Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg announced Monday that he is currently fighting prostate cancer.
The former Chicago Cubs great shared on his Instagram page that he recently found out about his metastatic prostate cancer diagnosis and has already started treatment.
He expressed his determination to stay positive, strong, and beat the cancer. Sandberg wrote in his post. He also asked for thoughts and prayers during this challenging time for him and his family.
A bronze statue of Sandberg, 64, will be unveiled in Gallagher Way outside Wrigley Field on June 23, marking the 40th anniversary of his legendary “Sandberg Game” against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The company Obvious Shirts in Wrigleyville is planning to make a shirt T-shirt to support Sandberg's fight against cancer, with all proceeds going to a charity chosen by Sandberg, which is currently being finalized.
A recipient of nine Gold Glove and seven Silver Slugger awards, as well as the 1984 National League MVP award, Sandberg was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005 and had his number 23 retired by the Cubs in the same year.
He managed in the Cubs farm system for four seasons (2007-10) before leaving the organization and joining the Philadelphia Phillies, who selected him in the 20th round of the 1978 draft, to manage their Triple-A affiliate in 2011. After being promoted to the big-league coaching staff in 2012, Sandberg became the Phillies' interim manager in August 2013, and a month later, the interim title was removed.
Sandberg assumed an ambassador role for the Cubs in 2016 after stepping down as Phillies manager in June 2015.
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