Ryne Sandberg to be immortalized with statue on 40th anniversary of "Sandberg Game"
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Ryne Sandberg hits a game-winning home run in the bottom of the 10th inning at Wrigley Field in July 1984. The solo homer gave the Cubs a 3-2 win and a first-place tie with the New York Mets in the National League East. Photo: Gary Bettmann archives/Getty Images
Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg is about to become the latest Chicago baseball player to be immortalized in bronze.
Driving the news: The Cubs will unveil a statue for the former MVP, who played for the team for 16 seasons, on Sunday.
The intrigue: The Cubs announced in January they would honor Ryno this year, and picked Sunday's date for the celebration because it's the 40th anniversary of the "Sandberg Game'' in 1984.
- Sandberg riled up the Wrigley faithful that afternoon by hitting two home runs late to beat the Cardinals.
- His amazing season led the Cubs to the playoffs, and led him to be the NL MVP.
Zoom in: Sandberg will join Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Ferguson Jenkins as former Cubs players to have statues around Wrigley Field. His number (23) is already retired.
Zoom out: He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.
- Earlier this year, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and announced he was being treated with chemotherapy.
If you go: The unveiling begins at 3pm Sunday at Wrigley Field. You can also watch it on Marquee Network. Bob Costas, who called the "Sandberg Game" in 1984, will be a presenter.
Go deeper: Here are some more photos of Ryno in action in 1984:
