Ryne Sandberg’s statue dedication an emotional day to cherish for the Cubs Hall of Famer

CHICAGO — Ryne Sandberg’s 11 grandchildren pushed a button together Sunday afternoon that unveiled a statue of the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame second baseman in a familiar position.

Flip-down sunglasses flipped up, right fist clenched, slightly crouched and staring ahead intently with feet spread wide, waiting for the next pitch and a ball that might be headed his way.

It was vintage Ryno, the nine-time Gold Glove award winner whose arrival in Chicago changed the course of franchise history.

Sandberg’s statue joined the ones of former players Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Fergie Jenkins — broadcaster Harry Caray’s statue remained outside the bleachers — capping off a journey that began with an 0-for-31 streak to start his career, followed by a signature game and MVP season in 1984, the induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, a post-career managerial stint and a recent battle with cancer that made him realize the power of healing from the support of fans he had never met.

In the end, it was all about defense for Sandberg, the former three-sport standout from Spokane’s North Central High School who chose to be remembered for his glove instead of his bat.

“Some of the things I wanted on the statue was being on the balls of the feet, being ready for every single pitch,” Sandberg told reporters after Sunday’s statue dedication ceremony at Gallagher Way outside of Wrigley Field.

“My defense was very important for me. I thought, for me, it was ‘Bring your glove every single day.’ You might go into some hitting slumps, but as far as defense goes, as long as I did my pregame work I wanted to play defense every day for the pitcher, for everybody on the field.

“The statue reflects ’80s and ’90s baseball for me. It’s got the old vintage flip-down (sun) glasses, which were a must every single day game at Wrigley Field. You only flipped them down if the ball went up. They were so dark that even if the ball was in the sun you’d still catch it. That’s very cool.

“The gold patch on the glove signifies the Gold Gloves that were won, and of course the vintage pullover (Cubs) jersey, and not the button-down. And the elastic pants, right on down to the stirrups, the uniform that fans will recognize as ’80s-style. They might even call it retro.”

It was an emotional day for Sandberg, who was saluted by family and friends, former teammates and the entire 2024 Cubs team, which lined up on a patio at Wrigley to see the franchise icon get feted. And he received one more standing ovation when throwing out the first pitch of the Cubs game against the New York Mets.

Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts noted Sandberg’s arrival in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1982, saying “it’s no exaggeration this organization would never be the same again.”

Former shortstops Larry Bowa and Shawon Dunston told war stories about their old friend, including Bowa making Sandberg go for the pop-ups by saying “You got room,” only to have Sandberg use the same line on Dunston after Bowa was gone.

Dunston said he replied: “You got the Gold Gloves. Why do you want me to catch it?”

Broadcaster Bob Costas, who introduced Sandberg, spoke of the famous “Ryne Sandberg Game” of June 23, 1984, on its 40th anniversary, noting how unique it is to have a game named for you. Even Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, Costas said, wasn’t called the “Ben Zobrist Game” or the “Kris Bryant Game.”

But on that one sunny afternoon, with two game-tying home runs off St. Louis Cardinals closer Bruce Sutter, Sandberg introduced himself to a nation of baseball fans watching on NBC’s “Game of the Week.”

The rest is history.

“The signature game of a Hall of Fame career,” Costas said. “Most Hall of Famers, when you think about them, you don’t think of a single game or a single moment.”

When it came time for him to speak, Sandberg thanked fans for their support since he revealed his cancer diagnosis and went through chemotherapy and radiation treatments to fight the disease, which is currently in remission.

“You carried me my entire career, but you have taken it to a new level,” he said. “I’ll never be able to thank you properly.”

Sandberg also mixed in some high comedy, thanking Bowa for “always being disgruntled” as a teammate.

“None of this would have happened if a disgruntled Larry Bowa doesn’t want out of Philadelphia,” he said, joking about the reason he was the throw-in of the famous trade that brought Bowa to the Cubs for Iván DeJesús, one of the most lopsided deals in Cubs’ history, and the antithesis of Brock-for-Broglio.

Sandberg poked fun at the 0-for-31 start to his career, which made him wonder if he was going to hang on with the Cubs.

“Thinking about a statue?” he said. “How about a bus ticket to (Triple-A) Iowa after my 0-for-31 start?”

The player known for being a quiet leader has evolved over the years, as evidenced by the way he made the audience laugh one minute and tear up the next.

“And it continues,” actor Bill Murray marveled. “How about that speech? You would not have expected that speech once upon a time.”

Speaking with the media afterward, Sandberg said the cancer diagnosis helped him learn about “the people in my life,” from his family and friends to Cubs fans across the world.

“I felt it in my Instagram (posts) and being at Wrigley Field on a daily basis, the comments, ‘Keep it up’ and all that,” he said. “That’s just medicine for me.”

Watching Cubs fans line up on Clark Street to get into Gallagher Way for the ceremony confirmed his impression of the way Chicago feels about him.

“Pleasantly surprised with the amount of Cubs fans that wrapped all the way around the street,” he said. “Then again, I shouldn’t be surprised. They’ve always been there for me.”

Seeing all his old teammates, from Ron Cey to Andre Dawson, from Jody Davis to Rick Sutcliffe, was “outstanding,” he said, adding that seeing the current Cubs team line up on the patio was “very touching.”

From an 0-for-31 start to a statue dedication is a story even Hollywood wouldn’t touch. In today’s game, an 0-for-31 start would probably mean an instant trip back to the minors, albeit on a plane instead of a bus.

But the Cubs stuck with Sandberg, and by believing in himself and staying positive, he made their faith in him pay off.

“There were some sleepless nights there,” he admitted. “But after about a week and a half, I got used to the atmosphere and the major league ballparks and the different things I adjusted to. The hits started to come, and I wound up with a real nice rookie season as far as average and runs scored.

“Everything fell into place. It was about settling down and doing the job which kept me here. Otherwise it would’ve been a trip to Iowa.”

All in all, it was a day that was long in coming and a day that will linger in Sandberg’s memory for a long, long time.

“An awesome day,” he said. “Incredible. And to join the other statues, guys who I knew personally. The support of my teammates, and then Larry Bowa and Shawon Dunston coming and talking as my shortstops. The relationship between a second baseman and shortstop is very important in knowing where to play and how each one is feeling, so to have them talk and to be here with the other teammates from ’84 and ’89 …

“I can’t really say it’s what I thought it would be.

“It’s more than what I thought.”