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The Chicago Cubs family is mourning Ryne Sandberg, their Hall of Fame second baseman, who died on Monday at age 65 after a battle with cancer.
Current and former players have come forward over the past 24 hours to share their memories, and that includes one of the newest Cubs, Matthew Boyd. As Boyd told The Athletic, Sandberg made him feel welcome on the North Side.
“I got to meet Ryno for the first time this spring, and he treated me like I’d worn a Cubs uniform my whole life,” Boyd said. “I think that spoke to who he was for this organization and an ambassador for the game of baseball. It’s a loss, and we’re going to miss him.”
Boyd, in his 11th Major League campaign, made his first All-Star team in 2025. In his inaugural Cubs season, he is 11-4 with a 2.47 ERA. Chicago signed him to a three-year deal in the offseason with mutual options for years four and five.
Craig Counsell, current Cubs remember Ryne Sandberg
Even through his treatment, Sandberg was a constant presence around the Cubs, joining the team in spring training and leaving an impact on the current group.
“We were lucky as a group this year to have Ryno at spring training,” manager Craig Counsell said. “It was an honor to be around a man battling for his life but wanting to come to the baseball park with us. I know it meant a lot to everyone in there, and we’re grateful that he was willing to spend that time with us when things weren’t going great for him.”
Nico Hoerner, a career Cub now in his seventh season, emphasized that Sandberg never made it about himself.
“It was just truly love of the game of baseball,” he said. “I think that was particularly clear this spring and all the effort he made to be there throughout more than we can even imagine, treatment and everything. There was nothing he wanted more than to be on a baseball field and to share that time and be present with that.”
Ian Happ, another career Cub playing in his ninth season, recalled a moment earlier in his career where he had gotten off to a slow start. Sandberg pulled him aside one day during batting practice.
“It was just cool,” Happ said, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. “It was cool to have somebody who’s played forever and been through moments to take the time, and to be paying that much attention and to be watching that closely and to know how much weight his words carry.”
