Crosstown Classic

Lore & Background

The terms 'North Siders' and 'South Siders' are synonymous with the respective teams and their fans, setting up an enduring rivalry. Fans from the North Shore and Chicago's northern suburbs tend to support the Cubs, whereas fans from the south side of Chicago tend to support the White Sox. As of the end of the 2024 season, the Cubs lead the regular season series 78–77. There have been eight 3-game series sweeps since interleague play began: five by the Cubs in 1998, 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2021, and three by the White Sox in 1999, 2008, and 2012. There have been two season series sweeps, both by the Cubs in 1998 (3 games) and 2013 (4 games); the 2024 season series was not a sweep, as the Cubs won 3 of 4 games. The Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line train has stops within a block of both ballparks: Addison station for Wrigley Field and Sox–35th station for Rate Field. While teams in New York City (such as the Yankees, Giants, and Brooklyn Dodgers) routinely played against each other in World Series matchups throughout the 1940s and 1950s, the two Chicago teams only met once in the 1906 World Series, a celebrated event that seemingly put the city on hold for a full week. The heavily favored but young Cubs (who had won 116 games in the regular season) lost in six games to the veteran and pitching-strong White Sox, the 'Hitless Wonders'. From 1903 until 1942, excluding the years one team or the other won the pennant, the Cubs and White Sox played each other in a best-of-seven postseason City Series. These series were officially sanctioned by the National Baseball Commission and, later, the Commissioner of Baseball. The first series was played in 1903 and was a best-of-15. That year, the Cubs had a 6–3 series lead before the White Sox came back to force a 7–7 tie. Thanks to a rainout, they did not play the decisive 15th game as the players' contracts expired on October 15. Starting in 1905, the series became best-of-seven and remained that way until 1942. In all, they played 25 City Series with the White Sox winning 18 and the Cubs winning seven to go along with the tie of 1903. The 1912 City Series saw the White Sox lose the series 4–2 to the Cubs; no MLB postseason series saw a team overcome a 3–0 deficit until the 2004 ALCS. 1985 saw the start of an annual 'Windy City Classic' charity game. The series alternated between the respective teams' ballparks, with Co

In Their Own Story

The wind whipped off Lake Michigan, carrying the scent of hot dogs and river water as the North Side crowd chanted in unison. Inside Wrigley Field, the ivy seemed greener than usual, framing the scoreboard where history was etched in chalk. On the other side of the city, under steel beams on the South Side, a different rhythm pulsed through the stands—a harder, faster beat. When the first pitch was thrown, it wasn't just a game; it was a collision of two worlds. A fan in a red cap stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a neighbor, neither willing to blink first.

Reader's Guide

The White Sox have always been located on the south side. At the time the White Sox came to town, the Cubs' home field was West Side Park, in an older section of the city which is now the West Campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago and near the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks. (Coincidentally, for a few seasons in the early 1890s the Cubs home park was within a block of the sites of the future Sox ballparks). In 1916 the Cubs moved from the west to the north side, taking over Weeghman Park, the abandoned Federal League facility (later renamed Wrigley Field), thus setting up the current separation. When the new Comiskey Park (now called Rate Field) was built, many in the media and baseball (including both Cubs and White Sox fans) called the park 'sterile', and lacking the beauty and personality of the old park, even though many seats at the old park were cramped, behind posts, or in the outfield. Others contend that in contrast Wrigley Field is dirty, uncomfortable, and generally unpleasant to be in. Regardless, this again set up a point of rivalry as Cub

Did You Know?

• As of the end of the 2024 season, the Cubs lead the regular season series 78–77.
• The two teams only met once in the World Series, in 1906, when the 'Hitless Wonders' White Sox defeated the heavily favored Cubs in six games.
• In the 1912 City Series, the Cubs defeated the White Sox 4–2; no MLB postseason series saw a team overcome a 3–0 deficit until the 2004 ALCS.