Danielle Solzman
Ryne Sandberg delivered a breakout performance on June 23, 1984 in a game that would forever be known as The Sandberg Game. Fans can pay tribute following the Baseball Hall of Famer’s passing by reliving his remarkable performance.
Played on a sun-drenched Saturday at Wrigley Field and broadcast nationally as NBC’s Game of the Week, the June 23, 1984, showdown between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals became one for the ages. In what would be remembered as The Sandberg Game, Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg went 5-for-6 with seven RBIs, including two dramatic game-tying home runs off Hall of Fame closer Bruce Sutter in the ninth and tenth innings. The Cubs eventually pulled off a thrilling 12–11 victory in 11 innings.
The Sandberg Game not only launched Sandberg into MVP conversations but also marked a turning point for the Cubs franchise. That summer, they made their first postseason appearance since 1945, and Sandberg’s legacy was forever linked to that unforgettable afternoon.
I watched The Sandberg Game for the first time in 2024 before borrowing the documentary from the local library. Watching it again now, after Ryne Sandberg’s passing, hits differently. This viewing feels more emotional. Sandberg’s grandchildren are seen watching the game with him for the first time, adding a layer of generational weight.
The Sandberg Game briefly recaps how the Cubs got to that pivotal moment in 1984. Dallas Green was instrumental in bringing Sandberg to Chicago, acquiring him in a trade with Larry Bowa for Iván de Jesús. What looked like a minor addition turned into one of the greatest heists in team history—Sandberg was supposed to be a throw-in. The rest is history.
A pair of Ford Frick Award-winning broadcasters—Tony Kubek and Bob Costas—called The Sandberg Game. In another timeline, this could have been The Willie McGee Game. The Cardinals centerfielder went 4-for-6 with three runs and six RBIs, hitting for the cycle. He even scored what should have been the game-clinching run in the top of the tenth, putting St. Louis ahead 11–9. But the lead didn’t hold. Both McGee and Sandberg delivered extraordinary performances, but only one is immortalized in the title—because only one team won.
What makes The Sandberg Game work as a documentary is that it brings together players, broadcasters, historians, and fans who were there or watched it unfold live. While Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog is notably absent, the film includes insight from Ozzie Smith and Bruce Sutter. It’s a missed opportunity that McGee didn’t participate—his perspective would’ve been fascinating.
“This is the most important thing that makes The Sandberg Game stand out—it was a truly national game,” Costas recalls.
The Game of the Week meant something different in the 1980s. Before cable saturation and streaming, it was often the only way for fans outside major markets to see teams like the Cubs or Cardinals. MLB.TV and regional broadcasts changed that forever. These days, Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN exists in a fractured media landscape. Could something like The Sandberg Game happen today, with the same cultural reach? Doubtful.
In the second inning, with the Cardinals leading 7–1 after a six-run outburst, it felt like the game was over. Ralph Citarella, making his first Major League start, seemed to have more than enough run support. But the Cubs clawed back with seven runs across the fifth and sixth innings. The Cardinals added two in the sixth, but once their bullpen came in, nothing felt safe.
Sandberg was hot that day, but few could’ve predicted he’d take Bruce Sutter deep—not once, but twice. The Cubs second baseman hadn’t hit well against the former Cub, known for his devastating split-finger fastball. As Rick Sutcliffe notes in the film, Sutter got even better after joining St. Louis.
“By overwhelming consensus, Bruce Sutter was the best closer in the National League and probably the best closer in all of baseball,” says Costas.
“My previous at-bats against Bruce, he just had pitches that would eat me up inside,” Sandberg recalls. “I knew what he had, but I had a different swing and a different mentality.”
That swing came from work with Cubs manager Jim Frey during spring training. Frey urged Sandberg to focus more on driving the ball, even out of the park—a shift that paid off dramatically during The Sandberg Game and throughout his MVP season.
Sutter, knowing Sandberg’s speed, couldn’t risk a walk: “You had to pitch to him,” he explains.
“And it was vintage Bruce Sutter,” Sandberg says. “Hard, split-finger fastball coming hard and down. I do remember aiming under the baseball for the first time in my career, and boom!”
Sandberg tied the game at 9 in the bottom of the ninth. Cardinals fans, standing and ready to celebrate, were stunned. Cubs fans erupted. The inning ended on a vintage Ozzie Smith play, sending the game into extra innings—free baseball.
“When people think of momentum, they think offense,” Smith says. “I thought the opposite. Momentum can also be defensive. That’s what made some of those Cardinals teams special—our ability to play both sides of the ball.”
In the tenth, the Cardinals retook the lead. Lee Smith was on the mound for the Cubs, but both Ozzie and Willie scored. With NBC preparing to cut to a boxing match, Costas declared McGee their Player of the Game. And he had good reason—at that point, it was McGee’s game. Ozzie Smith might’ve taken that honor if not for McGee’s historic line.
But Costas didn’t count out the Cubs.
“I’ve been around baseball long enough to know that the game is not over,” he says.
While Costas read the production credits, Sandberg crushed another Sutter pitch into the stands. Tie game, again. Harry Caray was losing it on the Cubs radio call. Costas wisely let the crowd and images speak for themselves.
“It’s television,” Costas explains. “Once you’ve called the details, you can get out of the way and let the visuals tell the story.”
“You’re going to throw the pitch that wins the game or lose the game that night,” Sutter says. “And you just live with that.”
With the last position player available, Dave Owen, at the plate—bases loaded, nobody out—the Cubs walked it off. A stunning 12–11 win in 11 innings.
“This is when Ryne Sandberg became a true star,” Costas says. And he’s right.
The Cubs went on to win the NL East. Sandberg was named National League MVP. None of that happens without The Sandberg Game.
Costas summed it up perfectly during the broadcast: “Roy Hobbs, The Natural, would be pleased by Sandberg’s performance today. They don’t come any more heroic than that.”
Only part of this Bob Costas quote from the 1984 broadcast made it into the documentary, but it’s worth printing in full:
“If you’re a fan of whatever team winds up losing this game—it might be difficult to accept this point of view—but if you’re just a fan of the game itself and no particular rooting interest for either club, you leave a ballpark like Wrigley Field after a game like this glowing. This has just been a great ballgame.”
As Costas says in the final moments of the film:
“I can’t think of any other regular season game that has a title—The Sandberg Game. It’s one of the most famous games in baseball history. A regular season game on a Saturday afternoon, and just all the factors came together in a perfect storm to create one of the most memorable games—and the signature game of a Hall of Fame player’s career.”
As a Cardinals fan, The Sandberg Game isn’t the easiest watch—but it’s undeniably one of the greatest games in baseball history. The documentary captures that magic and heartbreak in equal measure. I had the chance to meet Ryne Sandberg at the 2023 National Sports Collectors Convention but passed, assuming there would be another time. There won’t be. Watching this now, after his passing, makes the film hit harder. Whether you rooted for the Cubs or not, The Sandberg Game is a fitting tribute to a Hall of Famer whose legacy was defined on a summer afternoon that baseball never forgot.
FEATURING: Ryne Sandberg, Bob Costas, Judy Caldow, Ed Hartig, Lee Smith, Bob Vorwald, Gary Matthews, Bob Dernier, Rick Sutcliffe, Ozzie Smith, Steve Trout, Jody Davis, Bruce Sutter, Dave Owen
Cubs Productions released The Sandberg Game on June 23, 2020. Grade: 4/5
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