History of the Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are one of the oldest baseball teams in the major leagues. The team started in 1876 as the Chicago White Stockings and it went through several name changes until 1903, when it became the Chicago Cubs. They won their first World Series titles in 1907 and 1908, but it took over hundred years for them to win another title. They had their best season in 1906, when they had 116 wins and 36 losses.

1876-1879

The Chicago Cubs started in 1876 as the Chicago White Stockings. They played their home games at the 23rd Street Grounds in 1876 and 1877. They moved the games to Lakefront Park in 1878.

Under their first manager, Al Spalding, the White Stockings had a winning season in 1876. After a losing season in 1877, Spalding was replaced by Bob Ferguson, who managed the team to another losing season in 1878. Cap Anson took over as player-manager in 1879, and he led the team to a winning season that year.

1880-1889

The White Stockings had only winning seasons in the 1880s. Cap Anson continued to manage the team until 1897. He led them to their best season in 1886, when they had 90 wins and 34 losses. Two future Hall of Famers who helped the team in the 1880s were King Kelly and John Clarkson.

The White Stockings home games were moved to West Side Park in 1885. They continued to play there through 1891.

1890-1899

The White Stockings were renamed the Chicago Colts in 1890. That name lasted until 1898, when they became the Chicago Orphans. They moved their home games to South Side Park in 1891, and two years later, they moved the games to West Side Grounds.

Cap Anson led the Colts to winning seasons in 1890, 1891, 1895, and 1896. He was replaced in 1898 by Tommy Burns, who led the team to winning seasons in 1898 and 1899. Their best season was 1898 with 85 wins and 65 losses.

The Colts/Orphans had two pitchers who helped them win games in the 1890s. Bill Hutchinson, who played with them from 1889 through 1895, led the National League in strikeouts in 1892, and he led the league in wins in 1890, 1891, and 1892. Clark Griffith led all major league pitchers in ERA in 1898.

1900-1909

The Colts were sold in 1902 by Al Spalding to John Hart, and the new Chicago Cubs started on their road back to victory. By 1906, the Cubs were the top team in the National League and they won the pennant in 1906, 1907, and 1908. They also had their first two World Series titles in 1907 and 1908.

The Chicago Orphans had losing seasons in 1900 and 1901, under the leadership of manager Tom Loftus. Frank Selee took over the position in 1902. A year later, when their name changed to the Chicago Cubs, Selee led the team to a winning season in 1903. He continued to lead them to winning seasons in 1904 and 1905.

Frank Chance became the Cubs' player-manager in 1906, and he led them to 116 wins and 36 losses that year. They went to the World Series and lost to their rival Chicago team, the White Sox.

In 1907, Chance led the Cubs to 107 wins and 45 losses and another NL pennant win. They faced the Detroit Tigers in the postseason and they won their first World Series title. They repeated that feat in 1908.

The Cubs had four future Hall of Famers on their roster in the 1900s. Frank Chance, Johnny Evers, and Joe Tinker formed a strong defensive infield, and Mordecai Brown provided strong pitching.

1910-1919

The Cubs had winning seasons from 1910 through 1914, under the leadership of Frank Chance (1910-1912), Johnny Evers (1913), and Hank O'Day (1914). Their best season was 1910, when they had 104 wins and 50 losses. They went to the postseason in 1910, and they lost the World Series to the Philadelphia Athletics.

In 1915, the Cubs started going downhill, with a losing season under new manager Roger Bresnahan. They had a new home ballpark, Wrigley Field, and a new manager, Joe Tinker, in 1916, but it didn't help the team and they again had a losing season.

Fred Mitchell took over as manager of the Cubs in 1917, and after a losing season, he led them to a NL pennant in 1918, with 84 wins and 45 losses. They faced the Boston Red Sox in the World Series and lost the series in six games. That year, pitcher Hippo Vaughn won the NL Triple Crown, leading the NL in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. They had another winning season in 1919, but they didn't get to the postseason.

1920-1929

The 1920s started for the Cubs with two losing seasons under manager Fred Mitchell (1920) and the return of Johnny Evers as manager in 1921. Evers was replaced by Bill Killefer, who led the team to winning seasons in 1922, 1923, and 1924. Rabbit Maranville took over in 1925 for 53 games and another losing season.

The Cubs rebounded in 1926, under the leadership of new manager Joe McCarthy. They had winning seasons from 1926 through 1929. They had 98 wins and 54 losses in 1929, and they won the NL pennant. They faced the Athletics in the World Series and lost it in five games.

The Cubs had three more future Hall of Famers on their roster in the 1920s. Grover Cleveland Alexander was added in 1918, and he played with them through 1926. Gabby Hartnett, who joined the Cubs in 1922, played with them for almost two decades. Hack Wilson joined the team in 1926 and stayed with them through 1931.

1930-1939

The Cubs had good teams in the 1930s, with winning seasons each year. Their best season was in 1935, when they had 100 wins and 54 losses. They went to the World Series three times, but they didn't take home a title.

In the 1930s, the Cubs added future Hall of Famers Kiki Cuyler and Billy Herman to their roster. With strong players and Rogers Hornsby and Charlie Grimm managing the team in 1932, they went to the World Series. The Yankees swept them in the series, winning it in four straight games.

Grimm managed the Cubs to another NL pennant in 1935. They again lost the World Series, this time to the Tigers. Three years later, in 1938, under the leadership of Grimm and Gabby Hartnett, they lost another World Series to the Yankees.

1940-1949

The Cubs struggled in the 1940s, with winning seasons only in 1945 and 1946. They won the NL pennant in 1945 with 98 wins and 56 losses. But they still couldn't get a World Series title, losing the series again to the Tigers.

Gabby Hartnett continued to manage the Cubs in 1940. He was followed by Jimmie Wilson, who managed until Charlie Grimm returned to the position in 1944. Frankie Frisch took over the position in 1949.

1950-1959

The 1950s were a grim time for the Cubs. They had no winning seasons during those years. Frisch was replaced as manager by Phil Cavaretta in 1951. Stan Hack took over the position in 1954, followed by Bob Scheffing in 1957. None of the managerial changes helped the Cubs. Not even the addition of Ernie Banks to the roster in 1953 helped the team.

1960-1969

The Cubs continued to have losing seasons in 1960, 1961, and 1962. During those three years, they had four managers - Lou Boudreau (1960), El Tappe (1961-1962), Vedie Himsl (32 games in 1961), and Charlie Metro (1962).

The Cubs finally had a winning season in 1963, under the leadership of new manager Bob Kennedy. However, that success ended quickly, and they again had losing seasons in 1964, 1965, and 1966.

The 1967, 1968, and 1969 seasons gave the Cubs consecutive years of winning records, under the leadership of another new manager, Leo Durocher. They had top players on those teams, including future Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Ferguson Jenkins, Ron Santo, and Billy Williams.

The Cubs were moved to the newly formed NL East division in 1969. Even though they had a strong season that year, with 92 wins and 70 losses, they lost the NL pennant to the New York Mets.

1970-1979

The Cubs started off the 1970s with three winning seasons, but they went into a downslide starting in 1973. They had only losing seasons under managers Whitey Lockman (1973 and 1974), Jim Marshall (1974-1976), and Herman Franks (1977-1979). They added future Hall of Fame pitcher Bruce Sutter to the roster in 1976, but it didn't help them enough.

1980-1989

The Cubs continued to struggle in the early years of the 1980s, with losing seasons from 1980 through 1983. They had constantly changing managers during those years, with Joey Amalfitano in 1980 and 1981, Preston Gomez in 1980, Lee Elia in 1982 and 1983, and Charlie Fox in 1983.

Jim Frey took over as manager in 1984, and he led the Cubs to 96 wins and 65 losses. They won the NL East division title, and Frey was named the NL Manager of the Year. They didn't win the pennant, losing the NLCS to the San Diego Padres.

From 1985 through 1988, the Cubs again had losing seasons under managers Frey (1985 and 1986), Gene Michael (1986 and 1987), and Don Zimmer (1988). In 1989, Zimmer led the team to 93 wins and 69 losses and another division title. Once again they lost the pennant in the NLCS, this time to the San Francisco Giants.

The Cubs were aided in their wins in 1984 and 1989 by future Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg. In 1986, they added Greg Maddux to their pitching rotation.

1990-1999

The 1990s were similar to the 1980s for the Cubs. They had just two winning seasons, and one postseason. Their first winning season was in 1993, under the leadership of manager Jim Lefebvre. In 1998, manager Jim Riggleman led them to 90 wins and 73 losses and a NL Wild Card spot. They were swept in the NL division series by the Atlanta Braves.

The Cubs were moved to the NL Central division in 1994.

2000-2009

The Cubs improved significantly in the first decade of the new century. They had their first of six winning seasons in 2001, under the leadership of manager Don Baylor. Two years later, Dusty Baker took over as manager and he led the team to 88 wins and 74 losses in 2003. They won the NL Central division title and defeated the Braves in the NLDS. They lost the NLCS to the Miami Marlins in 2003.

Baker led the Cubs to another winning season in 2004, but not to postseason play. After losing seasons in 2005 and 2006, he was replaced by Lou Piniella in 2007. The Cubs finished the 2007 season with 85 wins and 77 losses and another division title. They then faced the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS and lost the series.

In 2008, after leading the Cubs to 97 games and 64 losses and one more NL Central division title, Piniella was named the NL Manager of the Year. They went to the postseason and were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.

2010-2018

Piniella was replaced by Mike Quade in 2010. The Cubs had no success under Quade, finishing with 75 wins and 87 losses in 2010 and 71 wins and 91 losses in 2011. Dale Sveum took over as manager in 2012, and he was also unsuccessful with the team. They finished both the 2012 and 2013 seasons in fifth place in the NL Central division, with 61 wins and 101 losses in 2012 and 66 wins and 96 losses in 2013.

In 2014, under new manager Rick Renteria, the Cubs had a better season with 73 wins and 89 losses, but they still finished in fifth place in the division.

In November, 2014, Renteria was replaced with Joe Maddon and he quickly turned the Cubs into postseason contenders. They finished the 2015 season with 97 wins and 65 losses, but they were still in third place in the NL Central division. However, they won a Wild Card spot and defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Wild Card game. They went on to defeat another central division team, the St. Louis Cardinals, in the NLDS. They lost the NL pennant to the Mets, but Cubs' fans had high hopes for 2016, with strong, young players and the 2015 NL Manager of the Year leading the team.

The Cubs started the 2016 season with top pitcher Jake Arrieta leading their starting rotation, and a strong, young infield with Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javier Baez. They didn't disappoint their fans, finishing the season with the best record in baseball with 103 wins and 58 losses. They won the NL Central division title, the NLDS over the Giants, and the NLCS over the Dodgers. And, finally, after more than 100 years, the Cubs took home a World Series title by defeating the Cleveland Indians in seven games.

Maddon led the Cubs to winning seasons again in 2017 (92-70) and 2018 (95-68). The won the division title in 2017 and they defeated the Washington Nationals in the NLDS, but they lost the NLCS to the Dodgers. In 2018, they lost the division title in a one game tie-breaker with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Chicago Cubs
Baseball Reference - Chicago Cubs