Ryne Dee Sandberg (born September 18, 1959), nicknamed "Ryno", is an American former professional baseball player,

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

, and manager. He played sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

(1981) and the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

(1982–1994, 1996–1997). Sandberg established himself as a perennial All-Star and Gold Glove candidate, making ten consecutive All-Star appearances and winning nine consecutive Gold Gloves from to . His career .989

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

was a major-league record at second base when he retired in 1997. He has the most Silver Slugger Awards for a second baseman with seven. Sandberg was elected to the

National Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

in January

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; he was formally inducted in ceremonies on July 31, 2005. He resigned from his managerial duties for the Phillies on June 26, 2015, and was succeeded by

Pete Mackanin Peter Mackanin, Jr. (pronounced ; born August 1, 1951), is an American former professional baseball utility player, coach, scout, and manager, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Montreal Expos, Philadelphia Phillies ...

Early life

Born and raised in Spokane, Washington, Sandberg's parents were Elizabeth, a nurse, and Derwent D. "Sandy" Sandberg, a mortician. He was named for relief pitcher Ryne Duren. Sandberg was a three-sport star in high school at North Central and graduated in 1978. The previous fall he was named to ''

Parade Magazine ''Parade'' was an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 700 newspapers in the United States until 2022. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., ''Parade'' had a circulation of 32 million and a readership of 5 ...

s High School All-America football team, one of the eight quarterbacks, and one of two players from the state of 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. He opted not to attend after being selected in the 20th round of the 1978 baseball amateur draft by the

.Kepner, Tyler
Hall of Famer's Slow Road to a Major League Bench
New York Times, 2010-08-09.

Minor leagues

Sandberg was reportedly drafted after Bill Harper and Wilbur “Moose” Johnson, both Philadelphia Phillies scouts, persuaded Phillies director of scouting Dallas Green to draft Sandberg, despite his college football commitment. After the Phillies drafted Sandberg, Harper reportedly met with Sandberg, his parents, and brother Del at the Sandberg home. "His parents, particularly his mother, were very concerned about Ryne going to college and getting an education," Harper recalled. Sandberg reportedly received a $20,000 bonus, accepting the offer after taking a walk with his brother during the meeting. In 1978, at age 18, Sandberg began his professional career after being drafted by the Phillies. Sandberg played for the

Helena Phillies Helena may refer to: People *Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer *Helena, mother of Constantine I Places Greece * Helena (island) Guyana * ...

in the Rookie level Pioneer League. In his first professional season, Sandberg played exclusively at shortstop and hit .311 with a .390 OBP, 1 home run, 15 stolen bases and 23 RBI in 56 games. Among his teammates at Helena were

George Bell George Bell may refer to: Law and politics * George Joseph Bell (1770–1843), Scottish jurist and legal author * George Alexander Bell (1856–1927), Canadian pioneer and Saskatchewan politician * George Bell (Canadian politician) (1869–1940) ...

, a future MVP, and

Bob Dernier Robert Eugene Dernier (born January 5, 1957), also known as "Bobby", is an American former professional baseball center fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs, in the 1980s. The fleet-afoo ...

, who would later form the "Daily Double" with Sandberg in Chicago. The three would advance through the Phillies system as teammates. Remaining at shortstop in 1979, Sandberg played for the Class A level Spartanburg Phillies in the Western Carolinas League. In 138 games, Sandberg hit .247 with 7 triples, 4 home runs, 21 stolen bases and 47 RBI. Sandberg played for the Class AA level Reading Phillies of the Eastern League in 1980. With Reading, Sandberg hit .310, with a .403 OBP, 12 triples, 32 stolen bases, 11 home runs and 79 RBI. Playing in 129 games for Reading, Sandberg drew 73 bases on balls against 72 strikeouts. In the field, Sandberg played 120 games at shortstop and 4 at third base. Sandberg was selected to the Eastern League All-Star team Advancing to the Class AAA level Oklahoma City 89ers in 1981, Sandberg played 133 games before being called up by the Philadelphia Phillies. With Oklahoma City, Sandberg remained primarily at shortstop while playing 17 games at second base. Sandberg hit .293, with a .352 OBP, 32 stolen bases, 9 home runs and 62 RBI.

Philadelphia Phillies

Sandberg made his major-league debut as a shortstop for the Phillies in . Playing in 13 games, Sandberg had one hit in six at-bats for a .167 batting average during his brief stint with the team. The one hit occurred at Wrigley Field using a bat borrowed from starting shortstop Larry Bowa. The Phillies soon concluded that Sandburg 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, now reckoned as one of the most lopsided deals in baseball history, 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 (as it turned out, Bowa's playing career ended after the 1985 season). 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. Years later, Phillies general manager Paul Owens said that he hadn't wanted to trade Sandberg, but Green and the Cubs weren't interested in any of the other prospects he offered. Owens then went back to his scouts, who said Sandberg wouldn't be any more than a utility infielder. However, Sandberg had hit over .290 in the minors two years in a row. 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. Whie DeJesus helped anchor the Phillies infield on their way to the

1983 World Series The 1983 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1983 season. The 80th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League champion Baltimore Orioles and the National ...

, he lasted only three years in Philadelphia, and was out of baseball by 1988. Sandberg is one of two Hall of Famers who came up through the Phillies farm system and earned their Hall of Fame credentials primarily as Cubs, the other being Ferguson Jenkins. Similarly, Jenkins, then age 23, was traded to the Cubs in another trade that ended up heavily favoring the Cubs, a multi-player trade for 1960s workhorse pitcher Larry Jackson, then age 35, and

Bob Buhl Robert Ray Buhl (August 12, 1928 – February 16, 2001) was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played with the Milwaukee Braves (1953–69), Milwaukee Braves, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Phillies. A native o ...

, then age 37, whose best days were behind him.

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs, who initially wanted Sandberg to play center field, installed him as their third baseman, and he went on to be one of the top-rated rookies of 1982. After the Cubs acquired veteran Ron Cey following the 1982 season, they moved Sandberg to second base, where he became a star.

1984

After winning a

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

in his first season at the new position, Sandberg emerged with a breakout season in , in which he batted .314 with 200 hits, 114 runs, 36 doubles, 19 triples, 19 homers, and 84 RBIs. Bob Dernier was the leadoff hitter and gold glove center fielder for the Cubs in 1984, while Sandberg batted second. The pair was dubbed "The Daily Double" by Cubs announcer Harry Caray. In 1984 Sandberg's runs and triples totals led the National League. He nearly became only the third player to collect 20 doubles, triples, home runs, and

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s in the same season, led the Cubs to the National League's Eastern Division title (their first championship of ''any'' kind since

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...

), and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award, the first by a Cub since Ernie Banks' back-to-back honors in and . After his great season in which he garnered national attention, he wrote an autobiography ''Ryno'' with Fred Mitchell.

"The Sandberg Game"

One game in particular was cited for putting Sandberg (as well as the 1984 Cubs in general) "on the map", an NBC national telecast of a Cardinals–Cubs game on June 23, . The Cubs had been playing well throughout the season's first few months, but as a team unaccustomed to winning, they had not yet become a serious contender in the eyes of most baseball fans. As for Sandberg, he had played two full seasons in the major leagues, and while he had shown himself to be a top-fielding second baseman and fast on the basepaths (over 30 stolen bases both seasons), his .260-ish batting average and single-digit home run production were respectable for his position but not especially noteworthy, and Sandberg was not talked about outside Chicago. The ''Game of the Week'', however, put the sleeper Cubs on the national stage against their regional rival, the St. Louis Cardinals. Both teams were well-established franchises with strong fan bases outside the Chicago and St. Louis areas. In the ninth inning, the Cubs trailed 9–8, and faced the premier relief pitcher of the time,

Bruce Sutter Howard Bruce Sutter (; January 8, 1953 – October 13, 2022) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1976 and 1988. He was one of the sport's dominant relievers in the late 1970 ...

. Sutter was at the forefront of the emergence of the closer in the late 1970s and early 1980s and was especially dominant in 1984, saving 45 games. However, in the ninth inning, Sandberg, not yet known for his power, slugged a solo home run to left field against the Cardinals' ace closer, tying the game. Answering this dramatic act, the Cardinals scored two runs in the top of the tenth. Sandberg came up again in the tenth inning, facing a determined Sutter with a man on base. As Cubs' radio announcer Harry Caray described it: The Cubs went on to win in the 11th inning, with the winning run being driven in by a single off the bat of Dave Owen. The Cardinals' Willie McGee, who hit for the cycle during the game, had already been named NBC's Player of the Game before Sandberg's first home run; Sandberg later shared that distinction with McGee. As NBC play-by-play announcer Bob Costas, who called the game with Tony Kubek, said when Sandberg hit the second home run, "Do you believe it?!" The game is known as "The Sandberg Game".

1985

In , Sandberg batted .305 with 26 home runs, 83 RBIs, 113 runs scored and a career-high 54 stolen bases.

1990

In , Sandberg led the National League in home runs–a rarity for a second baseman–with 40. Sandberg was only the third second baseman to hit 40 home runs; Rogers Hornsby and Davey Johnson hit 42, and no American League second baseman had reached forty 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, Brady Anderson and

Barry Bonds Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Bonds was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1992 and the San Francisco Giants f ...

are the only players to have both a 40-homer (1990) and 50-steal () season during their careers. Sandberg played a then major league-record 123 straight games at second base without an error. This record was later broken in 2007 by Plácido Polanco, then of the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. Sandberg played in front of his hometown fans in the 1990 MLB All-Star Game which was held in 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 The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

' Todd Frazier in did another player win the Home Run Derby in his home stadium.

1991

In , Sandberg batted .291 with 26 home runs and batted in 100 runs for the second consecutive season. He also won his ninth consecutive Gold Glove at second base, breaking a tie he had shared with Bill Mazeroski for most Gold Gloves at that position ( Roberto Alomar has since broken this record).

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 runs batted in.

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, Sandberg decided to step away from baseball, and on June 13, 1994, he announced his retirement. In his book, ''Second to Home'', Sandberg said,

1996–1997

Sandberg returned to the Chicago Cubs for the and seasons, then retired with a career batting average of .285, and a record 277 home runs as a second baseman; this record was surpassed in by Jeff Kent. Sandberg's final game at Wrigley Field and final career hit were on September 21, 1997. This also was the final Wrigley Field game for Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray, who died during the following winter.

Post-playing career

Initially, Sandberg kept a low profile after retiring. However, in , 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. He is also a former baseball columnist for Yahoo! Sports.

Hall of Fame induction

Sandberg delivered what many traditionalist fans considered a stirring speech at his Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2005. He thanked the writers who voted for him because it meant that he played the game the way he had been taught it should be played. He spoke several times of respect for the game, and chided a subset of current players who, in his opinion, lack that respect. Specifically, he spoke of how the game needs more than home run hitters, citing that turning a double-play and laying down a sacrifice bunt are weapons many of today's greats don't value. He also made a strong pitch for induction of his former teammate, Andre Dawson, who was ultimately elected to join the Hall in 2010, and famously promoted the election of a long-snubbed former Cub to the Hall by saying, "For what it's worth,

Ron Santo Ronald Edward Santo (February 25, 1940 – December 3, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman who played for the Chicago Cubs from 1960 through 1973 and the Chicago White Sox in 1974. In 1990, Santo became a member of the ...

just earned one more vote on the Veterans Committee."

Number retirement

Following his Hall of Fame induction, Sandberg had his number 23 retired in a ceremony at Wrigley Field on August 28, . He became only the fourth Chicago Cub to have his number retired, following (in chronological order) Ernie Banks (#14),

Billy Williams Billy Leo Williams (born June 15, 1938) is a former left fielder and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played from 1959 to 1976, almost entirely for the Chicago Cubs. A six-time All-Star, Williams was named the 1961 National League (NL) ...

(#26), and

(#10). Sandberg has worn his uniform number 23 in past jobs as a Cubs spring training instructor and Peoria Chiefs manager. He also wore that number during his time with the Iowa Cubs as their manager and as the manager of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Managerial career

Sandberg formerly served as a spring training instructor for the Cubs in

Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the most populous city in the East Valley (Phoenix metropolitan area), East Valley section of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is bordered by ...

2007–2010

On December 5, 2006, Sandberg was named manager of the Cubs' Class-A Peoria Chiefs in the Midwest League. In his first season as a manager, he took his team to the Midwest League championship game. 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 The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The ...

. Upon leading Iowa to an 82–62 record, the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

named him its 2010 Manager of the Year. Sandberg has said that his ideal job was to manage the Chicago Cubs. 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. However, 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

. He was promoted to interim manager of the Phillies after they fired

Charlie Manuel Charles Fuqua Manuel Jr. (born January 4, 1944), is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. During his playing career, he appeared over parts of six Major League Baseball seasons for the Minnesota Twins and Los Angel ...

on August 16, 2013. Sandberg earned his first win as a manager against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday August 18, 2013.

=Phillies manager

= On September 22, 2013, Sandberg was named permanent manager, with a three-year contract, with an option for 2017. He became the first Hall-of-Fame player to manage a team full-time since Frank Robinson managed the Montreal Expos/ Washington Nationals from 2002–2006. Ryne Sandberg in 2015 spring training

On April 26, 2015, Sandberg earned his 100th win as a major league manager on a 5–4 win against the Atlanta Braves. Two months later, on June 26, 2015, Sandberg resigned from the position of Phillies manager with his team in last place in the National League East Division at a record of 26–48, the worst record in Major League Baseball.

Cubs ambassador

In 2016, Sandberg joined the Cubs organization as a goodwill ambassador. In this position, he makes public appearances at Cubs-related events, and attends Cubs games to meet and greet fans; and is an occasional color commentator for the team's telecasts on Marquee Sports Network.

Managerial record

Personal life

Sandberg married his high school sweetheart, Cindy, and the couple had two children, Justin and Lindsey. They divorced in July 1995. Sandberg married Margaret in August 1995. She has three children from her former marriage, BR, Adriane and Steven. He also has eight grandchildren. Ryne's nephew, Jared Sandberg, was a third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2001–2003.

Charity foundations

Sandberg and his wife, 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 Lincoln Academy of Illinois is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to recognizing contributions made by living Illinoisans. Named for Abraham Lincoln, the Academy administers the ''Order of Lincoln'', the highest award given ...

(the State’s highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 2017.