, to Elizabeth, a nurse, and Derwent D. "Sandy" Sandberg, a mortician. He was named for relief pitcher Ryne Duren. Sandberg was a three-sport star at North Central High School and graduated in 1978. In the fall of 1977, he was named to Parades High School All-America football team, one of eight quarterbacks listed and one of two players from Washington. The school's baseball field was named in his honor in 1985 as "Ryne Sandberg Field," and his varsity number was retired in both football and baseball. Sandberg was recruited to play quarterback at NCAA Division I colleges, and eventually signed a letter of intent with Washington State University in Pullman. ==Professional career==

Draft and minor leagues Sandberg opted not to attend after being selected in the 20th round of the 1978 baseball amateur draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. In 1978, at age 18, Sandberg began his professional career with the Helena Phillies in the rookie-level Pioneer League. In his first professional season, Sandberg played exclusively at shortstop and hit .311 with a .390 OBP, one home run, 15 stolen bases, and 23 runs batted in (RBIs) in 56 games. Among his teammates at Helena were George Bell, a future MVP, and Bob Dernier, who later formed the "Daily Double" with Sandberg in Chicago. The three advanced through the Phillies system as teammates. Playing shortstop in 1979, Sandberg played for the Class A Spartanburg Phillies in the Western Carolinas League. In 138 games, he hit .247 with seven triples, four home runs, 21 stolen bases, and 47 RBIs. The Phillies soon concluded that Sandberg was not a successor to Bowa at shortstop. While Sandberg had played both second and third base in the minor leagues, he was blocked from those positions by Manny Trillo and Mike Schmidt. He was traded along with Bowa to the Cubs for shortstop Iván DeJesús prior to the season. The trade came about after negotiations for a new contract between Bowa and the Phillies broke down. Cubs general manager Dallas Green wanted a young prospect to go along with the aging Bowa. Green had been instrumental in the drafting of Sandberg in 1978, while working in the Phillies front office. The two remained close over the years. The trade is now considered one of the best (if not the best) in recent Cubs history. At the same time, it is considered one of the worst trades in Phillies history. Chicago Cubs (1982–1994, 1996–1997) 1982–1983 trophy, received by Sandberg The Cubs installed Sandberg as their third baseman, before shifting him to second base late in the season with the call-up of rookie third baseman Pat Tabler. Despite never having played third base before, he made just 11 errors in 140 games, After the Cubs acquired veteran Ron Cey following the 1982 season, they moved Sandberg to second base full-time. 1984 Sandberg emerged with a breakout season in , in which he batted .314 with 200 hits, 114 runs, 36 doubles, 19 triples, 19 home runs, and 84 RBIs. In 1984, Sandberg's runs and triples totals led the National League. The Cubs went on to lose in the National League Championship Series, 3–2 to the San Diego Padres. He was named the National League Most Valuable Player after receiving 22 out of 24 first place votes, the first Cub to do so since Ernie Banks' back-to-back honors in and , and the first for a second baseman since Joe Morgan in . The Sandberg Game In an NBC national telecast of a Cardinals–Cubs game on June 23, 1984, the Cubs trailed 9–8 in the ninth inning against future Hall of Fame closer Bruce Sutter, who would save a league-leading 45 games that season. Sandberg slugged a solo home run to left field, tying the game. After the Cardinals scored two runs in the top of the 10th inning, Sandberg hit a two-run homer against Sutter in the 10th inning to again tie the game. Cubs radio announcer Harry Caray described the home run: Following the home run, NBC play-by-play announcer Bob Costas said: "Do you believe it?". The Cubs won the game in the 11th inning on an RBI single by Dave Owen. 1985 In , Sandberg batted .305 with 26 home runs, 83 RBIs, 113 runs scored, and a career-high 54 stolen bases, joining the 20–50 club with his combination of power and speed. 1990 In , Sandberg led the National League in home runs with 40, becoming only the third second baseman to reach that mark; Rogers Hornsby and Davey Johnson hit 42, and no American League second baseman had reached 40 until Brian Dozier in 2016. Sandberg also batted in 100 runs, despite batting second in the order. His batting average did not suffer from his new level of power, as he finished at .306 for the season. Sandberg played in front of his hometown fans in the 1990 MLB All-Star Game, which was held at Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs. Sandberg won the Home Run Derby with three home runs over the left-field bleachers. Not until the Cincinnati Reds' Todd Frazier in did another player win the Home Run Derby in his own home stadium. 1991 In , Sandberg batted .291 with 26 home runs and batted in 100 runs for the second consecutive season. (Roberto Alomar later surpassed Sandberg, with ten.) 1992 On March 2, , Sandberg became the highest-paid player in baseball at the time, signing a $28.4 million ($ today) four-year extension worth $7.1 million ($ today) a season. He earned a spot on the NL All-Star roster and an NL Silver Slugger Award at second base with a .304 batting average, 26 home runs, 100 runs, and 87 RBIs. 1994 Sandberg, a notoriously slow early-season starter, found himself struggling even more so than usual early in the 1994 season. With his average at a career low .238 and having recorded only 53 hits in 57 games, 1996–1997 , 1996 Sandberg returned to the Chicago Cubs for the season, and re-signed with the Cubs for . In his final season on April 26, Sandberg hit his 267th home run to pass Joe Morgan and set a new record for home runs by a second baseman. Sandberg's final game at Wrigley Field and final career hit were on September 21, 1997. Sandberg retired with a career batting average of .285, and a record 277 home runs as a second baseman; ==Post-playing career==

Initially, Sandberg kept a low profile after retiring. In , though, Sandberg accepted his first marketing deal since his retirement, agreeing to be spokesman for National City Bank. He also appeared on ESPN Radio 1000 as an analyst during the baseball season. National Baseball Hall of Fame candidacy and induction Sandberg first appeared on the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for its 2003 round of voting; he secured 49.2% of the vote, short of the 75% required for induction. He climbed to 61.1% in 2004, before being elected in his third year on the ballot, with 76.2% of BBWAA writers backing his candidacy. Dawson went on to be elected by the voters in 2010, while Santo was enshrined by the Veterans' Committee in 2012. Number retirement {{MLBBioRet ==Managerial and coaching career==

Sandberg spent seven years as a spring training instructor for the Cubs. 2007–2010 player in 2008 On December 5, 2006, Sandberg was named manager of the Cubs' Class-A Peoria Chiefs in the Midwest League. In December 2008, Sandberg was promoted to manager of the Class Double-A Team Tennessee Smokies in the Southern League. In December 2009, he was again promoted, to manager of the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. Upon leading Iowa to an 82–62 record, the Pacific Coast League named him its 2010 Manager of the Year. Former manager Lou Piniella suggested that Sandberg, as manager of the Cubs' top minor-league affiliate, would be in the mix to replace him when he retired after the 2010 season, but the position was given to interim manager Mike Quade. 2011–2015 On November 15, 2010, Sandberg left the Cubs organization and returned to his original organization as manager of the Phillies' top minor-league affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. He led the IronPigs to their first-ever playoff appearance and the International League championship series. Baseball America named him its 2011 Minor League Manager of the Year. After the 2012 season, Sandberg was promoted to third-base coach and infield instructor of the Philadelphia Phillies. He was promoted to interim manager of the Phillies after they fired Charlie Manuel on August 16, 2013. Sandberg earned his first win as a manager against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday August 18, 2013. Philadelphia Phillies (2013–2015) On September 22, 2013, the interim tag was removed, and Sandberg was named manager. He was given a three-year contract, with a club option for 2017. He became the third player to manage a team full-time after being inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player, following Ted Williams and Frank Robinson. Sandberg resigned from the position of Phillies manager on June 26, 2015, with his team in last place in the National League East Division at a record of 26–48, the worst record in MLB. Sandberg ended his managerial tenure with a record of 119–159. Cubs ambassador In 2016, Sandberg joined the Cubs organization as a goodwill ambassador. In this position, he made public appearances at Cubs-related events, and attended Cubs games to meet and greet fans; he was an occasional color commentator for the team's telecasts on Marquee Sports Network. ==Managerial record==

Sandberg married his high school sweetheart, Cindy White, and they had two children, Lindsey and Justin. They divorced in July 1995. Sandberg married Margaret Koehnemann in August 1995. Illness and death In January 2024, Sandberg announced that he had begun treatment for metastatic prostate cancer. After months of intensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments, he was declared cancer-free in August 2024, but on December 10, 2024, Sandberg announced that the cancer had returned and spread to other organs. He died at his home in Lake Bluff, Illinois, On August 2, 2025, every Cubs player and manager Craig Counsell wore number 23 to honor Sandberg. Charity foundations Sandberg and Margaret founded Ryno Kid Care to assist in the lives of children with serious illnesses. The organization provided anything from "big brothers" (mentors and older companions) to a home-cooked meal. Ryno Kid Care also provided massage therapists and clowns dressed up as doctors and nurses to brighten the children's day. Ryno Kid Care's mission was "dedicated to enhancing the lives of children with serious medical conditions and their families, by providing supportive, compassionate and meaningful programming." Ryno Kid Care is no longer in operation. Awards Sandberg was inducted as a laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the state's highest honor) by the governor of Illinois in 2017. He was honored by a statue which was dedicated in 2024. The bronze sculpture is located at Gallagher Way, a park outside of Wrigley Field. His baseball achievements are listed and the text of his Hall of Fame plaque is part of the sculpture. ==See also==