Tag / Cubs

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Preparing For Stars

Before kicking off the second half of the season Friday night, the Cubs unveiled the logo for the 2027 All-Star Game, planned to be played at Wrigley Field next July 13.  The logo incorporates iconography of both the Wrigley Field marquee and the stars from the Chicago flag.

The game has been played at Wrigley Field three previous times, and each was honored as part of the ceremony.  Phil Cavaretta’s niece stood in for him for the 1947 game, with Billy Williams representing the 1962 game and Andre Dawson and Shawon Dunston representing the 1990 game.  Each installed a base with their game’s logo before the new one was unveiled at home plate.

Of course, the giant elephant in the room is the labor uncertainty thanks to an all-but-certain lockout coming following this season that threatens to interfere with the 2027 season.

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Looking Ahead To 2027

Returning to their traditional day after the All-Star Game release, Major League Baseball released their tentative 2027 earlier this week, one which hopefully will not be impacted by a prolonged work stoppage.  For the fifth year in a row, MLB is keeping with a balanced schedule, playing 52 games against division opponents, 64 games against non-division opponents in the same league, and 46 interleague games, with series against every team in the opposite league.  With both Chicago teams heading into the second half in line for a postseason appearance for the first time since 2008 and the All-Star Game coming to Wrigley Field in July, the 2027 season looks like it could be an interesting one on both sides of town.  So, for one day, at least, let’s turn our attention to next summer for both teams.

The White Sox open their season on the road in the Midwest on March 25, scheduled to be the earliest North American start in league history, facing the Tigers followed by a series against the Royals.  They open up their home schedule against the Brewers on April 1.

Aside from the Brewers, the interleague schedule sees the White Sox staying home to face the Marlins, Phillies, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, and Padres, while travelling to see the Pirates, Reds, Dodgers, Braves, Mets, Rockies, and Nationals.  The rivalry with their north side foes continues with a three-game weekend series at Wrigley Field coming out of the All-Star break in mid-July followed by three games at Rate Field the first weekend of August.

The White Sox wrap up the 2027 season in September at home, with a final series against the Tigers before ending the year with three against the Padres.

On the north side, the Cubs kick off their season at home against the Guardians and Cardinals before heading out on the road in early April.  Aside from the Guardians, the Cubs will host the Mariners, Orioles, Red Sox, and Royals while travelling to battle the Angels, Twins, A’s, Yankees, Blue Jays, and Tigers.

The Cubs open September with eleven straight against their NL Central rivals, but finish the month, and the season, on the road to face the Phillies and the Mets.

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2026 All Star Break Pitching Leaders

Now that the All-Star Game is behind us and we await tomorrow’s start of the second half of the season, with both the White Sox and the Cubs in contention for the post-season, let’s take a look at the first half leaders on the defensive side of the ball for the 24 games I’ve attended so far this season, beginning with everyone’s favorite pitching stat:

Wins

Name Total
Edward Cabrera 2
Anthony Kay 2
Davis Martin 2
18 tied with 1

Losses

Name Total
Sean Burke 2
22 tied with 1

ERA (> 6 IP)

Name Total
Kyle Harrison 0.00
Shota Imanaga  0.00
Grant Taylor 0.00
Holby Milner 0.00
Sean Newcomb 0.00

Strikeouts

Name Total
Sean Burke 22
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2026 All Star Break Standings

As we reach the metaphorical, if not quite exact, midpoint of the 2026 baseball season, the Midsummer Classic lands in Philadelphia for the fifth time in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  If you would have told me back in April that not only would the White Sox head into the break with a winning record, but they would be tied for first place in the AL Central and that both Chicago teams are in position for a post-season appearance for the first time since 2008, I would have called you a crazy person.  Yet here we are.

As the stars of the baseball world gather at Citizens Bank Park for tonight’s showdown, it’s time to take a look at the team records for the 24 games, featuring 50% of the teams in the league, that I attended in the first half of the baseball season.

2026 Team Records

Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
Washington Nationals 2 0 1.000
Milwaukee Brewers 2 0 1.000
Los Angeles Dodgers 1 0 1.000
Chicago White Sox 10 6 0.625
Chicago Cubs 6 5 0.545
Seattle Mariners 1 1 0.500
Kansas City Royals 1 1 0.500
Sacramento Athletics 1 2 0.333
San Diego Padres 0 1 0.000
New York Mets 0 1 0.000
Minnesota Twins 0 1 0.000
Los Angeles Angels 0 1 0.000
Detroit Tigers 0 1 0.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 0 1 0.000
Toronto Blue Jays 0 3 0.000
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150 Years Of Cubs Baseball – Relief Pitchers Part 2

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 continue today with the final eight selections for relief pitcher.

Carlos Mármol was signed by the Cubs as a catcher/outfielder in 1999 but was converted to pitcher in 2003.  He debuted in 2006, working mostly as a starter in place of the injured Kerry Wood.  Marmol resurfaced in 2007 as a setup man and helped the Cubs capture back-to-back division titles in 2007 and 2008.  Over those two seasons, Marmol battled Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood for the closer spot, getting his opportunity in both years thanks to injury to the incumbent.  In 2009, he finally replaced an ineffective Kevin Gregg as closer, holding down that position for the remainder of his Cubs tenure.  Marmol’s strength was in his ability to strike out opposing batters, averaging 16 strikeouts per nine innings pitched, setting the record for highest K/9 ratio by a pitcher with at least 50 innings pitched.  Things started to go south in 2011, when he tied for the major league lead with ten blown saves.  The following year, he was designated for assignment in June after continuing to struggle.

Randy Myers spent just three seasons with the Cubs, from 1993-1995.  In 1993, he set a then-NL record with 53 saves.  His most infamous moment came in a late September game against the Astros in 1995, when a fan jumped onto the field and ran to the pitcher’s mound to attack Myers after he gave up a go-ahead home run.  Myers used his martial arts training to drop the attacker to the ground and then held him down until security could get there.  He led the NL in saves twice in his three years with the Cubs and was a two-time All-Star.

Phil Regan was traded to the Cubs in late April 1968.  He excelled at the back end of the Cubs bullpen, leading all of MLB with 25 saves and earning the Sporting News Reliever of the Year award.  A run-in with an umpire on August 18 in his appearance versus the Reds saw Regan accused of throwing doctored balls, with fourteen pitches deemed illegal by the home plate umpire despite no evidence of any foreign substance on the balls.  While later cleared by the NL President Warren Giles, Regan’s reputation was sullied for the remainder of his career.  Unfortunately, he was never able to repeat that dominance and found his usage decrease each season he remained with the Cubs until he left in June of 1972.

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Driving Them In Again

Last Friday, the White Sox dropped 22 runs on the Royals, setting the high-water mark for the most runs I’ve seen a team score in person.  That record lasted less than a week.  Yesterday, the Cubs bested them by a run in their 23-3 victory against the Padres, thanks to a franchise-record tying eight home runs.  Dansby Swanson carried the day with three home runs and eight RBIs.

A small caveat here is that the Cubs scored the final eight runs against a position player, while the White Sox managed to get all 22 of their runs against actual members of the Royals pitching staff.

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150 Years Of Cubs Baseball – Relief Pitchers Part 1

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 continue today with the first eight selections for relief pitcher.

Paul Assenmacher, acquired for the stretch run in 1989 as the team was looking for their second NL East title, spent parts of five seasons as a member of the Cubs and was a perfectly reliable bullpen arm for most of that time.

Rod Beck spent less than two seasons with the Cubs.  Signed in 1998, he led the NL in games and games finished while saving 51 as the Cubs won their first NL Wild Card.  He made one appearance in the NLDS, giving up three earned runs in less than two innings of work.  Injuries combined with ineffectiveness the following year led to him being traded to the Red Sox in August.  He was re-signed by the team in 2003 while recovering from Tommy John surgery but was released before being added to the big-league roster.  Following his 2007 death, he was buried wearing his Cubs uniform.

Joe Borowski spent parts of five seasons with the Cubs, from 2001-2005.  His best year came in 2003, when he was named the closer.  He saved 33 games as the Cubs won their first division title in over a decade.  He gave up just one earned run across five games in the postseason, as the Cubs famously lost the NLCS to the Marlins in seven games.  Injuries marred his remaining time on the team, and he was designated for assignment in 2005.

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Driving Them In

The White Sox exploded for 22 runs against the Royals last night, tied for the second highest total in franchise history.  It was also the most runs I’ve seen a team score in person.  Which led me to think, what are the highest scoring games I’ve attended?  Here’s the top five.

1) 6/26/2026 – White Sox 22 Royals 1

The White Sox jumped on the Royals with a ten-spot in the third inning and then kept pouring it on the rest of the night, using five home runs to power their high total.

2) 7/3/2012 – White Sox 19 Rangers 2

A nine-run fifth inning knocked out Roy Oswalt and helped propel the White Sox to the lopsided victory.

3) 4/30/2008 – Cubs 19 Brewers 5

Six runs in both the first and eighth innings, powered by two home runs, including a grand slam, from Geovany Soto, put the icing on the Brewers.

4) 8/2/2010 – Brewers 18 Cubs 1

A scoreless tie going into the fourth inning, the Brewers scored every inning for the remainder of the game, including five-spots in both the fourth and fifth innings, to avenge their blowout loss from two years earlier.

5) 8/27/2021 – White Sox 17 Cubs 13

The Cubs ran out to an early lead thanks to a six-run first inning against Dallas Keuchel, but the White Sox roared back with eight in the third to take control, thanks to two three-run homers from Yasmani Grandal.

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Fitbit 12 – Week 22

A great week, as I pushed past the 40,000-step mark for the first time in a month and extended my streak of weeks over 30,000 steps to nineteen.  The week got off to a nice start on Sunday, as I used a long walk through the neighborhood to finish a single step shy of 6700.  Monday kept the good times going, ending with 5600 steps.  A very small drop on Tuesday left me with 5500 steps.  Wednesday was the low point of the week, as a busy workday limited me 4300 steps.  Thursday saw a nice bounce back, falling 27 steps shy of 5900.  The Juneteenth holiday on Friday, spent getting a haircut followed by a Cubs rout of the Blue Jays at Wrigley Field, surpassed my daily goal and ended up 39 steps away from 8400.  The week wrapped up on a good note on Saturday, ending with 5400 steps despite a graduation party taking up the afternoon.

Total steps: 41,861

Daily average: 5980.1

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150 Years Of Cubs Baseball – Starting Pitchers Part 3

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.

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