Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs founded in 1870

abbreviation
CHC
earlier names)
Chicago White Stockings (1870-1889) Chicago Colts (1890-1897) Chicago Orphans (1898-1901)
Nickname (s)
The Cubbies, The North Siders
Club colors
Blue, red, white
league
National Association (1870-1875) National League (since 1876) East Division (1969-1993) Central Division (since 1994)
Ball park (s)
Wrigley Field (since 1916)
president
Theo Epstein
successes
World Series (3): 1907 , 1908 , 2016 National League titles (17): 1876, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1885, 1886, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938, 1945, 2016 Central Division Title (5): 2003, 2007, 2008, 2016, 2017 East Division Title (2): 1984, 1989 Wild Cards (3): 1998, 2015, 2018 National Association Title (1): 1870
Website : chicago.cubs.mlb.com

The Chicago Cubs are an American baseball team. You play in the Central Division of the National League . The Chicago Cubs come from Chicago , where they were founded in 1870. The team plays their home games at Wrigley Field .

The Chicago Cubs are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball , whose championship they won in 2003, 2007, 2008, 2016, and 2017. You are one of two major league teams based in Chicago, (the other being the Chicago White Sox ) and one of the two remaining founding members of the National League alongside the Atlanta Braves . The Chicago Cubs are the oldest active American professional sports club that is continuously based in the same city.

In the first decades of the National League, the Cubs were among the dominant teams in the league, but in the period after World War I they never regained their former strength. Until 2016, the team was unable to repeat its World Series victories of 1907 and 1908 . After a successful season and postseason in 2016 , the Cubs reached the World Series for the first time after 1945 , defeated the Cleveland Indians there after seven games and won their third title. In 2017, the Cubs were named “Team of the Year” at the Laureus World Sports Awards .

The Cubs are often referred to as "The North Siders" because their stadium, Wrigley Field, is in Chicago's northern Lakeview district. Other nicknames of the team are "Cubbies", "Boys in Blue" because the main color of the jersey is blue, and "Lovable Losers" because of the popularity despite the continued failure to win the World Series.

In December 2007, entrepreneur Sam Zell acquired control of the Chicago Cubs by purchasing the Tribune Company . In 2009 he sold the franchise to the Ricketts family. The owner Joe Ricketts is the founder of TD Ameritrade.

The Cubs have special rivalries with the St. Louis Cardinals , the Milwaukee Brewers, and city rivals Chicago White Sox.

Origin of name

The team had become known under different names until 1902. On March 27, 1902, the Chicago Daily News ran the headline:

" Selee places his men: Manager of the Cubs is in doubt only in two positions. "

“ Selee puts his men together: The manager of the youngsters still doubts about two positions. "

The word cubs was synonymous with young players. The newspaper typesetter had accidentally capitalized the word. This term replaced the previous team name Colts over time, and in 1907 the name Cubs appeared on the official match reports.

Cubs curse

Billy Goat Tavern III

In 1945 the Chicago Cubs reached the World Series. Opponents were the Detroit Tigers . The first three games took place at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. The Cubs started their home games with a 2-1 lead. Before the fourth game, William "Billy Goat" Sianis was not allowed to bring his goat Murphy into the stadium. PK Wrigley, the owner of the Cubs at the time, named the goat's stench as the reason for the entry ban. Sianis was a die-hard Cubs fan and owner of the Billy Goat Tavern . Sianis left the stadium with the words:

“ The Cubs ain't gonna win no more. The Cubs will never win a World Series so long as the goat is not allowed in Wrigley Field. "

“ The Cubs will never win again. The Cubs won't win the World Series until the goat at Wrigley Field is admitted. "

The Cubs won another game. The sixth game on Monday, October 8, 1945 was the last game the Cubs won in the World Series. At the same time it was the second game won in the World Series at Wrigley Field. The first game won took place on Sunday, October 6, 1935, also against the Detroit Tigers. The Chicago Cubs lost the last game of the 1945 World Series on Wednesday, October 10, 1945 1: 5 against the Tigers and thus also the championship 3: 4.

On November 2, 2016, the Cubs broke the supposed curse after they defeated the Cleveland Indians in the best-of-seven series of the World Series in the seventh game with 8: 7 and thus won the series with a result of 4: 3.

This negative series of the Chicago Cubs was ridiculed in some films or used as a running gag , including in the feature film Back to the Future .

Memorable events and records

The Homer in the Gloamin '

On September 28, 1938, the Cubs played against the Pittsburgh Pirates . After the top half of the ninth inning , the score was 5: 5. Gabby Hartnett stepped to home plate in a dark Wrigley Field. The dark made the view worse and worse. After two outs , the referees were ready to end the game after the ninth inning. Hartnett hit a home run from Pirates pitcher Hurler Mace Brown into the darkness and haze in left center field. The "Homer in the Gloamin '" is one of the most famous walk-off home runs in baseball history.

10,000 wins

On April 23, 2008, the Cubs won their 10,000 game against the Colorado Rockies . regular season win in their franchise history since the National League began in 1876. The Cubs hit the milestone with a National League record of 10,000 wins and 9,465 losses. Chicago is only the second club in major league baseball history to reach this milestone. The first team were the San Francisco Giants in the middle of the 2005 season. However, the Cubs believe the mark of wins for a team that always played in the same city. The Chicago club's 77-77 National Association record (1871, 1874-1875) is not on the MLB records. The post-season series is also not included in the totals. To honor the success, an additional white flag with the blue "10000" fluttered along with the usual "W" flag in Wrigley Field.

Woods 20 strikeout game

In his only fifth MLB game, the Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood managed 20 strikeouts against the Houston Astros on May 6, 1998 . This is the Cubs franchise record and major league record. The game is often referred to as the most dominant pitching feat of all time. Wood only allowed two valid hits ( base hits ), but missed a perfect game .

Championship losing streak

The Chicago Cubs hadn't won a World Series since 1908, nor had they reached it from 1945 to 2016. It is the longest losing streak in all four major American professional leagues, which includes the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball. The Cubs losing streak has long competed with the history of the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox , both of which had waited over 80 years for another championship. The Boston Red Sox ended their 86-year lean period by winning the World Series in 2004, followed a year later by the Chicago White Sox with their 88-year triumph. On November 2, 2016, the Cubs finally managed to break the spell after 108 years.

With Back to the Future II , the Cubs' championship losing streak became more popular among non-baseball fans. After their journey through time from 1985 on October 21, 2015 , the protagonists of the film experience how the Chicago Cubs first won the World Series since 1908 - a success that the team also achieved in reality between 1989 (the Year of release of the film) and 2015 was not granted. In fact, on October 21, 2015, the Cubs were among the last four teams left in the 2015 Major League Baseball season , but were eliminated from the New York Mets on that day . On October 21, 2015, the ARD published a "special edition" of the Tagesschau , which reports on the alleged World Series triumph of the Chicago Cubs, but also on other fictional current events depicted in the feature film. A year later, in the fall of 2016, the Cubs actually won the World Series.

Home runs at Wrigley Field

Waveland Avenue

Glenallen Hill is the first and so far only player to hit a thrown ball on the roof of a five-story apartment building on Waveland Avenue. The home run against the Milwaukee Brewers was estimated at well over 500 feet (150 m).

No ball hit has yet hit the scoreboard. In 1948, Bill Nicholson narrowly missed the ad at Center Field when he hit a home run on Sheffield Avenue. In 1959, Roberto Clemente got even closer when he hit a home run on Waveland Avenue. In 2001, a punch from Sammy Sosa landed on Waveland Avenue and bounced one block down onto Kenmore Avenue. Dave Kingman hit a ball on May 17, 1979 that hit the third canopy on the east side of Kenmore Avenue, at an estimated 555 feet (169 m) this home run is cited as the longest in Wrigley Field history.

Longest game at Wrigley Field

Win flag at Cubs victories

On July 30, 2014, the Cubs played against the Colorado Rockies. The game started at 7:15 p.m. on July 29th. After nine innings it was level 3–3, so the game was extended. In another six extra innings, neither team could achieve the decisive points for victory. The seventh -inning stretch was carried out in the 7th and 14th innings . In the lower half of the 16th inning, all bases were occupied when Batter Castro hit a sacrifice fly . The Catcher John Baker reached home plate and the Cubs won after 6 hours and 27 minutes into the game with 4-3. The game ended at 1:32 a.m. on July 30, beating the Cubs' previous record of 6 hours and 10 minutes, set August 17-18, 1982, in a 21-inning game against Los Angeles Dodgers .

The seventh-inning stretch

Harry Caray in his cabin at Wrigley Field - 1988

Harry Carry , former stadium announcer and radio commentator (March 1, 1914– February 18, 1998) became famous for his “seventh-inning stretch singing” from Take Me Out to the Ball Game . Caray sang the unofficial anthem of the sport of baseball with a handheld microphone and kept it out the window of his booth in the press area of Wrigley Field. Caray began many of his performances while the Park Organ was playing the opening chord, addressing the baseball fans present, either about the state of the game or the Chicago weather. Then his trademark followed at the opening, “All right! Lemme hear ya! Ah-one! Ah-Two! Ah-Three! ”After his death, the singing is performed by various invited local and national celebrities.

Season results since 1901

season	S.	N	percent	Wild Card Games	League Division Series	League Championship Series	World Series
1901	53	86	.381
1902	68	69	.496
1903	82	56	.594
1904	93	60	.608
1905	92	61	.601
1906	116	36	.763				Cubs vs. Chicago White Sox 2-4
1907	107	45	.704				Cubs vs. Detroit Tigers 4-0
1908	99	55	.643				Cubs vs. Detroit Tigers 4-1
1909	104	49	.680
1910	104	50	.675				Cubs vs. Philadelphia Athletics 1-4
1911	92	62	.597
1912	91	59	.607
1913	88	65	.575
1914	78	76	.506
1915	73	80	.477
1916	67	86	.438
1917	74	80	.481
1918	84	45	.651				Cubs vs. Boston Red Sox 2-4
1919	75	65	.536
1920	75	79	.487
1921	64	89	.418
1922	80	74	.519
1923	83	71	.539
1924	81	72	.529
1925	68	86	.442
1926	82	72	.532
1927	85	68	.556
1928	91	63	.591
1929	98	54	.645				Cubs vs. Philadelphia Athletics 1-4
1930	90	64	.584
1931	84	70	.545
1932	90	64	.584				Cubs vs. New York Yankees 0-4
1963	86	68	.558
1934	86	65	.570
1935	100	54	.649				Cubs vs. Detroit Tigers 2-4
1936	87	67	.565
1937	93	61	.604
1938	89	63	.586				Cubs vs. New York Yankees 0-4
1939	84	70	.545
1940	75	79	.487
1941	70	84	.455
1942	68	86	.442
1943	74	79	.484
1944	75	79	.487
1945	98	56	.636				Cubs vs. Detroit Tigers 3-4
1946	81	71	.536
1947	69	85	.448
1948	64	90	.416
1949	61	93	.396
1950	64	89	.418
1951	62	92	.403
1952	77	77	.500
1953	65	89	.422
1954	64	90	.416
1955	72	81	.471
1956	60	94	.390
1957	62	92	.403
1958	72	82	.468
1959	74	80	.481
1960	60	94	.390
1961	64	90	.416
1962	59	103	.364
1963	82	80	.506
1964	76	86	.469
1965	72	90	.444
1966	59	103	.364
1967	87	74	.540
1968	87	78	.519
1969	92	70	.568
1970	84	78	.519
1971	83	78	.512
1972	85	70	.548
1973	77	84	.478
1974	66	96	.407
1975	75	87	.463
1976	75	87	.463
1977	81	81	.500
1978	79	83	.488
1979	80	82	.494
1980	64	98	.395
1981	38	65	.369
1982	73	89	.451
1983	71	91	.438
1984	96	65	.596			Cubs vs. San Diego Padres 2-3
1985	77	84	.478
1986	70	90	.438
1987	76	85	.472
1988	77	85	.475
1989	93	69	.574			Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants 1-4
1990	77	85	.475
1991	77	83	.481
1992	78	84	.481
1993	84	78	.519
1994	49	64	.434
1995	73	71	.507
1996	76	86	.469
1997	68	94	.420
1998	90	73	.552		Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves 0-3
1999	67	95	.414
2000	65	97	.401
2001	88	74	.543
2002	67	95	.414
2003	88	74	.543		Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves 3-2	Cubs vs. Florida Marlins 3-4
2004	89	73	.549
2005	79	83	.488
2006	66	96	.407
2007	85	77	.525		Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondbacks 0-3
2008	97	64	.602		Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers 0-3
2009	83	78	.516
2010	75	87	.463
2011	71	91	.438
2012	61	101	.377
2013	66	96	.407
2014	73	89	.451
2015	97	65	.599	Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0	Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals 3-1	Cubs vs. New York Mets 0-4
2016	103	58	.640		Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants 3-1	Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2	Cubs vs. Cleveland Indians 4-3
2017	92	70	.568		Cubs vs. Washington Nationals 3-2	Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers 1-4
2018	95	68	.583	Cubs vs. Colorado Rockies 0-1
2019	84	78	.519

No longer assigned back numbers

Ron Santo 3B: 1960-1973 since September 28, 2003	Ernie Banks SS, 1B: 1953-1971 since August 22, 1982	Ryne Sandberg 2B: 1982-1994, 1996-1997 since August 28, 2005	Billy Williams OF: 1959-1974 since August 13, 1987	Ferguson Jenkins P: 1966-1973, 1982-1983 since May 3, 2009	Greg Maddux P: 1986-1992, 2004-2006 since May 3, 2009	42 Jackie Robinson * since April 15, 1997

* Jackie Robinson's number is no longer assigned by an MLB team.

Members of the Baseball Hall of Fame

Chicago Cubs Hall of Famers

Membership in the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Chicago Cubs / White Stockings

Pete Alexander

Cap Anson
Richie Ashburn
Ernie Banks
Lou Boudreau
Roger Bresnahan
Mordecai Brown
Frank Chance
John Clarkson

Kiki Cuyler

Andre Dawson
Hugh Duffy
Leo Durocher
Dennis Eckersley
Johnny Evers
Jimmie Foxx
Frankie Frisch
Goose Gossage
Clark Griffith

Burleigh Grimes

Gabby Hartnett
Billy Herman
Rogers Hornsby
Monte Irvin
Ferguson Jenkins
George Kelly
King Kelly
Ralph Kiner
Chuck Klein

Tony La Russa

Tony Lazzeri
Freddie Lindstrom
Rabbit Maranville
Greg Maddux
Joe McCarthy
Hank O'Day
Robin Roberts
Ryne Sandberg
Ron Santo

Frank Selee

Albert Spalding
Bruce Sutter
Joe Tinker
Rube Waddell
Deacon White
Hoyt Wilhelm
Billy Williams
Hack Wilson

Players in bold are depicted on their Hall of Fame boards with Cubs, Orphans, Colts, or White Stockings badges.

Current squad

Chicago Cubs players

Active players (25-player group)

Inactive players (40-player group)

Trainer / Others

Pitcher

Starting rotation

Bullpen

Closer

46 Craig Kimbrel

Catcher

Infielder

Outfielder

Pitcher

Catcher

75 Miguel Amaya

Infielder

33 Daniel Descalso
76 Zack Short

Outfielder

21 Steven Souza Jr.

Manager

3 David Ross

Trainer

19 Andy Green (bench)
24 Anthony Iapoce (hitting)
68 Tommy Hottovy (pitching)
58 Craig Driver (First Base)
25 Will Venable (Third Base)
54 Chris Young (bullpen)
95 Chad Noble (Bullpen Catcher)
58 Mike Borzello (catching)
55 Mike Napoli (Quality Control)
1 Terrmel Sledge (Assistant Hitting)
65 Franklin Font (Staff Assistant)
91 Kyle Evans (Director of Data and Development)

Injury list (60 days)

3 Daniel Descalso (45 days)
38 Brad Wieck (45 days)

Injury list (7 or 10 days)
* Banned
Roster updated on August 21, 2020
Transfers • Line-up

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the number of players in the active squad at the beginning of the 2020 MLB season on 23/24. July increased to 30 players. Two weeks later there was a scheduled reduction to 28 players. Another two weeks later, the number of players is to be reduced to 26 and maintained for the entire 2020 season. In the case of double-headers , the teams may appoint a 27th player to the active squad.