Ryne Sandberg, the Hall of Fame second baseman who spent all 15 seasons of his playing career with the Chicago Cubs, has died at the age of 65, it was announced Monday.
Sandberg, a 10-time All-Star who was the National League MVP in 1984, announced that he had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer on Jan. 22, 2024.
He was a fan favorite in Chicago, hitting .285 for his career while amassing 282 home runs, 1,061 RBIs and 344 stolen bases. After his playing career, he served as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies from 2013 to 2015, going 119-159.
Sandberg was a fixture for the Cubs at spring training and Wrigley Field over the years, providing guidance for young infielders while being an ambassador for the team. He has appeared as a pregame and postgame analyst in various mediums as well.
The Cubs unveiled a statue of Sandberg outside of Wrigley Field on June 23, 2024 -- the 40th anniversary of the "Sandberg Game" in which he hit game-tying home runs in the bottom of the ninth and 10th innings and had 7 RBIs in Chicago's 11-inning, 12-11 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Sandberg joined the team in 1982, stealing 32 bases. He led the way in 1984 as the Cubs won the division title. That season, he led the league in triples (19) and runs scored (114) while hitting .314 with 19 home runs. He also won the second of his nine consecutive Gold Glove awards.
In 1990, Sandberg hit 40 home runs, becoming just the third primary second baseman to reach that plateau.
He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.
ESPN's Jesse Rogers contributed to this report.
