1984 NLCS Game 5 vs Padres

Lore & Background

Throughout the club's history, the Cubs have played in a total of 11 World Series. The 1906 Cubs won 116 games, finishing 116–36 and posting a modern-era record winning percentage of .763, before losing the World Series to the Chicago White Sox by four games to two. The Cubs won back-to-back World Series championships in 1907 and 1908, becoming the first major league team to play in three consecutive World Series, and the first to win it twice. Most recently, the Cubs won the 2016 National League Championship Series and 2016 World Series, which ended a 71-year National League pennant drought and a 108-year World Series championship drought. The 108-year drought was also the longest such occurrence in all major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. Since the start of divisional play in 1969, the Cubs have appeared in the postseason 11 times through the 2024 season.

In Their Own Story

Inside the dugout at Jack Murphy Stadium, the San Diego humidity felt like a suffocating blanket. Ryne Sandberg sat motionless, staring down at cleats caked in foreign dust, while manager Lee Elia paced the sideline, his face etched with the disbelief of a dream evaporating in real-time. On the mound, Rich Gossage wiped sweat from his brow, acutely aware he was the executioner of a hope forty years in the making. The roar of the home crowd for the Padres rose like a tidal wave, but for Cubs fans tuning in across the Midwest, the sound was a distant, muffled echo—a haunting reminder of a World Series that slipped through their fingers just as they reached for it.

Reader's Guide

The Cubs are known as 'the North Siders', a reference to the location of Wrigley Field within the city of Chicago, and in contrast to the White Sox, whose home field (Rate Field) is located on the South Side. Through 2024, the franchise has played the most games in MLB history, with an all-time regular season record of 11,419–10,837–161 (.513).

Did You Know?

• The Cubs began in 1870 as the Chicago White Stockings.
• The Cubs have been known as the Chicago Cubs since 1903.
• The Cubs won back-to-back World Series championships in 1907 and 1908.
• The Cubs' 108-year World Series championship drought was the longest in North American professional sports.