The Chicago Cubs <a href="https://x.com/Cubs/status/1950004404104425975?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet">announced</a> last night that Hall of Famer and organizational legend Ryne Sandberg passed away earlier that day at the age of 65. Sandberg announced in January of 2024 that he had begun treatment for metastatic prostate cancer, and although he was declared cancer-free months later, this past December, he updated the baseball world that the cancer had returned and spread to other areas of his body.
Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 20th round of the 1978 MLB Draft, &#8216;Ryno&#8217; would make his big league debut for the club in 1981, appearing in 13 games and collecting one hit through six at-bats. The following offseason, he and Larry Bowa were traded to the Cubs in exchange for Ivan DeJesus, with the deal now being regarded as one of the most lopsided trades in the organization&#8217;s history.
What resulted was a 15-year career for the infielder, who amassed a .285/.344/.452 slash line with 282 home runs and 1061 RBIs across 2151 games played. Sandberg would also collect a .796 OPS and a 115 OPS+ while adding 344 stolen bases.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
With great sadness, we share that Ryne Sandberg has passed away today. <a href="https://t.co/LJJ0jGqSy5">pic.twitter.com/LJJ0jGqSy5</a>
&mdash; Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1950004404104425975?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The Washington product would earn consecutive All-Star honours from 1984 through 1993, and would lead the National League in runs three separate times (1984, 1989, and 1990) while also leading the league in triples in 1984 with 19. Sanberg would earn the MVP Award in 1984 as well, while also taking home seven Silver Slugger Awards.
A second baseman for most of his career, Sandberg was known for his defensive ability on the right side of the bag. He would accumulate nine Gold Glove honours for his efforts and led the league in assists over seven times. He would finish his career with a stellar .989 fielding percentage, making just 109 errors through 17231 2/3 innings at the position.
In June of 1994, Sandberg announced his retirement from the game and would not play in 1995. He would ultimately return to the diamond in 1996, spending two more seasons with the Cubs before officially retiring for good.
The Cubs legend would return to the organization in 2007, becoming the manager for the single-A Peoria Chiefs. Two years later, he was moved to double-A, taking over the Tennessee Smokies squad. Another promotion would follow in 2009, where he managed the Iowa Cubs. In 2011, he became the manager of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Phillies&#8217; triple-A affiliate, and eventually found his way to being the Phillies&#8217; interim manager on August 16th, 2013. He became the club&#8217;s full-time manager a month later, with the interim tag being removed, and would post a 119-159 record before stepping down on June 26th, 2015.
Sandberg would be named to the Hall of Fame in 2005, receiving 76.2% of the vote on his third year on the ballot. That same year, the Cubs retired his #23 in a ceremony at Wrigley Field.
A profilic hitter and a defensive wizard on the field, Sandberg currently sits third in Cubs history in bWAR (68.1), fourth in games played (2151), runs scored (1316), hits (2385), stolen bases, and doubles (403), fifth in home runs, seventh in RBIs, and ninth in walks (761).
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The Chicago Cubs <a href="https://x.com/Cubs/status/1950004404104425975?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet">announced</a> last night that Hall of Famer and organizational legend Ryne Sandberg passed away earlier that day at the age of 65. Sandberg announced in January of 2024 that he had begun treatment for metastatic prostate cancer, and although he was declared cancer-free months later, this past December, he updated the baseball world that the cancer had returned and spread to other areas of his body.

Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 20th round of the 1978 MLB Draft, 'Ryno' would make his big league debut for the club in 1981, appearing in 13 games and collecting one hit through six at-bats. The following offseason, he and Larry Bowa were traded to the Cubs in exchange for Ivan DeJesus, with the deal now being regarded as one of the most lopsided trades in the organization's history.

What resulted was a 15-year career for the infielder, who amassed a .285/.344/.452 slash line with 282 home runs and 1061 RBIs across 2151 games played. Sandberg would also collect a .796 OPS and a 115 OPS+ while adding 344 stolen bases.

https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1950004404104425975?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

The Washington product would earn consecutive All-Star honours from 1984 through 1993, and would lead the National League in runs three separate times (1984, 1989, and 1990) while also leading the league in triples in 1984 with 19. Sanberg would earn the MVP Award in 1984 as well, while also taking home seven Silver Slugger Awards.

A second baseman for most of his career, Sandberg was known for his defensive ability on the right side of the bag. He would accumulate nine Gold Glove honours for his efforts and led the league in assists over seven times. He would finish his career with a stellar .989 fielding percentage, making just 109 errors through 17231 2/3 innings at the position.

In June of 1994, Sandberg announced his retirement from the game and would not play in 1995. He would ultimately return to the diamond in 1996, spending two more seasons with the Cubs before officially retiring for good.

The Cubs legend would return to the organization in 2007, becoming the manager for the single-A Peoria Chiefs. Two years later, he was moved to double-A, taking over the Tennessee Smokies squad. Another promotion would follow in 2009, where he managed the Iowa Cubs. In 2011, he became the manager of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Phillies' triple-A affiliate, and eventually found his way to being the Phillies' interim manager on August 16th, 2013. He became the club's full-time manager a month later, with the interim tag being removed, and would post a 119-159 record before stepping down on June 26th, 2015.

Sandberg would be named to the Hall of Fame in 2005, receiving 76.2% of the vote on his third year on the ballot. That same year, the Cubs retired his #23 in a ceremony at Wrigley Field.

A profilic hitter and a defensive wizard on the field, Sandberg currently sits third in Cubs history in bWAR (68.1), fourth in games played (2151), runs scored (1316), hits (2385), stolen bases, and doubles (403), fifth in home runs, seventh in RBIs, and ninth in walks (761).

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Chicago Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg passes away at 65

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