Basic facts

• National League Central division
• Home stadium: Wrigley Field
• Owner: Ricketts family

• Thomas S., Joe, Laura, Pete, and Todd

History

• Fanatical fans, extensive roster of Hall-of-Famers, and historic ballpark
• Despite the positives, the Chicago Cubs went over 70 years without appearing in a World Series!
• Originally an amateur team, started in 1874
• Became a charter member of the National League and played their first game on April 25, 1876

• Known then as the White Stockings (note the irony: the other modern team in Chicago, alongside the Cubs, is now the White Sox!)

• Cap Anson was a major player from the late 19th century, and reputedly the first to amass over 3000 hits in the major leagues

• Played 1876-1897, managed 1879-1897

• Changed name to Cubs in 1903
• Key non-pitchers from 1900s:

• Frank Chance, player-manager from 1905-1912

• First baseman
• Nickname: “Peerless Leader”

• Johnny Evers, second baseman
• Joe Tinker, shortstop
• Tinker, Evers, and Chance form a historically notable defensive trifecta

• Key pitchers from 1900s:

• Mordecai “Three-Finger” Brown (26-6, 1.04)
• Jack Pfeister (20-8, 1.56)
• Ed Reulbach (19-4, 1.65)
• Carl Lundgren (17-6, 2.21)

• 1906 season

• Winning percentage of .763, the highest in MLB history
• 116 wins
• Lost World Series to Chicago White Sox

• Won World Series against the Detroit Tigers in both 1907 and 1908
• 1908 season

• Included “Merkle’s Boner:”

• Giants player Fred Merkle, then the youngest player in the National League, failed to touch 2nd base after the Giants’ hitter singled for a winning run from 3rd.
• Johnny Evers retrieved the ball and got an umpire to invalidate the run, which tied the game; ultimately, the Cubs won the makeup game and the league pennant.

• 1921: Charles Wrigley purchased the team from Charles Weeghman, who built the stadium eventually known as Wrigley Field.
• Pennant wins spaced in three-year intervals: 1929-32-35-38
• 1935 season: 21 straight wins, which is the longest streak in National League history that does not include any tie games
• Hack Wilson

• 191 RBIs in 1930 still stands as a major league record

• Key players from 1930s:

• Rogers Hornsby
• Kiki Cuyler
• Billy Herman
• Gabby Hartnett
• Dizzy Dean
• Chuck Klein
• Stan Hack
• Ripper Collins
• Phil Cavaretta

• 1947-1966: finished last five times and finished over .500 only once
• Late 1960s rebound

• Manager: veteran Leo Durocher
• Key non-pitchers:

• Ernie Banks, A.K.A. Mr. Cub
• Billy Williams
• Ron Santo
• Don Kessinger
• Glenn Beckert
• Randy Hundley

• Key pitchers:

• Ferguson Jenkins
• Kenny Holtzman
• Bill Hands

• Six years of winning seasons, but no pennants

• 1984 season

• First division championship win since 1945
• General manager: Dallas Green
• Key non-pitchers:

• Ryne Sandburg
• Jody Davis
• Ron Cey
• Gary Matthews

• Key pitcher: Rick Sutcliffe
• Lost the league championship to the Padres after fielding error by first baseman Leon Durham

• Later division titles: 1989, 1998, and 2003
• 2003 NLCS

• Cubs leading 3-0 in the eighth inning
• Fan named Steve Bartman reached for a foul ball and deflected it from the glove of left-fielder Moisés Alou.
• The Marlins then scored eight runs before the Cubs could close out the inning.

• 2011: Cubs hire Theo Epstein as president, who led the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007 to their first world championship wins since 1918.
• 2016: first world championship win since 1908.

Links

https://www.baseball-almanac.com/teams/cubs.shtml