1972 NLCS Game 5 vs Reds

Lore & Background

The team was originally called the White Stockings, later known as the Orphans, Infants, Remnants, and Colts before officially becoming the Cubs in 1903. They won the NABBP championship in 1870 and the first National League championship in 1876. Cap Anson led the team to pennants in 1880 and 1881.

In Their Own Story

The air in Riverfront Stadium hung heavy, thick with the humidity of an October evening and the weight of a decade's worth of hope resting on one final inning. Randy Hundley crouched behind the plate, his eyes locked on Johnny Bench. The count was full. The crowd roared as Bench swung, connecting with nothing but air. The ball hit the dirt, skittering toward the backstop. For a split second, there was silence, then chaos. Hundley scrambled, scooping the ball and firing to first base, his throw arriving just a fraction too late. Bench was safe. The umpire signaled strike three, but the runner lived. In the next breath, Ken Griffey Sr. lashed a single into right field. The run crossed home plate, and the Reds erupted, leaving the Cubs' dugout frozen in a tableau of disbelief.

Reader's Guide

It does not mention any specific game between the Cubs and Reds in 1972, nor any players, plays, or outcomes for that game.

Did You Know?

• The Chicago White Stockings played their first game on April 29, 1870, defeating the Union Club of St. Louis 7–1.
• The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed the team's ballpark and equipment, but they finished second that season.
• William Hulbert spearheaded the formation of the National League in 1876.
• In 1880, the White Stockings set an all-time NL record winning percentage of .798.