Mike Schmidt walked away in midseason 1989. Johnny Bench announced in midyear that 1983 would be his last.
But Ryne Sandberg's departure from the Chicago Cubs Monday has to rank as the most surprising baseball retirement since Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax quit after a Cy Young Award season in 1966, six weeks short of his 31st birthday.
Schmidt was 39 and Bench 35 but showing signs of wear. Sandberg, 34 and coming off a .300 season, gave no indication he was ready to step out.
"Never in my wildest imagination did I see him retiring in the middle of the season," says Boston designated hitter Andre Dawson, a former Cubs teammate.
White Sox shortstop Ozzie Guillen said the decision "surprised me more than Michael (Jordan)."
Despite the solid batting average last year, Sandberg has battled injuries and seen his power production taper off recently.
"The Ryne Sandberg that we knew of in 1984 and 1989 is no longer," says Steve Stone, WGN-TV announcer on Cubs broadcasts. "He's given everything he can to baseball. There's nothing more to give."
The sudden exit is a mark of Sandberg's character, friends say.
"This is a good example that shows money can't make you happy," says Orioles manager Johnny Oates, a Cubs coach from 1984-87. "It takes a strong man to do what he has done."
Adds Guillen: "I know Ryno has to be 100 percent sure of what he wants. What's amazing about it is he walked away from the money (at least $ 16 million). I tip my hat to the man."
Don Zimmer, Sandberg's former manager, says it was probably a combination of factors.
"After I thought about it a little bit and added some things up, I wasn't as surprised as much as when I first heard it," says Zimmer, now a coach with Colorado. "No. 1, knowing him like I know him, not playing up to his past potential has got to be killing him. And I know him and (Mark) Grace went into the Tribune Co. when they fired (Jim) Lefebvre wanting to know what was going on - every six months there was a new manager."
Adds Atlanta pitcher Greg Maddux, a former teammate and close friend: "Personally, I felt he was still a dangerous bat. You don't expect a guy with two years left on a contract to retire."
