The Main Event
- June 26, 2015 – Ryne Sandberg resigns as manager of the Phillies, citing the team’s losses and pending executive changes. Third base coach Pete Mackanin takes over as interim skipper, the third time he’s had that role.
Ryne Sandberg is best remembered as one of the greatest second basemen in baseball history — a Hall of Famer, a 10-time All-Star, and the heart of the Chicago Cubs for more than a decade. But after his playing career ended, “Ryno” pursued an entirely different challenge: proving himself as a manager. What followed was a methodical, humble climb through the minor league ranks that eventually brought him back to the organization that first signed him — the Philadelphia Phillies — and ultimately to the dugout of a major league club.
Building a Managerial Foundation in the Minor Leagues
Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005, Sandberg didn’t rest on his considerable laurels. Instead, he asked the Chicago Cubs organization for the opportunity to manage, and in 2007 he was given the reins of the Single-A Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League. He spent two seasons there before advancing to the Double-A Tennessee Smokies in 2009. The progression continued in 2010, when he was elevated to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs of the Pacific Coast League. That year, Sandberg guided Iowa to a tie for the best record in the Northern Division and was named the Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year. Over six minor league seasons, Sandberg built a reputation as a fundamentals-first manager who demanded professionalism, accountability, and effort — values that mirrored his own playing career.
Despite his success and growing résumé, the Cubs passed him over for their managerial opening following the 2010 season, choosing other candidates in successive offseasons. Sandberg, according to those close to him, was hurt by the decisions. With his path in Chicago seemingly closed, he chose to explore other options. The answer came from an organization he knew well.
Joining the Phillies Organization and Managing the Lehigh Valley IronPigs
In November 2010, Sandberg left the Cubs and returned to his roots, signing on to manage the Philadelphia Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The hiring was brokered in part by Phillies senior advisor Dallas Green, who had been the team’s scouting director when Philadelphia originally drafted Sandberg in 1978. For Sandberg, it felt like a homecoming.
His impact in Lehigh Valley was immediate. In his first season, 2011, Sandberg led the IronPigs to a franchise-record 80 wins and the club’s first-ever postseason appearance, advancing all the way to the International League Championship Series. The performance earned him Baseball America’s Minor League Manager of the Year award for 2011. Sandberg returned for a second season in 2012, and his overall minor league record reached more than 364 wins across six seasons. Players who came through the IronPigs system frequently praised his attention to detail, his quiet intensity, and his genuine investment in their development.
The Path to Philadelphia’s Dugout
After the 2012 season, the Phillies promoted Sandberg to the big league staff as third-base coach and infield instructor under manager Charlie Manuel. He had barely settled into the role when circumstances dramatically accelerated his rise. After the Phillies lost 19 of 22 games in the summer of 2013, the organization fired Manuel on August 16. Sandberg was named interim manager.
He performed well enough in the final weeks of the season that on September 22, 2013, the Phillies removed the interim tag and named Sandberg their full-time manager, signing him to a three-year contract with a club option for 2017. He became the first Hall of Fame player to manage a team full-time since Frank Robinson. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. cited Sandberg’s six years of minor league experience, his work ethic, and his leadership qualities as the reasons for the move.
Managing the Phillies Through a Difficult Transition
Sandberg’s only full season as Phillies manager came in 2014, and it was a difficult one. The team finished 73-89, a clear sign that the window on the Phillies’ championship-era core was closing. Veterans like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins were aging, the farm system was thin, and the front office was caught between competing and rebuilding.
The 2015 season was worse. Philadelphia stumbled out of the gate with a six-game losing streak early and never recovered, posting additional skids of five, six, and seven games as the weeks wore on. There were clubhouse tensions, including incidents in which players openly showed frustration during games, that suggested Sandberg was losing the locker room. His bench coach and longtime friend Larry Bowa later acknowledged that some players were unwilling to meet Sandberg’s standards of effort — a particularly difficult reality for a man who had made himself a Hall of Famer through relentless work and discipline.
The Resignation on June 26, 2015
On the morning of June 26, 2015, Sandberg arrived at Citizens Bank Park and informed team president Pat Gillick and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. that he was stepping down. The Phillies were 26-48, the worst record in all of Major League Baseball. At the press conference that followed, an emotional Sandberg said the accumulation of losses had taken a significant personal toll. “I’m old school,” he said, “and I’m very much dissatisfied with the record.” He also acknowledged that he knew front office changes were coming and that he was unlikely to survive them.
Sandberg finished his managerial tenure with a career record of 119-159 over parts of three seasons. Third-base coach Pete Mackanin replaced him on an interim basis. Though Sandberg’s time in the Phillies dugout ultimately fell short of expectations, his years patiently building a managerial career through the minor leagues — and his success turning around the IronPigs franchise — remain a testament to the same discipline and dedication that defined his Hall of Fame playing career.
Philadelphia Baseball Events for June 26
- June 26, 1915 – Grover Cleveland Alexander threw a one-hitter, beating the Dodgers 4-0. Zach Wheat recorded the only hit — an eighth-inning single.
- June 26, 1957 – Claimed Warren Hacker on waivers from Cincinnati. Hacker, a right-handed pitcher, made 11 starts and 18 relief appearances for the Phillies in 1957 and 1958.
- June 26, 1959 – Signed minor league free agent Pat Corrales, who would go on to manage the Phillies in 1982 and 1983.
- June 26, 1986 – Released pitcher Randy Lerch, who pitched for the Phillies from 1975-1980 and then returned in 1986.
- June 26, 1991 – Starting pitcher Pat Combs walks five of the six batters he faces, all of whom score, setting the stage for a 14-1 Phillies loss to St. Louis.
- June 26, 2007 – Catcher Carlos Ruiz steals home on the back end of a double-steal, as the Phillies beat Cincinnati 11-4.
ICYMI
- Philly Baseball News – Andrew Painter to Start Sunday for Lehigh Valley
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Philadelphia Baseball Birthdays for June 26
- Bill Robinson (born 1943) – Played for the Phillies from 1972-1974. Best known for his eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
- Lou Marson (born 1986) – A catcher who played eight games for the Phillies in 2008 and 2009 and then went on to play five seasons for Cleveland.
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