Ryne Sandberg

Ryne Sandberg was a graceful, powerful second baseman who redefined the position offensively and defensively for the Chicago Cubs.

Ryne Dee Sandberg was born on September 18, 1959, in Spokane, Washington, the youngest of four children of Derwent "Sandy" Sandberg, a mortician, and Elizabeth Sandberg, a nurse. He was named after New York Yankees relief pitcher Ryne Duren. A three-sport standout at North Central High School, Sandberg was named to Parade magazine's high school All-America football team as a quarterback in 1977 and led his team to an undefeated season and state championship, drawing a scholarship offer from Washington State University that he ultimately turned down to pursue baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies selected Sandberg in the 20th round of the 1978 draft, hardly a sign of the Hall of Fame career ahead. He debuted with Philadelphia in 1981, but the defining moment of his career came in January 1982, when the Phillies traded him to the Chicago Cubs along with veteran Larry Bowa for shortstop Iván DeJesús — a deal now regarded as one of the most lopsided in baseball history. Sandberg spent the next 15 seasons anchoring Chicago's infield, quickly establishing himself as the finest all-around second baseman of his generation. Sandberg's signature moment came in a nationally televised game against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 23, 1984 — forever remembered as "The Sandberg Game" — in which he hit two game-tying home runs off Hall of Fame closer Bruce Sutter in the ninth and tenth innings during a Cubs comeback win. That 1984 season, in which he hit .314 with 200 hits and 19 triples, earned him the National League MVP award and helped lead Chicago to its first postseason appearance in nearly four decades. Defensively, Sandberg redefined the standard for second basemen, winning nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1983 to 1991 while combining smooth, error-free fielding with genuine power at the plate — he set the career home run record for second basemen at the time of his retirement. A ten-time All-Star and seven-time Silver Slugger winner, Sandberg finished his career with 282 home runs and 2,386 hits, all but a handful of games spent with the Cubs. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Cubs retired his No. 23 and later unveiled a statue of him outside Wrigley Field. Sandberg went on to manage the Philadelphia Phillies from 2013 to 2015, and died on July 28, 2025, at age 65, after a two-year battle with prostate cancer.

Exceptional fielding, power hitting from second base

Hall of Fame second baseman, Cubs legend

• NL MVP (1984)
• 9x Gold Glove
• 10x All-Star
• 7x Silver Slugger
• Hall of Fame 2005