CHICAGO (AP) — Ryne Sandberg hopes Cubs followers keep in mind him as an alert and energetic defensive participant.
That’s precisely how they’ll see him any further after they enter Wrigley Discipline.
The membership unveiled a statue of the Corridor of Fame second baseman outdoors the historic ballpark earlier than Sunday’s collection finale in opposition to the New York Mets. The 64-year-old Sandberg stated the ceremony was particularly touching after his most cancers analysis earlier this 12 months.
“My life modified rather a lot in 1984,” Sandberg stated of his MVP season, “however it was nothing like what occurred six months in the past.
“My ideas immediately are love, life, household and pals.”
There was no scarcity of pals there because the statue, depicting Sandberg crouched and ready for a grounder, was devoted. Some teammates from Chicago’s 1984 and ’89 NL East champions have been there, together with the Cubs’ present gamers, who watched the ceremony from the lower-deck concourse railing.
Bob Costas emceed the ceremony, which additionally drew Corridor of Famers Andre Dawson, Ferguson Jenkins and Billy Williams. Actor Invoice Murray, a visual and vocal Cubs fan for many years, made the journey.
“I can’t actually say it’s what I assumed; it’s greater than what I assumed,” Sandberg stated. “To see all these guys come out, it was very touching.”
Sandberg got here to the Cubs from Philadelphia after the 1981 season as an add-on to a commerce that despatched Larry Bowa to Chicago for Ivan De Jesus. He made certain to thank Bowa, who was on the dais Sunday, for being “disgruntled” sufficient to wish to go away the Phillies and demand the swap.
Two seasons later, Sandberg was the league MVP and helped the Cubs finish a virtually three-decade postseason drought with the NL East title.
Sunday’s ceremony passed off 40 years to the day he hit a pair of late homers in a nationally televised win over St. Louis.
He performed all however 13 video games throughout his 16-year profession with the Cubs and completed with a .285 batting common, 282 residence runs, 1061 RBIs and 9 Gold Gloves. The membership retired the 10-time All-Star’s No. 23 in 2005, the identical summer season he was inducted into the Corridor of Fame.
Sandberg introduced earlier this 12 months that he had been recognized with metastatic prostate most cancers. He’s stored well-wishers up to date on his progress by an Instagram account and stated final month that scans confirmed no indicators of most cancers.
The statue took its place subsequent to bronze tributes to fellow Corridor of Famers Jenkins, Williams, Ron Santo and Ernie Banks. Groundskeepers minimize Sandberg’s quantity into the middle area grass earlier than the beginning of the weekend collection in opposition to the Mets.
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