To paraphrase from a famous movie, the one constant through all the years has been baseball. With the start of the 2026 season coming next week, we start to wind down our look at the all-time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. Today, we take a deeper dive into the Chicago Cubs.
The Cubs, dating back to 1870, were charter members of the National League in 1876. I’ve seen 544 players wearing a Cub uniform in the 463 of their games that I’ve attended live at nine different stadiums across seven cities, with the earliest identified game at Wrigley Field on August 4, 1984 against the Mets, through their NLDS appearance against the Brewers last fall.
White Sox pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to camp today, so that means it is time for our annual look at the pitching leaders in the now 1,149 games I’ve attended, and identified, between 1984 and 2025. Very few changes from last year, although I did do some data quality cleanups last summer. So, without further ado, let’s get things started with our first category, the always popular:
Last week, we took our first look at the offensive leaders per season since 2019. Today, we do the same with the pitchers for all of the games I’ve attended from 1984 through the 2025 season. As with the hitters, there is little change from our first look after the 2011 season, but the time was right for another perusal of the stats. We start with that most maligned pitching stat:
Yesterday, we looked at the offensive leaders in interleague games I’ve attended since 1997. Today, let’s take a look at the defensive side of the ball and the active pitching leaders in the 199 games I’ve attended featuring teams from opposite leagues.
White Sox pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to camp today, so that means it is time for our annual look at the pitching leaders in the now 1,110 games I’ve attended, and identified, between 1984 and 2024. Very, very few changes from last year, with just the appearances leader board impacted. So, without further ado, let’s get things started with our first category, the always popular:
Two months back, the 2024 Crosstown Cup series kicked off at Wrigley Field with the Cubs sweeping the two-game set as part of the first record-setting losing streak the White Sox posted this season. With round two scheduled to get under way tonight across town at Guaranteed Rate Field, we look at the pitching leaders from the 90 contests I’ve attended in the annual match-up between the White Sox and the Cubs, starting with:
Welcome to the first installment of what should become a recurring feature, taking a look back at some occurrence in the world, mostly sports, and trying to ascertain what the outcome would have been if just one thing, a decision or an outcome, went a different way. We start in October 2003, with game six of the NLCS where one particular play, debated for years, may have turned the tide.
On October 14, 2003, the Cubs were five outs away from winning their first National League pennant since 1945. Mark Prior was on the mound for the Cubs and had retired eight straight batters into the eighth inning when Juan Pierre doubled, bringing Luis Castillo to the plate. On the eighth pitch of the at bat, Castillo hit a high foul ball down the left field line, heading towards the stands. Moises Alou tracked the ball and reached, when the ball was touched by a fan. A visibly upset Alou, along with Prior and Cub manager Dusty Baker, pleaded for a call of fan interference, but the umpires ruled that the ball had left the field of play. Castillo returned to the plate and, on the next pitch, walked on a wild pitch, allowing Pierre to advance to third.
Ivan Rodriguez then hit an 0-2 pitch for a single, knocking in Pierre and making the score 3-1. When the next batter, Miguel Cabrera, hit a shard ground ball to shortstop Alex Gonzalez, it looked like the rally was over, but, instead of turning the ready-made double play, Gonzalez booted the ball, loading the bases. Derrek Lee then drilled the next pitch for a double, knocking in Castillo and Rodriguez and tying the score 3-3. At this point, Baker emerged from the Cub dugout to remove Prior, but the damage had been done. The Marlins scored five more times, winning the game 8-3 and forcing a Game 7.
The following night, the Marlins completed the unlikely comeback, beating the Cubs 9-6 and going on the face the Yankees in the World Series. They would wind up winning that as well, defeating the Yankees in six games to take home their second title.
But what if Alou had made that catch? How would the rest of history play out? Let’s take a trip through the multiverse to see what the outcome would have been.
OK, so Alou makes the catch for the second out of the inning. Let us assume Rodriguez still singles, scoring the speedy Pierre from second to make it a 3-1 game. Let us also assume Cabrera hits the same grounder to Alex Gonzalez, but, without the pressure of trying to make up for the missed out, he fields it cleanly, retiring Cabrera and ending the inning. Continue reading →
White Sox pitchers and catchers are scheduled to have their first workout in camp today, so that means it is time for our annual look at the pitching leaders in the now 1,083 games I’ve attended, and identified, between 1984 and 2023. Very few changes from last year, but 2023’s performances have updated the ERA leader board. So, without further ado, let’s get things started with our first category, the always popular:
White Sox pitchers and catchers are scheduled to arrive in camp today, so that means it is time for our annual look at the pitching leaders in the now 1,040 games I’ve attended, and identified, between 1984 and 2022. Not a whole lot of difference from last year, but a few categories have seen new faces join the leader board. So, without further ado, let’s get things started with our first category, the always popular:
Our Throwback Thursday feature concludes, as we take one final trip in the wayback machine, going back to the 2000s, finally putting our focus on the defensive leaders of that decade. As a reminder, I’ve identified 518 games that I attended during this time period, when I would have been ages 25 through 34.
