Baseball Hall of Famer Ryne ‘Ryno’ Sandberg, who started his career with the Phillies, died at 65

Ryne Sandberg, the Hall of Fame second baseman who started his career with the Phillies but was traded shortly after to the Chicago Cubs in one of the city’s most regretful trades, died Monday due to complications from cancer. He was 65.

Mr. Sandberg played 15 seasons in Chicago, becoming an icon for the Cubs simply known as “Ryno” after being traded there in January of 1982.

He was a 10-time All-Star, won nine Gold Glove awards, and was the National League’s MVP in 1984. Mr. Sandberg was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005 and returned to the Phillies in 2011 as a minor-league manager and later big-league manager.

» READ MORE: Hayes: Ryne Sandberg, the biggest ‘what might have been’ in Philadelphia history, dies at 65

“Not only was he a Hall of Famer, he was a man who personified class and dignity,” Phillies managing partner and CEO John Middleton said in a statement. “We were honored that he was part of our organization. We extend our heartfelt condolences to [his wife] Margaret and the entire Sandberg family.”

Mr. Sandberg announced in January of 2024 that he had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer but said eight months later that he was cancer free. Last December, Mr. Sandberg said the cancer had returned and spread to other organs.

“Ryne Sandberg was a legend of the Chicago Cubs franchise and a beloved figure throughout Major League Baseball,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “He was a five-tool player who excelled in every facet of the game thanks to his power, speed and work ethic.”

Phillies manager Rob Thomson recalled Monday night when Larry Bowa brought Sandberg around the team a few times.

“Just a first-class individual, obviously a great player. I feel so bad for him,” Thomson said. “He fought like hell, and it’s just a real loss. Thoughts and prayers to his family.”

Ryne Dee Sandberg was born on Sept. 18, 1959 in Spokane, Wash., and named after Yankees relief pitcher Ryne Duren. He was an all-city basketball player in high school and had a scholarship to play quarterback at Washington State. But Mr. Sandberg signed with the Phillies in 1978 after being drafted from North Central High School in the 20th round.

He played four seasons in the minors and debuted for the Phillies in September of 1981. Mr. Sandberg played in 13 games before the season ended and was traded that offseason after just six at-bats with the Phils. The team pegged him as a utility player.

Bowa had a contract dispute and the Phillies agreed to trade Bowa to Chicago for second baseman Iván DeJesús. Dallas Green, the manager of the 1980 world champion Phillies and the Phils’ farm director when they drafted Sandberg, had just become the general manager of the Cubs.

Green asked the Phillies to add their rookie second baseman to the deal. They agreed and sent along Mr. Sandberg to complete one of baseball’s all-time follies.

“I was taught coming up in the Phillies organization to be seen and not heard by people like Pete Rose, my hero growing up, and players like Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton and Manny Trillo,” Mr. Sandberg said after being inducted into the Hall of Fame. “I understood that. My parents, Derwent and Elizabeth, who are no longer with us, understood that. My mom was at every single game I played as a kid, rain or shine. My dad always said, ‘Keep your nose clean, your mouth shut and your eyes and ears open because you might learn something.’”

Mr. Sandberg started in Chicago as a third baseman before moving to second base in 1983. He won a Gold Glove in his first season at second and soon became one of the league’s best at his position. His 1984 season — Mr. Sandberg hit .314 and became the Cubs’ first MVP since Ernie Banks — made him a star.

“Ryne Sandberg was a hero to a generation of Chicago Cubs fans and will be remembered as one of the all-time greats in nearly 150 years of this historic franchise,” Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement. “His dedication to and respect for the game, along with his unrelenting integrity, grit, hustle, and competitive fire were hallmarks of his career. He was immensely proud of his teammates and his role as a global ambassador of the game of baseball, but most of all, he was proud of Margaret, his children and his role as husband, father, and grandfather.”

» READ MORE: From 2013: Ryne Sandberg: The path less traveled

Mr. Sandberg retired in June of 1994 but returned to the Cubs in 1996. He retired again after the 1997 season. Mr. Sandberg managed in the Cubs’ system before being hired by the Phillies to guide their triple-A team. The player who got away returned as a coach. He joined Charlie Manuel’s staff in 2013 as third base coach and succeeded him as manager after Manuel was fired that August.

Mr. Sandberg’s managerial tenure was forgetful as he led a team in transition when the championship core of 2008 began to age. He resigned in June of 2015 amid a 99-loss season. Mr. Sandberg finished with a 119-159 record over parts of three seasons. He soon returned to the Cubs and worked as an ambassador and broadcaster.

“Ryno was always around in spring training, in Chicago too,” said the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber, a former Cub. “It’s a sad day for baseball, where you lose one of the better players in the game. And just a nice human. Around us, in camp, in Chicago, in the clubhouse, whatever it was, it just felt like he was respectful. Just a really nice overall human being. And our thoughts go out to his family. We know he’s been battling that for a while now. It’s unfortunate. Life happens sometimes. Just thinking of his family, and hopefully he’s at peace now.”

Mr. Sandberg is survived by his wife, Margaret, his children, Justin (Ashley), Lindsey (Adam), Steven (Megan), BR (Katie), and Adriane, and his 11 grandchildren: Joshua, Micah, Eli, Brooklyn, Owen, Nathan, Weston, Adalyn, Bode, Stella, and Roman.

“The reason I am here, they tell me, is that I played the game a certain way, that I played the game the way it was supposed to be played,” Mr. Sandberg said in his Hall of Fame speech. “I don’t know about that, but I do know this: I had too much respect for the game to play it any other way. And if there is a single reason I am here today, it is because of one word: ‘Respect.’ I love to play baseball. I’m a baseball player. I’ve always been a baseball player. I’m still a baseball player. That’s who I am.”

Inquirer reporter Lochlahn March contributed to this story.