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With the news of Chicago Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg passing away at 65 years old, there is no doubt that his legacy in baseball will live on forever. As the baseball world mourns the death of the Cubs icon in Sandberg, manager Craig Counsell would speak on the impact and the relationships he had with the team.
Besides his first year with the Philadelphia Phillies, Sandberg had played for Chicago in two stints, one from 1982 to 1994 and the other from 1996 to 1997. Counsell would speak on how “lucky” the team was to spend some time with Sandberg at spring training and how it is a “sad” day for the ball club, according to The Athletic.
“We’re saddened of the loss of a great man,” Counsell said. “We were lucky as a group this year to have Ryno [Sandberg] at spring training. 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. It’s a sad day for the Chicago Cubs. He was a great Cub.”
The 10-time All-Star was so impactful for the team that the franchise made a statue for him last summer, which was a “special moment” for Sandberg.
“I know it was a special moment for the guys to be able to do that,” Counsell said. “I think you get a sense of his place as a Cub and his place in baseball. That was an inspiring moment just to be there, for the people gathered there, to honor Ryno. I won’t forget that, for sure.”
Cubs will continue to mourn the passing of Ryne Sandberg
While the Cubs have rumors wrapped around them ahead of the trade deadline, there's no denying the news of Sandberg's passing took priority with how much he has meant to the team. Sandberg won the NL MVP in 1984, was a nine-time Gold Glove winner, a seven-time Silver Slugger winner, and was inducted into the 2005 Hall of Fame.
Looking at his career numbers, Sandberg hit a .285 batting average to go along with 2,386 hits, 282 home runs, and 1,061 RBIs, leading to his number being retired. Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner would speak on Sandberg being around the team this season and called that time “incredibly lucky.”
“It was never about him, ever,” Hoerner said. “It was just truly love of the game of baseball. 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, we’re all incredibly lucky that he was a part of our season this year.”
At any rate, Sandberg will always be remembered as an all-time great Cub.
