Ryne Sandberg is cancer-free, the baseball Hall of Famer announced on Instagram Thursday.
The 64-year-old Sandberg revealed in January that he had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. In July, he informed fans that scans had shown no signs of cancer.
This week, the longtime Chicago Cubs infielder got to ring the bell, signaling that his body is now cancer-free after an eight-month battle.
“Rang the Bell this morning! WE did it, WE won! What a Dream Team, family, doctors, friends, nurses, fans who supported myself and Margaret through the last 8 months! We feel so blessed from all the love, prayers and thoughts and positive words that have come our way! Modern medicine has come along way so once again early detection is important. Annual doctor visits! Time to celebrate!”
Sandberg played all but 13 games of his 16-season MLB career with the Cubs. He joined the majors in a brief stint with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1981 and was traded the following offseason to the Cubs. He became a full-time starter in his first season in Chicago in 1982 and made the first of 10 straight All-Star appearances in 1984.
He was named NL MVP that season while leading the league in triples and runs scored. He led the NL with 40 home runs in 1990 and won the Home Run Derby at Wrigley Field the same season. He won seven Silver Slugger awards and nine Gold Gloves in his career.
A beloved Cub known on the field for his production and reliability, Sandberg played in at least 115 games in 14 of his 15 seasons in Chicago. He played in fewer than 150 games just four times. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.
In June, the Cubs unveiled a statue of Sandberg outside of Wrigley Field.
