10 highlights that defined Ron Santo's career

Ron Santo will forever have a place in the hearts of Cubs fans for his dynamic play on the field and then his passion in the broadcast booth. And while it took time, Santo will forever have a home in baseball's Hall of Fame.

Santo was inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame in 2012 -- two years after his death. The Cubs legend was an icon of the 1960s and early '70s, alongside Cubs greats like Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Fergie Jenkins. He was known for his steady glove, powerful bat and infectious enthusiasm for both baseball and for the Cubs franchise.

Over 15 seasons in the Majors spent entirely in Chicago -- with a one-year stint with the White Sox -- Santo was a nine-time All-Star and five-time Glove Glove Award winner. He finished with 342 homers and 2,254 hits, while ending among the top 10 in Cubs history in an array of offensive categories.

Here are 10 moments that defined No. 10's career.

1. Ron Santo Day in '71

People around Santo -- teammates included -- had known for several years that the third baseman was playing baseball while facing a private battle with diabetes. On Aug. 28, 1971, the Cubs held "Ron Santo Day," during which he publicly announced he was diabetic.

"The reason I've done so well," Santo said during a pregame ceremony that day, according to the Chicago Tribune, "is I've accepted it and learned to live with it. I feel strongly we're going to find a cure for this."

Santo's public admission helped give a new perspective to the accomplishments he achieved throughout his Major League career.

The event took place five days after Santo and manager Leo Durocher got into a heated exchange over how the celebration was organized. The pair smoothed things over and Santo led the Cubs with a three-hit, three-RBI performance on that turbulent Aug. 23 day. Santo had a hit, walk and a run scored on the day of the celebration.

Thanks to the festivities on Aug. 28 -- in which Santo and his family received a long list of gifts -- more than $30,000 was raised for diabetes research. That was just a drop within the millions of dollars Santo would go on to help raise for that cause over the rest of his career and life.

2. Fourth of July fireworks

Santo sustained a fractured cheekbone after being hit by a pitch from Mets pitcher Jack Fisher on June 26, 1966. Earlier in that contest, the Cubs third baseman had extended a hitting streak to 26 games with a first-inning single.

On July 4, Santo was back in the lineup for the Cubs for a doubleheader against the Pirates. All he did was go 3-for-4 with a homer in Game 1, followed by a 1-for-2 showing with two walks in the nightcap. Over the streak, Santo hit .386 with seven homers and 20 RBIs.

Santo's 28-game streak held as the modern record (since 1900) for the Cubs until Jerome Walton's 30-game run in 1989. Bill Dahlen boasts the franchise's all-time longest streak with a 42-game stretch in 1894.

3. Hit No. 2,000

Santo headed into an Aug. 26 game against the Giants in 1972 sitting on 1,998 hits. In a wild contest that ended with a 10-9 win for the North Siders that required 10 innings, Santo collected his 2,000th hit in style. As part of a 4-for-5 performance, Santo launched a three-run homer in the third inning for his milestone moment. He added a solo shot in the sixth inning.

4. A 10-RBI day

Talk about a day at the ballpark. On July 6, 1970, against Montreal, Santo piled up 10 RBIs across a doubleheader at Wrigley Field. Santo got his day rolling with a 1-for-3 showing that included a homer in a 3-2 win in Game 1. Things escalated from there. In the second tilt, he went 2-for-3 with a pair of blasts. That included a grand slam in the first inning and a three-homer homer in the sixth. A walk with the bases loaded in the fourth gave Santo eight RBIs in a 14-2 romp in Game 2.

5. Santo's greatest game

Statistically speaking, Santo's best offensive performance took place on Aug. 5, 1966, when he registered a 1.022 Win Probability Added. The third baseman provided all the offense (and heroics) in a 4-3 win over the Giants. Santo launched a solo homer in the second inning and then connected for a game-tying leadoff shot in the bottom of the ninth. After the Giants took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10th, Santo saved the day in the home half with a two-run, walk-off single.

6. Back-to-back walk-offs

Over the course of his career, Santo had a flair for late-game dramatics. In total, he belted six walk-off homers, which were the most on record for a Cubs batter until Sammy Sosa broke that record and finished with nine in his career. Santo's five walk-off shots in extra innings are tied with Sosa for the most in team history. Two of those blasts came on back-to-back days in 1966 against the Braves. Santo crushed a three-run, walk-off homer in the 12th inning on May 28, and then had a walk-off solo shot in the 10th on May 29.

7. Santo's All-Star debut

In 1963, Santo made the first of nine All-Star teams. He was summoned from the NL's bench in the sixth inning and received his first at-bat in the eighth. The third baseman delivered an RBI single to help secure a 5-3 win for the Senior Circuit. Santo delivered an RBI in each of the '65 and '66 Midsummer Classics as well, driving in Willie Mays in both of those instances. In 15 career All-Star at-bats, Santo finished with five hits, five walks and no strikeouts.

8. Good as gold

Santo racked up numerous fielding milestones in his career, retiring as the NL's record holder at third base for most assists in a season and most double plays in a career. From 1964-68, he picked up five straight Gold Glove Awards for his work at the position. On July 2, 1972, Santo put his quick glove, quick feet and quick thinking on display to start a triple play against the Pirates. In the seventh, he snagged a sharp grounder off the bat of Manny Sanguillen, hustled to step on third, then threw to second in initiating a 5-4-3 triple play.

9. A homer for Holtzman

Cubs lefty Ken Holtzman found his way into the history books on Aug. 19, 1969, when he spun a no-hitter (with no strikeouts) against the Braves. Santo helped record three of the 27 outs, but it was his bat that powered the win. In the first inning, Santo crushed a three-run homer off Phil Niekro that held up for the 3-0 victory for the North Siders.

10. Where it all began

On June 26, 1960, a 20-year-old Santo was up from the Triple-A Houston Buffs and slotted into the No. 6 slot for the Cubs. Facing the Pirates at Forbes Field, Santo connected with a Bob Friend pitch for a single in his first MLB at-bat. In the fifth, the rookie third baseman ended Friend's day with a three-run double. Overall, Santo went 3-for-7 with five RBIs in a doubleheader, giving an early glimpse of the stellar career to come.