Baseball Hall of Famer and Chicago Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg died of cancer on July 28, 2025 at age 65, according to the Associated Press. Team Chairman Tom Ricketts said Sandberg is remembered by the Cubs as "one of the all-time greats in nearly 150 years of this historic franchise.” Sandberg ...
Baseball Hall of Famer and Chicago Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg died of cancer on July 28, 2025 at age 65, according to the Associated Press.
Team Chairman Tom Ricketts said Sandberg is remembered by the Cubs as "one of the all-time greats in nearly 150 years of this historic franchise.”
Sandberg played for the team from 1982 through 1994, briefly retired for a year and then came back for 1996 and 1997 before retiring for good.
He wrote in his book, Second to Home, that his first retirement was because of his poor performance on the field as well as poor team management at the time, and that his personal life had nothing to do with the decision.
But the truth is, Sandberg was going through a rough patch with his family, according to a 1996 Sports Illustrated article.
Sandberg was in the midst of a custody battle with his high school sweetheart Cindy, whom he had two children with, in 1996, according to SI.
Sandberg and Cindy married in 1979 when they were both 19 after he asked her to visit him during his first full season in professional baseball, and then asked her never to leave. They married shortly after and didn't immediately inform their parents.
They officially divorced July 5, 1995. Sandberg married his second wife, Margaret, the next month.
Cindy had filed for divorce in December 1993, six months before Sandberg's retirement and the pair reconciled days later. But she filed for divorce a second and final time roughly in June the next year, days after Sandberg officially quit.
Court documents show Sandberg was miserable and lonely while touring with the Cubs, away from his children, and he knew his marriage was headed for divorce, according to SI.
In the courtroom during the custody battle, Cindy also said Sandberg wasn't telling the whole truth in his book about why he quit.
"He retired to be with the children," she said, according to SI.
Their children are Justin and Lindsey, and Cindy in court said Sandberg preferred to keep them away from the ballpark so they wouldn't grow up as "baseball brats."
Sandberg changed his preference during his second marriage. His second wife Margaret had three children of her own, all of whom knew Justin and Lindsey before they married.
"I just want my kids to experience me enjoying baseball, so we're all going to do this together," Sandberg said.
The ruling on the custody battle is sealed, so it's unclear how much time Cindy and Sandberg each got with their kids, but Sandberg told SI he was happy with the outcome, noting their chance to see him play again at Wrigley Field.
"They'll be with me Opening Day in Chicago," he said. "They'll be up for the weekend. They'll have to miss at least one day of school."
By the end of his career, Sandberg had a remarkable trophy cabinet, winning nine Gold Glove Awards, seven Silver Slugger Awards, the 1990 Home Run Derby, a National League MVP award and playing in 10 All-Star Games, according to Baseball Reference.
The Cubs retired his jersey, No. 23, in 2005 after he was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
Ryne Sandberg, 1st Wife Cindy Had 2 Kids Together first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 29, 2025
Category: Baseball
