He also set NL records for career assists (4,532), total chances (6,777) and double plays (389) at third base, all of which were eventually broken between 1986 and 1988 by Mike Schmidt.

His NL total of 2,102 games at third base is 52 short of Eddie Mathews' league record, and he ranks sixth in putouts (1,930) and ninth in fielding percentage (.954).

[5] Santo enjoyed his success despite battling diabetes since he was a teenager, a condition which was concealed from the public until 1971; it eventually necessitated the amputation of the lower half of both his legs.

"[6] Santo was raised in southeast Seattle, attending Franklin High School, and played newly organized youth baseball in the Babe Ruth League.

He grew up near Sicks Stadium, home of the Pacific Coast League's Seattle Rainiers, and had summer jobs there as a batboy, groundskeeper and clubhouse attendant, while playing three sports in high school.

In a game at Washington DC Stadium, Santo was inserted at first base, by Coach Dave Tacher, to replace a 15-year-old player who broke his thumb.

In that game Santo hit a grand slam over the 354 foot mark in left center field and the Washington All Stars defeated Tennessee.

Santo was deeply saddened by the loss of teammate Ken Hubbs, the Cubs second baseman, killed in a plane crash just prior to the 1964 season.

When the Cubs began their September swoon, which took place shortly after Santo called out rookie teammate Don Young in public after a loss against the Mets in New York, he discontinued the heel click routine suddenly.

During and after the epic collapse, Santo never again performed the heel click, as critics decried the routine for its arrogance and overconfidence, which many believe was at the root of the late fade.

Santo became the first player to invoke the ten-and-five rule under the collective bargaining agreement that was signed to end the 1972 Major League Baseball strike.

[18] The Cubs had agreed upon a deal to send Santo to the California Angels; the ballclub would have received in return two young pitchers: Andy Hassler, who went on to have a middling career as a reliever/spot starter, and Bruce Heinbechner, a very highly regarded left-handed pitching prospect, who died before the beginning of the 1974 season.

He wanted to play in the field, but White Sox manager Chuck Tanner would not bench Melton and unsuccessfully tried Santo at second base.

In addition to his broadcasting career, he did commercials for Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating, which he endorsed, along with joining Hughes in ads for Walgreens and Chevrolet.

Because the methods of regulating diabetes in the 1960s and 1970s were not as advanced as they are today,[23] Santo gauged his blood sugar levels based on his moods.

[24] As part of the publicity surrounding "Ron Santo Day" at Wrigley Field on August 28, 1971, he revealed his struggle with diabetes.

"[6] Santo also inspired Bill Holden to walk 2,100 miles (3,400 km) from Arizona to Chicago to raise $250,000 for diabetes research.

Santo died at 12:40 am on December 3, 2010, at the age of 70[26] in a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona, due to complications from bladder cancer and diabetes.

[27][28][29] [30] A funeral mass was celebrated at Holy Name Cathedral on December 10, where Santo's casket was carried in by former teammates Ernie Banks, Ferguson Jenkins, Randy Hundley, Glenn Beckert, and Billy Williams, draped with the No.

He was eulogized by his longtime broadcast partner Pat Hughes, along with Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig.

[31] Following the service, the procession paused outside Tribune Tower, home of WGN Radio, before heading north to circle Wrigley Field, starting at third base.

These aspects of play are perhaps more valued by sabermetrics — newer methods of evaluating a baseball player's productivity — than they have been by BBWAA voters in the past.

[35] However, several players elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA, such as Carl Yastrzemski, Wade Boggs, Jim Rice and Kirby Puckett, batted significantly better in their home parks than they did on the road.

[44][45][46][47] Bill James, a notable statistical guru who has ranked Santo among the 100 greatest players of all time (sixth among third basemen), believed his election to the Hall of Fame was long overdue.

[50][23][51] On December 5, 2011, the 16-member Golden Era Committee that began voting on ten candidates selected by the BBWAA screening committee,[52] was composed of Hank Aaron, Pat Gillick, Al Kaline, Ralph Kiner, Tommy Lasorda, Juan Marichal, Brooks Robinson, Billy Williams, Paul Beeston, Bill DeWitt, Roland Hemond, Gene Michael, Al Rosen, Dick Kaegel, Jack O'Connell, and Dave Van Dyck.

[50][23][53] Santo's widow Vicki accepted the plaque on Induction Day, and spoke about his love of the Cubs and his devotion to people with diabetes.

He was the first third baseman to hit 300 home runs and win five Gold Gloves, a feat since matched only by Schmidt and Scott Rolen.

Santo became the first player in major league history to wear a batting helmet with protective ear flaps, when in 1966, in the midst of trying to break the Cubs' modern consecutive-game hitting streak record of 27 games (set by Hack Wilson in 1929), Santo was sidelined for nearly two weeks following a pitch thrown by the Mets' Jack Fisher.

10 after Santo's retirement, notably Dave Kingman and Leon Durham; the most recent wearer had been interim manager Bruce Kimm, just the previous year.