'WE did it, WE won!' Sandberg announces he's cancer free?

Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg announced on Thursday that he is cancer-free, just over half a year after sharing with the world that he had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer.

"Rang the Bell this morning!" Sandberg posted on Instagram. "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 a long way so once again early detection is important. Annual doctor visits! Time to celebrate!"

Sandberg, 64, played in 16 Major League seasons from 1981-97, 15 of which were spent with the Cubs. He was named the National League Most Valuable Player for his age-24 season in 1984, and he was a 10-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glove Award winner and seven-time Silver Slugger Award winner during his illustrious career. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.

On June 23 of this year, the 40th anniversary of what became known as the "Sandberg Game," a contest that truly established Sandberg's standing as one of the best players in the game, he was honored with the unveiling of a statue in his likeness outside Wrigley Field. His statue became the fifth to stand outside the venerable ballpark, along with fellow franchise icons Ernie Banks, Fergie Jenkins, Billy Williams and Ron Santo.

"My life changed a lot in 1984, but that's nothing compared to what had happened six months ago,” Sandberg told the crowd during the statue unveiling ceremony. “So, my thoughts today are instead about love, life, family and friends. My teammates fall into all those categories. But until my cancer diagnosis, I guess I never fully understood that.”