Originally founded in 1869, the Chicago Cubs became a charter member of the National League in 1876. Over the next 150 seasons, the Cubs have played more than 22,000 games, scored over 103,000 runs and recorded more than 200,000 hits, more than any other team in baseball history. Nearly 2,300 players have worn a Cubs uniform, earning eight division titles, 17 NL pennants, and three World Series championships.
Fans have witnessed generations of unforgettable players, from historical heroes like Joe Tinker, Gabby Hartnett, Ernie Banks, and Billy Williams to more recent stars like Ryne Sandberg, Derrek Lee, Kerry Wood, and Anthony Rizzo. The team has called Wrigley Field home for 110 of those 150 seasons.
To celebrate this milestone, the Cubs are holding a fan vote to select the franchise’s anniversary team. Each week, we will go through the provided options for each position and declare who should, and, if different, who will, win the fan vote. We start today with the final eight selections for starting pitcher.
Rick Reuschel, a native of central Illinois, spent parts of twelve seasons across two stints with the Cubs, from 1972-1981 and again from 1983-1984. From 1975-1978, he was teammates with his brother Paul, also a pitcher. His best season came in 1977, when he won 20 games, made his lone All-Star team as a Cub, and finished third in Cy Young award voting. After being traded in 1981, he returned to the Cubs in 1983 following a rotator cuff injury. He is a member of the Cubs Hall of Fame.
Charlie Root spent the majority of his major league career with the Cubs, from 1926-1941. In 1927, he led the National League with 26 wins, 48 games, 309 innings pitched, and, unfortunately, 117 walks. In the 1932 World Series, Root was on the mound for Babe Ruth’s infamous called shot home run, though he would dispute the account. Overall, he appeared in four World Series as a Cub and received some MVP support in five of his sixteen seasons. He is a member of the team’s Hall of Fame.
Bob Rush debuted with the Cubs in 1948, spending ten seasons on the north side. A two-time All-Star, he led the NL with 20 losses in 1950. He was a steady, if unspectacular, mainstay of the Cub rotation during the fallow period following their final World Series appearance of the 20th century in 1945.
Bill Madlock essentially replaced two of the Cubs biggest stars of the 1960s when he joined the team for his rookie season in 1974. Acquired for future Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins, Madlock took the spot of Hall of Famer Ron Santo at the hot corner. If he felt any pressure, he didn’t show it, hitting .313 with 9 home runs, good enough for a third place finish in Rookie of the Year voting. In 1975, he broke out in a big way, earning his first All Star nod on his way to a batting title. In 1976, Madlock repeated as batting champion, hitting .339 and beating out Ken Griffey Sr. on the final day of the season. With the dawn of free agency on the horizon, Madlock asked the Cubs for a multi-year contract with a salary of $200,000, more than double what he had earned in 1976. Team owner Phillip K. Wrigley had other ideas, announcing that Madlock would be traded “to anyone foolish enough to want him.” In February of 1977, that so-called foolish team turned out to be the Giants, who sent Bobby Murcer and Steve Ontiveros, among others, to the Cubs. In July of 2016, this would be ranked as one of the five worst trades in Cub history.
