Ryne Sandberg, Baseball Hall of Famer and Chicago Cubs legend, announced on Monday that he has been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer and has begun treatment. He shared the news on his Instagram page which was also shared on the Cubs’ account.
“To my Chicago Cubs, National Baseball Hall of Fame, extended Baseball Family, the city of Chicago, and all my loyal fans, I want to share some personal news,” Sandberg wrote. “Last week, I learned that I have been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. I have begun treatment, and I am surrounded by my loving wife Margaret, our incredibly supportive family, the best medical care team, and our dear friends. We will continue to be positive, strong, and fight to beat this. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time for me and my family.”
Sandberg, 64, played for the Cubs for nearly his entire professional baseball career (1982-1994, 1996-1997). During his time in Chicago, Sandberg was named an All-Star 10 times won the NL MVP award in 1984, won nine Gold Gloves as a second baseman and recorded seven Silver Slugger awards, the most for a second baseman. He recorded a career batting average of.285 with 2,386 hits, 282 home runs and 1,061 RBIs.
After his playing career, Sandberg became the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2013. He was there for three seasons and tallied a record of 119-159. Sandberg played for the Phillies during his first year in MLB (1981). Before joining the Phillies as a manager, Sandberg spent time as a manager in the Minor Leagues from 2006 to 2012.
In 2020, Sandberg went to Instagram to talk about his career. One of the things he talked about is the reason he wore No. 23. “I wore No. 23 because that’s the number that was hanging in my locker as a rookie,” he said, per NBC Sports Chicago. “Yosh Kawano, the longtime clubhouse guy, put that number in my locker. So, basically, he chose it for me, and I thought it was kind of an odd number at first. But he told me when I made the team and was headed to Cincinnati for Opening Day in 1982, he said ‘That’s the number you’re gonna wear. Make it a good one.'”
