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162-403: As manager Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown (October 19, 1876 – February 14, 1948), nicknamed " Three Finger Brown " or " Miner ", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher and manager during the first two decades of the 20th century (known as the " dead-ball era "). Due to a farm-machinery accident in his youth (April 17, 1888), Brown lost parts of two fingers on his right hand, and in
324-821: A filling station in Terre Haute that also served as a town gathering place and an unofficial museum. He was also a frequent guest at Old-Timers' games in Chicago. In his later years, Brown was plagued by diabetes and then by the effects of a stroke in 1947. He died in 1948 of diabetic complications. He was posthumously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in May ;1949 alongside Kid Nichols . F. Scott Fitzgerald refers to "Three-finger Brown" in his first novel, This Side of Paradise (1920). The television series The Simpsons made reference to Brown in " Homer at
486-458: A "bonus", the manner in which he had to grip the ball (see photo) resulted in an unusual amount of spin. This allowed him to throw an effective curve ball (or knuckle curve ), and a deceptive fast ball and change-up . The extra topspin made it difficult for batters to connect solidly. In short, he "threw ground balls" and was exceptionally effective. Brown was a third baseman in semipro baseball in 1898 when his team's pitcher failed to appear for
648-453: A 1–0 series lead. In game two of the series, the Cubs scored a run in the first inning on a Ben Zobrist single off former Cub Jeff Samardzija . Starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks had the key hit in the second inning, driving in two runs on a single up the middle. Kris Bryant drove in the Cubs' fourth run of the game two batters later and the Cubs led 4–0, forcing Samardzija from the game. In
810-530: A 2006–07 investigation produced the Mitchell Report , which found that many players had used steroids and other performance-enhancing substances , including at least one player from each team. Each team plays 162 games per season, with Opening Day traditionally held during the first week of April. Six teams in each league then advance to a four-round postseason tournament in October, culminating in
972-459: A Cubs shortstop since Ernie Banks in 1960. The Cubs record for the month of August was 22–6 and their overall record of 85–47 was the best in baseball. Their home record of 48–19 was also the best in baseball. The pitching staff once again led the league with the lowest earned run average of 3.13, fewest hits allowed at 926, fewest runs allowed at 450, fewest earned runs allowed at 415, the lowest batting average by opponents at .213, and were among
1134-417: A Francisco Lindor single. Lester was lifted with the 3–2 lead after six innings. Carl Edwards Jr. replaced Lester in the seventh and gave up a single. Following a flyout, Cub manager Joe Maddon went to closer Aroldis Chapman for an eight-out save. Chapman closed out the seventh and gave up a single to Davis in the eighth. Davis stole second and third, but Chapman stranded him there. In the ninth, Chapman retired
1296-667: A batter could foul off any number of pitches with no strikes counted against him; this gave an enormous advantage to the batter. After the 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds, baseball was rocked by allegations of a game-fixing scheme known as the Black Sox Scandal . Eight players— "Shoeless" Joe Jackson , Eddie Cicotte , Claude "Lefty" Williams , George "Buck" Weaver , Arnold "Chick" Gandil , Fred McMullin , Charles "Swede" Risberg , and Oscar "Happy" Felsch —intentionally lost
1458-458: A batting average of .456 and an on base percentage of .549 in the last 15 games. He had a post All-Star break batting average of .346. With only two games left in the regular season, the Cubs finished September with a record of 102–57, the best record in baseball. The pitching staff approached the playoffs with three Cy Young Award candidates in Arrieta, Lester, and Hendricks. The entire staff led
1620-476: A broken bat single to right to score Martinez. Mike Montgomery replaced Edwards and escaped the inning without any further damage. In the bottom of the seventh, the Cubs threatened to tie it with a two-out triple by Jorge Soler , but Javier Báez grounded out to end the inning. In the ninth, the Cubs again threatened to tie it, putting runners on second and third following singles by Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward. However, with two outs, Báez struck out swinging to end
1782-406: A chance for recreation and for taking their minds off their work even more than before." With the approval of President Roosevelt, spring training began in 1942 with few repercussions. The war interrupted the careers of stars including Stan Musial , Bob Feller , Ted Williams , and Joe DiMaggio , but baseball clubs continued to field their teams. Branch Rickey, president and general manager of
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#17327972477371944-500: A game and Brown was put in to pitch. Players in the league quickly noticed the spin and movement created by Brown's unusual grip. Fred Massey, Brown's great-nephew, said, "It didn't only curve, it curved and dropped at the same time", Massey said. "It made it extremely hard to hit and if you did hit it, you hit it into the ground [because you] couldn't get under it." After a spectacular minor league career commencing in Terre Haute of
2106-506: A grand jury in Pittsburgh related to cocaine trafficking. The 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike from August 12, 1994, to April 25, 1995, caused the cancellation of over 900 games and the forfeit of the entire 1994 postseason. Routinely in the late 1990s and early 2000s, baseball players hit 40 or 50 home runs in a season, a feat that was considered rare even in the 1980s. It later became apparent that at least some of this power surge
2268-477: A grand slam, putting the Cubs up 7–3. Fowler followed with a solo home run and Héctor Rondón gave up a run in the ninth as the Cubs won 8–4 and took the series lead 1–0. Game 2 of the series featured the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw off of his Division Series heroics and the Cubs' Kyle Hendricks. Kershaw was dominant from the start, pitching a perfect four innings before giving up a single to Javier Báez. However,
2430-451: A groundout by Francisco Lindor to end the inning. Chapman gave up a single in the eighth, but got a double play to end the inning. In the ninth, with two outs, Bryant singled for his fourth hit of the game. Rizzo homered to push the Cub lead back to seven at 9–2. On the verge of pushing the series to a seventh game, Chapman walked the first batter and was replaced by Pedro Strop. After giving up
2592-658: A little better in subsequent campaigns—but in their eighth season (1969) the Mets became the first of the 1960s expansion teams to play in the postseason, culminating in a World Series title over the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles. In 1966, the major leagues moved to the "Deep South" when the Braves moved to Atlanta. In 1968, the Kansas City Athletics moved west to become the Oakland Athletics . In 1969,
2754-671: A man for many reasons. Color is not one of them." That year, Robinson won the inaugural Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award (separate NL and AL Rookie of the Year honors were not awarded until 1949). Less than three months later, Larry Doby became the first African-American to break the color barrier in the American League with the Cleveland Indians. The next year, a number of other black players entered
2916-413: A new National Agreement which tied independent contracts to the reserve-clause contracts. The agreement also set up a formal classification system for minor leagues, the forerunner of today's system that was refined by Branch Rickey . Several other early defunct baseball leagues are considered major leagues, and their statistics and records are included with those of the two modern major leagues. In 1969,
3078-431: A one-armed outfielder, got the chance to advance to the major leagues. However, MLB rosters did not include any black players through the end of the war. Black players, many of whom served in the war, were still restricted to playing Negro league baseball . Wartime blackout restrictions , designed to keep outdoor lighting at low levels, caused another problem for baseball. These rules limited traveling and night games to
3240-501: A rebellion by players against the hated "reserve clause", which restricted the free movement of players between clubs. Teams came and went; 1882 was the first season where the league's membership was the same as the preceding season's, and only four franchises survived to see 1900. Competitor leagues formed regularly and also disbanded regularly. The most successful was the American Association (1882–1891), sometimes called
3402-532: A record of 12–14 for the month marking the first time in manager Joe Maddon's tenure that the Cubs had a record under .500 in a single month. The Cubs began August with the best MLB record of 63–41. The pitching staff once again had the lowest ERA, the fewest hits allowed, fewest runs allowed, fewest earned runs allowed, the lowest batting average by opponents in MLB, and were among the leaders in fewest home runs allowed and in striking out opponent batters. The Cubs offense
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#17327972477373564-433: A run-scoring single to Pérez and walking Carlos Santana, Travis Wood entered to get the final out and force a game seven in the series. With the series tied at three games apiece, the Cubs sent regular season ERA leader Kyle Hendricks to the mound. The Indians countered with Corey Kluber, winner of Games 1 and 4. Things started well for the Cubs as Dexter Fowler led off the game with a home run to straight away center to give
3726-480: A single by Mike Napoli in the bottom of the eighth, Aroldis Chapman entered to finish the game for the Cubs. The win marked the Cubs first World Series win since 1945 as they evened up the series at one game apiece. The series shifted to Wrigley Field for the first World Series game at Wrigley since 1945 and the first World Series night game at Wrigley. Josh Tomlin went to the mound for Cleveland and Kyle Hendricks for Chicago. Both pitchers pitched well, but Hendricks
3888-708: A single organization led by the commissioner of baseball . MLB is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan . Baseball's first all-professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings , was founded in 1869. The first few decades of professional baseball saw rivalries between leagues, and players often jumped from one team or league to another. These practices were essentially ended by the National Agreement of 1903, in which AL and NL agreed to respect each other's player contracts, including
4050-500: A single to Conor Gillaspie and sacrifice fly to Joe Panik as the Giants surged to a 5–2 lead. Moore cruised through the next three innings, retiring the Cubs in order in the eighth before being lifted for the Giants' bullpen to start the ninth as it appeared a Game 5 was inevitable. However, the Giants ended up using five pitchers in the inning as Kris Bryant singled, Anthony Rizzo walked, and Ben Zobrist doubled to score Bryant and tighten
4212-543: A single-game MLB attendance record in their first home appearance with 78,672 fans. In 1961, the first Washington Senators franchise moved to Minneapolis–St. Paul to become the Minnesota Twins . Two new teams were added to the American League at the same time: the Los Angeles Angels (who soon moved from downtown L.A. to nearby Anaheim ) and a new Washington Senators franchise. The NL added
4374-503: A soft grounder to Bryant who threw to Rizzo at first to end the game and the World Series. The win broke the Cubs' 108-year World Series drought. Zobrist, who batted .357 in the series and led all players with 10 hits, was named World Series MVP. Many baseball sources have called this game "one of the greatest Game 7s ever played." 2016 World Series (4-3): Chicago Cubs beat Cleveland Indians. N.B.: Tommy La Stella had been on
4536-443: A strikeout to end the inning. The Cubs struck again in the third following a two-out walk by Rizzo and a single by Ben Zobrist. A single by Kyle Schwarber scored Rizzo from second and pushed the Cub lead to 2–0. Bauer was forced from the game in the fourth and the Cubs struck again in the fifth. Rizzo walked again and Zobrist tripled to plate Rizzo. Another run-scoring single by Schwarber and a bases loaded walk by Addison Russell pushed
4698-540: A successful Baltimore chop, the batter hits the ball forcefully into the ground, causing it to bounce so high that the batter reaches first base before the ball can be fielded and thrown to the first baseman. The adoption of the foul strike rule—in the NL in 1901, in the AL two years later—quickly sent baseball from a high-scoring game to one where scoring runs became a struggle. Before this rule, foul balls were not counted as strikes:
4860-759: A team came back from a three-games-to-one deficit to win the World Series was the Kansas City Royals in 1985 . The Cubs were also the first team to win Games 6 and 7 on the road in a World Series since the Pittsburgh Pirates did it against the Baltimore Orioles in 1979 . The World Series victory put an end to the so-called Curse of the Billy Goat and the longest World Series championship drought in history . The Cubs finished
5022-424: A three-run homer in the top of the second, putting the Cubs up 3–0. The Cubs threatened to chase Bumgarner from the game in the third inning putting runners on first and second with only one out following singles by Ben Zobrist and Addison Russell . However, the Cubs failed to score and the Giants scored a run in the third following a Denard Span double and added a second run in the fifth following Span's triple. In
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5184-420: A trip to the World Series for the first time since 1945 . The Cubs sent ERA-leader Kyle Hendricks to the mound while the Dodgers countered with Clayton Kershaw. On the first pitch of the game, Andrew Toles singled for the Dodgers and the game appeared to be off to a good start for the Dodgers. However, Corey Seager swung at the next pitch and grounded to Javier Báez who tagged Toles and threw to first to complete
5346-518: A two-run homer to put the Cubs up 4–0. Urías was lifted one batter later. In the top of the fifth, the Cubs breakout continued with Anthony Rizzo hitting a home run on a full count and pushing the lead to 5–0. Back-to-back walks to lead off the bottom of the fourth forced Lackey from the game. Reliever Mike Montgomery gave up a single to load the bases before striking out Corey Seager. A single off of Montgomery's glove by Justin Turner brought in two runs and
5508-429: A walk and Kris Bryant hit a two-run home run off Giants' closer Sergio Romo to tie the game. Mike Montgomery took over in the ninth for the Cubs and held the Giants scoreless for four innings. In the 13th inning, the Giants' Brandon Crawford doubled to lead off the inning and Joe Panik doubled him home to send the series to a game four. The Giants looked to continue their streak of wins in elimination games to 11 as
5670-403: A walk by Ben Zobrist loaded the bases for Báez. Báez, as he seemed to have done all postseason, came through with a bases-clearing double to put the Cubs up 8–1. The Dodgers added a run in the bottom of the eighth off of Pedro Strop on a double by Carlos Ruiz. Cub closer Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth and allowed a run-scoring single by Josh Reddick and a sacrifice fly by Andrew Toles to make
5832-779: The 2015 season 97–65, in third place in the Central Division, but qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2008 as the second wild card. They defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Wild Card Game to advance the National League Division Series to face the St. Louis Cardinals . Facing their rival for the first time in playoff history, the Cubs defeated the Cardinals three games to one to advance to
5994-785: The Boston Braves became the Milwaukee Braves , the St. Louis Browns became the Baltimore Orioles , and the Philadelphia Athletics became the Kansas City Athletics . The 1958 Major League Baseball season began to turn Major League Baseball into a nationwide league. Walter O'Malley , owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers and "perhaps the most influential owner of baseball's early expansion era," moved his team to Los Angeles, marking
6156-608: The Cincinnati Reds . The Cubs finished with the best record in Major League Baseball at 103–58 (and 1 tie), and won their first National League Central title since the 2008 season , winning by 17½ games. The team also reached the 100-win mark for the first time since 1935 and won 103 total games, the most wins for the franchise since 1910 . The Cubs defeated the San Francisco Giants in
6318-596: The Great Depression , baseball's popularity had begun a downward turn in the early 1930s. By 1932, only two MLB teams turned a profit. Attendance had fallen, due at least in part to a 10% federal amusement tax added to baseball ticket prices. Baseball owners cut their rosters from 25 men to 23, and even the best players took pay cuts. Team executives were innovative in their attempts to survive, creating night games, broadcasting games live by radio, and rolling out promotions such as free admission for women. Throughout
6480-682: The Houston Astros and the New York Mets in 1962. The Astros (known as the "Colt .45s" during their first three seasons) became the first southern major league franchise since the Louisville Colonels folded in 1899 and the first franchise to be located along the Gulf Coast . The Mets established a reputation for futility by going 40–120 during their first season of play in the nation's media capital—and by playing only
6642-662: The Louisville Colonels , who traded him to the Cincinnati Reds for the 1913 season. After the 1913 season, Brown jumped to the Federal League , signing his contract on the same day as Joe Tinker . While Tinker went to the Chicago Whales , Brown was the player-manager for the St. Louis Terriers in 1914. Brown was dismissed as manager in August, then finished the season with the Brooklyn Tip-Tops , and
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6804-724: The NLDS and returned to the NLCS for the second year in a row, where they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games. The Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians in seven games in the World Series , their first appearance since the 1945 World Series and first win since the 1908 World Series . In the World Series, the Cubs came back from a three-games-to-one deficit, winning the final three games. The last time
6966-611: The National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP). The NABBP existed as an amateur league for 12 years. By 1867, more than 400 clubs were members. Most of the strongest clubs remained those based in the Northeastern United States. For professional baseball 's founding year, MLB uses the year 1869—when the first professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings , was established. A schism developed between professional and amateur ballplayers after
7128-487: The National Basketball Association (NBA). Baseball games are broadcast on television, radio, and the internet throughout North America and in several other countries. MLB has the highest total season attendance of any sports league in the world; in 2023, it drew more than 70.75 million spectators. MLB also oversees Minor League Baseball , which comprises lower-tier teams affiliated with
7290-753: The National League Championship Series for the first time since 2003 . Facing the New York Mets in the NLCS, the Cubs were swept in four games. After just one year broadcasting on WBBM (780), the Cubs announced the move of their play-by-play to CBS Radio sister station WSCR (670) for the 2016 season, taking advantage of a contract clause allowing the move to WSCR after CBS let their rights to White Sox play-by-play lapse. Monday, April 4, 2016 at Los Angeles Angels Starting Pitcher: Jake Arrieta The Cubs won their first three games and eight of their first nine to begin
7452-621: The Texas Rangers . In 1977, baseball expanded again , adding a second Canadian team, the Toronto Blue Jays , as well as the Seattle Mariners . Subsequently, no new teams were added until the 1990s and no teams moved until 2005. By the late 1960s, the balance between pitching and hitting had swung in favor of the pitchers. In 1968—later nicknamed "the year of the pitcher" —Boston Red Sox player Carl Yastrzemski won
7614-551: The Three-I League in 1901, Brown came to the majors rather late, at age 26, in 1903, and lasted until 1916 when he was close to 40. Brown's most productive period was when he played for the Chicago Cubs from 1904 through 1912. During this stretch, he won 20 or more games six times and was part of two World Series championships. New York Giants manager John McGraw regarded his own Christy Mathewson and Brown as
7776-564: The World Series , a best-of-seven championship series between the two league champions first played in 1903. The New York Yankees have the most championships with 27. The reigning champions are the Los Angeles Dodgers , who defeated the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series . MLB is the third-wealthiest professional sports league by revenue in the world after the National Football League (NFL) and
7938-654: The Yankees . Jon Lester and Javier Báez were named co-MVPs of the NLCS. 2016 NLCS (4–2): Chicago Cubs defeated Los Angeles Dodgers. To begin the historic World Series, the teams sent their number one starters to the mound in Cleveland: Corey Kluber for the Indians and Jon Lester for the Cubs. The Cubs altered their lineup a bit, batting Kyle Schwarber , making his first appearance in six months, as their DH. Things started well for Lester as he retired
8100-817: The first and second Negro National Leagues (1920–1931 and 1933–1948), the Eastern Colored League (1923–1928), the American Negro League (1929), the East–West League (1932), the Negro Southern League (1932), and the Negro American League (1937–1948). In 2021, baseball reference website Baseball-Reference.com began to include statistics from those seven leagues into their major-league statistics. In May 2024, Major League Baseball announced that it
8262-506: The "beer and whiskey league" for its tolerance of the sale of alcoholic beverages to spectators. For several years, the NL and American Association champions met in a postseason championship series—the first attempt at a World Series . The two leagues merged in 1892 as a single 12-team NL, but the NL dropped four teams after the 1899 season. This led to the formation of the American League in 1901 under AL president Ban Johnson , and
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#17327972477378424-605: The 1870s. In 1876, the National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs (later known as the National League or NL) was established after the NA proved ineffective. The league placed its emphasis on clubs rather than on players. Clubs could now enforce player contracts, preventing players from jumping to higher-paying clubs. Clubs were required to play the full schedule of games instead of forfeiting scheduled games when
8586-557: The 1960s and 1970s, as baseball expanded, NFL football had been surging in popularity, making it economical for many of these cities to build multi-purpose stadiums instead of single-purpose baseball fields. Because of climate and economic issues, many of these facilities had playing surfaces made from artificial turf , as well as the oval designs characteristic of stadiums designed to house both baseball and football. This often resulted in baseball fields with relatively more foul territory than older stadiums. These characteristics changed
8748-463: The 1990s. During the 1980s, baseball experienced a number of significant changes the game had not seen in years. Home runs were on the decline throughout the decade, with players hitting 40 home runs just 13 times and no one hitting more than 50 home runs in a season for the first time since the Dead-ball era (1900–1919). The 1981 Major League Baseball strike from June 12 until July 31 forced
8910-404: The 2-3-4-5 hitters went 3–27 in the two shutouts. As the Cubs entered Game 4, they looked to break their two-game scoring drought. Playoff veteran John Lackey took the mound for the Cubs as the Dodgers sent Julio Urías , the youngest pitcher to start a game in postseason history. The Cubs struggles continued as Urías held the Cubs without a hit through three innings. In the bottom of the second,
9072-491: The American League batting title with an average of just .301, the lowest in the history of Major League Baseball. Detroit Tigers pitcher Denny McLain won 31 games, making him the only pitcher to win 30 games in a season since Dizzy Dean in 1934. St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Bob Gibson achieved an equally remarkable feat by allowing an ERA of just 1.12. Following these pitching performances, in December 1968
9234-849: The American and National Leagues both added two expansion franchises . The American League added the Seattle Pilots (who became the Milwaukee Brewers after one disastrous season in Seattle) and the Kansas City Royals . The NL added the first Canadian franchise, the Montreal Expos , as well as the San Diego Padres . In 1972, the second Washington Senators moved to the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex to become
9396-582: The Bat ", when Mr. Burns lists three ringers he wants for his company's softball team: Honus Wagner , Cap Anson , and Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown. Smithers has to point out that they are not only retired, but long-dead. He was referenced again by Mr. Burns in the episode " The Last Traction Hero ". In 1999 , he was named as a finalist to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team . Between Brown and Antonio Alfonseca ,
9558-409: The Brooklyn Dodgers, began making efforts to introduce a black baseball player to the previously all-white professional baseball leagues in the mid-1940s. He selected Jackie Robinson from a list of promising Negro league players. After obtaining a commitment from Robinson to "turn the other cheek" to any racial antagonism directed at him, Rickey agreed to sign him to a contract for $ 600 a month. In what
9720-439: The Cub threat. With Justin Grimm pitching for the Cubs in the bottom of the eighth, the Indians put runners on first and second and Héctor Rondón gave up another home run to Pérez to put the game out of reach 6–0. The win gave the Indians a one-game lead in the series and extended Indians' manager Terry Francona 's World Series winning streak to nine games. Dexter Fowler, Addison Russell, Jason Heyward, and Carl Edwards Jr. became
9882-450: The Cubs an early 1–0 lead. Hendricks held the Indians scoreless until the third when Coco Crisp doubled, was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Roberto Pérez, and scored on a single by Carlos Santana. The Cubs jumped back out in front in the fourth when Kris Bryant singled, Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch, and Ben Zobrist forced Rizzo at second. Addison Russell hit a shallow fly ball to left field which allowed Bryant to tag and score to put
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#173279724773710044-514: The Cubs could get nothing further. Hendricks also pitched well, allowing only a solo home run to Adrián González in the top of the second inning. That would be all Kershaw needed as he pitched seven scoreless innings, scattering two hits. Dodgers' closer Kenley Jansen came in the eighth to attempt a six-out save. Jansen shut down the Cubs and the Dodgers tied the series at one game apiece heading to Los Angeles . Cubs batters Addison Russell and Anthony Rizzo continued their struggles, each going 0–3 in
10206-405: The Cubs have featured both a "three-fingered" pitcher and a six-fingered pitcher on their all-time roster (Brown technically had four, including the thumb). Major League Baseball Major League Baseball ( MLB ) is a professional baseball league and the highest level of organized baseball in the United States and Canada . One of the "Big Four" major professional sports leagues in
10368-425: The Cubs looked to Jon Lester to keep up his strong playoff performance. The Dodgers also went with their Game 1 starter, Kenta Maeda. The Cubs started the scoring in the first inning on a single by Dexter Fowler and an RBI double by Anthony Rizzo, but could muster nothing further in the first. The Cubs left runners on base in the first, second, fourth, and fifth innings, but could not get another run in. The Dodgers tied
10530-419: The Cubs sent John Lackey to the mound against the Giants' Matt Moore . Lackey started off slow, allowing a leadoff double to Denard Span and a sacrifice fly by Buster Posey to give the Giants an early 1–0 lead. David Ross answered for the Cubs in the third with a solo home run to tie the game. The home run made Ross the oldest catcher ever to homer in a postseason game. However, Lackey got in trouble again in
10692-409: The Cubs up 2–1. Following a Jason Heyward strikeout, Javier Báez singled on a bunt to load the bases with one out. David Ross hit a sacrifice fly to score Zobrist, but Lester struck out to end the inning. Bauer was removed from the game after pitching four innings, but the Cubs could do no further damage. Leading 3–1, Lester allowed a run in the sixth following a single and stolen base by Rajai Davis and
10854-436: The Cubs up 2–1. Willson Contreras followed the sacrifice fly with a double to right-center field to score Zobrist and the Cubs were up 3–1. The lead increased in the fifth when Javier Báez homered on the first pitch of the inning to drive Kluber from the game. Andrew Miller, who had dominated the postseason, entered the game. Following a single by Fowler, Kyle Schwarber grounded in to a double play and Miller looked to have escaped
11016-457: The Cubs' Jon Lester facing Kenta Maeda for the Dodgers. The Cubs moved on top early, scoring in the first on a lead-off single by Dexter Fowler and a Kris Bryant double. The Cubs added to their lead in the second when Jason Heyward tripled to start the inning and Javier Báez doubled him home, putting the lead at 2–0. Báez advanced to third on a wild pitch by Maeda and stole home on a late throw by Dodgers catcher Carlos Ruiz . Lester cruised until
11178-445: The Dodger offense added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth to take a 6–0 lead. Kenley Jansen pitched the final four outs give the Dodgers a two games to one lead in the series. The back-to-back shutouts were the Dodgers first ever consecutive shutouts in postseason history. The back-to-back shutouts also marked the first time the Cubs had been shutout in back-to-back games since May 27–28, 2014. The Cubs hitting slump continued as
11340-496: The Dodgers chose to walk the left hand-hitting Heyward to face Báez. Báez could not come through, flying out softly to right field. Left hander Chris Coghlan pinch hit for David Ross and was also intentionally walked to load the bases. Batting for the pitcher, Miguel Montero , also a left hander, forced the Dodgers to choose to bring in a lefty reliever to face him and possibly see Willson Contreras instead or face Montero. The Dodgers chose to face Montero and on an 0–2 pitch, Montero hit
11502-399: The Dodgers closed the lead to 5–2. Montgomery retired the next two batters to end the threat. In the top of the sixth, the Cubs blew the game open. Russell singled and reached second on a throwing error. Montgomery singled, moving Russell to third. Dexter Fowler singled to score Russell. Following a Kris Bryant walk, Rizzo notched his second hit of the game as he singled to score two runs and up
11664-537: The Dodgers had a scoring chance denied as Adrián González was thrown out at the plate by Jason Heyward after an Andrew Toles single. In the fourth, the Cubs bats began to awaken. Ben Zobrist notched the first Cub hit of the game as he bunted to lead off. Javier Báez and Willson Contreras followed with singles to score Zobrist. The run marked the first scored by the Cubs in 21 innings. A Heyward groundout pushed home another run and left Contreras at third for Addison Russell. On an 0–2 pitch, Russell broke out of his slump with
11826-763: The Dodgers when they came to town, abandoning the Negro league teams that they had followed exclusively. Robinson's promotion met a generally positive, although mixed, reception among newspaper writers and white major league players. Manager Leo Durocher informed his team, "I don't care if he is yellow or black or has stripes like a fucking zebra. I'm his manager and I say he plays." After a strike threat by some players, NL President Ford C. Frick and Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler let it be known that any striking players would be suspended. Robinson received significant encouragement from several major-league players, including Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese who said, "You can hate
11988-461: The Giants, Cubs starter Jack Pfiester got off to a weak start and was quickly relieved by Brown, who held the Giants in check the rest of the way as the Cubs prevailed 4–2, to win the pennant. The Cubs then went on to win their second consecutive World Series championship, their last until 2016 , a span of 108 years. In late 1909, Brown was on a team that played some games in Cuba. He planned to spend
12150-683: The Great Depression, no MLB teams moved or folded. The onset of World War II created a shortage of professional baseball players, as more than 500 men left MLB teams to serve in the military. Many of them played on service baseball teams that entertained military personnel in the US or in the Pacific. MLB teams of this time largely consisted of young men, older players, and those with a military classification of 4F , indicating mental, physical, or moral unsuitability for service. Men like Pete Gray ,
12312-468: The Hall of Fame, after Ed Walsh and Addie Joss . His 2.06 ERA is the best in MLB history for any pitcher with more than 200 wins. Brown was a switch-hitter , which was and is unusual for a pitcher. He took some pride in his hitting, and had a fair batting average for a pitcher, compiling a career .206 batting average (235-for-1143) with 93 runs , 2 home runs and 73 RBI . Following his retirement from
12474-474: The Indians quickly answered in the top of the second as Carlos Santanta homered to tie it. Following an error by Kris Bryant and an intentional walk of Tyler Naquin, Kluber singled home the go-ahead run giving the Indians the 2–1 lead. The Indians added another run in the third when Francisco Lindor singled home Jason Kipnis to increase the lead to 3–1. Kluber continued to shut down the Cubs as he did in Game 1. Lackey
12636-400: The Indians without a run. In the eighth, after retiring the first two batters, Lester allowed a single up the middle to José Ramírez. Maddon had seen enough and brought Aroldis Chapman, pitching in his third straight game, into the contest. Brandon Guyer promptly doubled to score Ramirez and reduce the lead to two. Rajai Davis then stunned the Cubs by homering to left to tie the game at six. In
12798-426: The Indians' Trevor Bauer . The Cubs also featured six players age 24 or younger in the starting lineup, a postseason record. The Cubs started things off early as Kris Bryant singled in the first inning and Anthony Rizzo doubled to score Bryant and give the Cubs an early 1–0 lead. Arrieta started well too, retiring the first two batters before walking back-to-back batters in the bottom of the first. However, Arrieta got
12960-496: The MLB Playing Rules Committee voted to reduce the strike zone from knees to shoulders to top of knees to armpits and lower the pitcher's mound from 15 to 10 inches, beginning in the 1969 season. In 1973, the American League, which had been suffering from much lower attendance than the National League, sought to increase scoring even further by initiating the designated hitter (DH) rule. Throughout
13122-770: The Special Baseball Records Committee of Major League Baseball officially recognized six major leagues: the National League, American League, American Association, Union Association (1884), Players' League (1890), and Federal League (1914–1915). The status of the National Association as a major league has been a point of dispute among baseball researchers; while its statistics are not recognized by Major League Baseball, its statistics are included with those of other major leagues by some baseball reference websites, such as Retrosheet . Some researchers, including Nate Silver , dispute
13284-560: The United States and Canada , MLB comprises 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. Formed in 1876 and 1901, respectively, the NL and AL cemented their cooperation with the National Agreement in 1903, making MLB the oldest major professional sports league in the world. They remained legally separate entities until 2000, when they merged into
13446-486: The World Series in exchange for a ring worth $ 100,000 ($ 1,712,780.35 in 2022 dollars). Despite being acquitted, all were permanently banned from Major League Baseball. Baseball's popularity increased in the 1920s and 1930s. The 1920 season was notable for the death of Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians . Chapman, who was struck in the head by a pitch and died a few hours later, became the only MLB player to die of an on-field injury. Both leagues quickly began to require
13608-521: The best. Cubs starting pitchers began the month with a combined earned run average of 2.38. The Cubs finished June with a 51–27 record and an 11-game lead over the Cardinals in the NL Central. The Cubs began July with the best record in baseball, 51–27, the best run differential, plus 169, and had a run of 10 consecutive months of at least .500 play. The pitching staff had the lowest ERA, the fewest hits allowed, runs allowed, earned runs allowed, and
13770-480: The bottom of the fourth, Roberto Pérez homered to left off of Lester increasing the lead. Kluber continued his excellent performance, striking out nine before giving up a double to Ben Zobrist in the top of the seventh which ended Kluber's night and brought Andrew Miller to the mound. Schwarber walked and Javier Baéz singled to load the bases. However, Miller induced a shallow fly ball by pinch hitter Willson Contreras and struck out Addison Russell and David Ross to end
13932-420: The bottom of the tenth. Edwards retired the first two batters with ease, but walked Guyer. Davis followed up his game-tying homer by singling to score Guyer and reduce the lead to one. With the Indians out of position players, Michael Martínez , who had entered the game as a defensive replacement, came to the plate with two outs. Maddon countered with Mike Montgomery. On the second pitch by Montgomery, Martínez hit
14094-532: The cancellation of 713 total games and resulted in a split-season format. In 1985, Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb 's all-time hits record with his 4,192nd hit, and in 1989 Rose received a lifetime ban from baseball as a result of betting on baseball games while manager of the Cincinnati Reds . Rose was the first person to receive a lifetime ban from baseball since 1943. 1985 also saw the Pittsburgh drug trials which involved players who were called to testify before
14256-600: The center field fence, and the Huntington Avenue Grounds of the Boston Red Sox , which was 635 feet (194 m) to the center field fence, thus home runs were rare, and "small ball" tactics such as singles , bunts , stolen bases , and the hit-and-run play dominated the strategies of the time. Hitting methods like the Baltimore chop were used to increase the number of infield singles. On
14418-560: The club was no longer in the running for the league championship, which happened frequently under the NA. A concerted effort was made to curb gambling on games, which was leaving the validity of results in doubt. The first game in the NL—on Saturday, April 22, 1876 (at Jefferson Street Grounds in Philadelphia )—is often pointed to as the beginning of MLB. The early years of the NL were tumultuous, with threats from rival leagues and
14580-573: The condition of the baseball itself. The baseball used American rather than the modern Australian wool yarn and was not wound as tightly, affecting the distance that it would travel. More significantly, balls were kept in play until they were mangled, soft and sometimes lopsided. During this era, a baseball cost three dollars, equal to $ 52.72 today (in inflation-adjusted USD ), and owners were reluctant to purchase new balls. Fans were expected to throw back fouls and (rare) home runs. Baseballs also became stained with tobacco juice, grass, and mud, and sometimes
14742-432: The contentious reserve clause . The period before 1920 was the dead-ball era , when home runs were rarely hit. Professional baseball was rocked by the Black Sox Scandal , a conspiracy to fix the 1919 World Series . Baseball survived the scandal, albeit with major changes in its governance as the relatively weak National Commission was replaced with a powerful commissioner of baseball with near-unlimited authority over
14904-449: The deadlock and put the Cubs up 3–1. After stranding two more runners in the seventh, the Cubs offense broke the game open in the eighth. Russell reached on error and pinch hitter Willson Contreras singled to put runners at first and second. Pinch hitter Albert Almora, Jr. bunted the runners over and Dexter Fowler followed with an infield singled to score the Cubs' fourth run of the game. An infield single by Kris Bryant scored Contreras and
15066-453: The double play. In the bottom of the first, the Cubs jumped out quickly on Kershaw who had blanked them in Game 2. Dexter Fowler doubled and Kris Bryant singled him home to give the Cubs a 1–0 lead. Anthony Rizzo reached on an error by Toles and, with runners at second and third, Ben Zobrist hit a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 2–0. In the top of the second, Josh Reddick reached on an error by Báez, but Hendricks picked him off of first to end
15228-434: The eighth inning, Travis Wood gave up a single and Héctor Rondón walked a batter. Closer Aroldis Chapman came in early to get a six-out save, but Chapman gave up a two-run triple to Conor Gillaspie to give the Giants' their first lead of the series. Chapman was lifted shortly thereafter, getting only one out. The Giants added another run on a single by Brandon Crawford . In the ninth, trailing 5–3, Dexter Fowler led off with
15390-429: The fifth inning when he allowed a pinch-hit home run by Andre Ethier , batting for Maeda, pulling the Dodgers within two at 3–1. Lester was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the sixth with a runner on second and two out, but the Cubs could not cash in on the scoring opportunity. In the top of the eighth, the Dodgers loaded the bases off Cubs relievers Mike Montgomery and Pedro Strop , bringing Aroldis Chapman into
15552-506: The fifth, Arrieta allowed a double to Jason Kipnis and he scored on a Mike Napoli single to reduce the lead by one. In the fifth, Kipnis further reduced the lead with a solo home run to left putting the Cubs up 7–2. Following a walk by Arrieta in the sixth, Mike Montgomery replaced him on the mound to induce a groundout to end the inning. In the seventh, Montgomery walked Pérez and gave up a Kipnis single with two outs. Cubs manager Joe Maddon again called on Cub closer Aroldis Chapman and he induced
15714-476: The final game in each of their careers. The game was a high-scoring one, the two teams combining for 33 hits. But with both teams well back in the pennant race, the two men pitched the entire game. Mathewson's Reds prevailed 10–8 over Brown's Cubs, as the Cubs' ninth-inning rally fell short. Brown finished his major league career with a 239–130 record, 1375 strikeouts , and a 2.06 ERA , the third best ERA in Major League Baseball history amongst players inducted into
15876-403: The first African-Americans on a Cubs roster in a World Series. Additionally, Fowler (batting as the lead-off hitter) was the first African-American to appear and to bat for the Cubs in a World Series game. Both Fowler and Russell were the first African-Americans to start for the Cubs in a World Series. Looking to tie the series at one game apiece, the Cubs sent Jake Arrieta to the mound against
16038-591: The first major league franchise on the West Coast. O'Malley also helped persuade the rival New York Giants to move west to become the San Francisco Giants. Giants owner Horace Stoneham had been contemplating a move to Minnesota amid slumping attendance at the aging Polo Grounds ballpark when O'Malley invited him to meet San Francisco Mayor George Christopher in New York. After Stoneham
16200-424: The first two batters he faced. However, Francisco Lindor singled and stole second with two outs. Lester then walked Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana . With the bases loaded, José Ramírez hit an infield single to drive in a run and Lester hit the next batter, Brandon Guyer , to give the Indians a 2–0 lead. Kluber started hot as well, striking out eight of the first nine batters he faced, a World Series record. In
16362-408: The first two innings for the Cubs. In the third, Kyle Schwarber led off the inning with a walk. Bryant flied out and Rizzo singled. Zobrist singled again to load the bases and chase Tomlin from the game. Dan Otero , replacing Tomlin, pushed Russell to a 2–0 count before Russell belted a homer to deep left-center field for a grand slam. The Cubs lead ballooned to 7–0 and a seventh game seemed likely. In
16524-513: The founding of the Cincinnati club. The NABBP split into an amateur organization and a professional organization. The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players , often known as the National Association (NA), was formed in 1871. Its amateur counterpart disappeared after only a few years. The modern Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves franchises trace their histories back to the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players in
16686-466: The fourth, giving up a run-scoring to single to Moore with the bases loaded and a force-out grounder by Span to put the Giants up 3–1. The Cubs bounced back with a run in the top of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Ross. Justin Grimm relieved Lackey in the bottom of the fifth and surrendered a single to Posey and a double that just missed being a home run by Brandon Crawford. Travis Wood entered and gave up
16848-423: The game at 5–3. Cubs manager Joe Maddon then decided to pinch hit for Addison Russell and his 95 RBIs with little-used Chris Coghlan . This caused Giants manager Bruce Bochy to counter with lefty reliever Will Smith and Maddon went to rookie catcher Willson Contreras instead. Contreras promptly singled up the middle to tie the game at five. Jason Heyward 's attempted sacrifice bunt was too hard and Contreras
17010-415: The game in the bottom of the fifth, but Andrew Miller replaced him and retired pinch-hitter Miguel Montero . Leading off the seventh, Roberto Pérez singled to right off reliever Carl Edwards Jr. Pinch runner Michael Martinez replaced him at first. Naquin advanced Martinez to second with a bunt and Martinez moved to third on a wild pitch by Edwards. After Rajai Davis walked, pinch-hitter Coco Crisp hit
17172-466: The game in the bottom of the fourth following a Howie Kendrick double and steal of third. Adrián González hit the ball to Rizzo who could not field it cleanly and the run scored as a result. The Dodgers lifted Maeda from the game in the fourth and turned it over to the bullpen. In the sixth, Javier Báez continued his strong postseason play by singling to start the inning. Following a strikeout of Jason Heyward, Addison Russell homered to center field to break
17334-416: The game with Lester and was playing in his final major league game, threw wildly to first allowing runners to advance to second and third. Lester uncorked a wild pitch that bounced off Ross's mask and scored both runners, tightening the lead to 5–3. Ross partially atoned for the error in the sixth with a homer to center field to bring the lead to 6–3. Lester allowed runners in the sixth and the seventh, but held
17496-414: The game with no outs. Chapman struck out the first two batters he faced and appeared to be on the verge of escaping the inning, but Adrián González singled up the middle scoring two runs and tying the game at three. The Dodgers brought in reliever Joe Blanton in the bottom of the eighth to try to keep the game tied. However, Ben Zobrist doubled to lead off the inning. Blanton struck out Addison Russell and
17658-419: The game. The win gave the Indians a 2–1 lead in the series. Cody Allen earned his sixth save of the postseason. With the series lead, the Indians sent Corey Kluber to the mound on short rest against John Lackey to try to extend the series lead to three games to one. The Cubs opened the scoring in the first inning with a double by lead-off man Dexter Fowler and a run-scoring single by Anthony Rizzo. However,
17820-432: The game. Combined, Ben Zobrist, Rizzo, and Russell were 6–60 in the playoffs. The game also marked the Cubs first 1–0 loss in the postseason since Babe Ruth and the Boston Red Sox blanked them in the 1918 World Series opener at Comiskey Park (borrowed by the Cubs because of its larger seating capacity). As the series shifted to Los Angeles , the Cubs looked to break out of their hitting slump and sent Jake Arrieta to
17982-429: The hole " between the corner and middle infielders. Starting pitchers were no longer expected to throw complete games ; it was enough for a starter to pitch 6–7 innings and turn the game over to the team's closer , a position which grew in importance over these decades. As stolen bases increased, home run totals dropped. After Willie Mays hit 52 home runs in 1965, only one player ( George Foster ) reached that mark until
18144-438: The inning. But, Bryant coaxed a walk on a nine-pitch at bat and scored from first on a single to right by Rizzo to make the lead 5–1. Hendricks, who had seemingly settled down, got the first two outs in the bottom of the fifth, but walked Santana. Cub manager Joe Maddon pulled Hendricks to be replaced by Games 1 and 5 starter, Jon Lester. Lester allowed a dribbler in front of the plate by Jason Kipnis, but David Ross, who had entered
18306-450: The inning. The Cubs added another run in the bottom of the second when Addison Russell doubled to left and scored on Fowler's single. In the bottom of the fourth, Willson Contreras led off the inning by homering on a line drive to left field to extend the lead to 4–0. In the fifth, Rizzo continued his hot hitting by homering to right-center field and to put the Cubs up 5–0. Kershaw was lifted after that inning, but Hendricks continued his gem on
18468-529: The juice of licorice, which some players would chew for the purpose of discoloring the ball. Also, pitchers could manipulate the ball through the use of the spitball (In 1921, use of this pitch was restricted to a few pitchers with a grandfather clause ). Additionally, many ballparks had large dimensions, such as the West Side Grounds of the Chicago Cubs, which was 560 feet (170 m) to
18630-451: The last game at Wrigley Field for the season, the Cubs sent ace Jon Lester to the mound while the Indians countered with Trevor Bauer. Lester surrendered a second inning homer to José Ramírez as the Cubs fell behind 1–0. However, Kris Bryant answered in the fourth, homering to left to lead off the inning. Anthony Rizzo doubled following Bryant's homer and Ben Zobrist singled. Addison Russell followed with an infield single to score Rizzo and put
18792-416: The lead to 5–0. Arrieta continued to cruise, walking three batters but holding the Indians without a hit into the sixth inning. In the sixth, a double by Jason Kipnis ended the no-hitter and a wild pitch by Arrieta two batters later scored the first Indians run. Arrieta allowed another single and was lifted for reliever Mike Montgomery. Both teams threatened in the seventh but could not score and, following
18954-417: The lead to 8–2. Following a single by Zobrist to load the bases, Báez hit a sacrifice fly to center fielder Joc Pederson . Pederson's throw to home got by the catcher as Bryant scored and Rizzo came home on the wild throw as well ballooning the lead to 10–2. The Cub bullpen shut down the Dodgers for the remainder of the game as the series was tied at two games apiece. With the series tied at two games apiece,
19116-404: The leaders in fewest home runs allowed and in striking out opponent batters. The Cubs offense was among the leaders in on-base percentage, base runners who eventually score, runs batted in, and drawing walks. Kyle Hendricks entered September with an earned run average of 2.09 in 159 innings pitched which led all major league starting pitchers. Kris Bryant hit eight home runs and drove in 18 runs with
19278-509: The league with the fewest hits, runs, and earned runs allowed. They also had the lowest opponent batting average and the lowest WHIP. At the conclusion of the regular season, the pitching staff had a major league-low team ERA of 3.15, the fewest runs allowed at 556, the fewest earned runs allowed at 511, the lowest batting average by opponents at .212 and were among the leaders in fewest home runs allowed and in striking out opponent batters. The Cubs offense, when compared to all major league teams,
19440-478: The left field line off Bryan Shaw to score Almora. Shaw then intentionally walked Russell to load the bases. Miguel Montero, in the game after Ross was lifted for a pinch runner, scored Rizzo on a single up the middle to move the lead to 8–6. Game 2 and 5 starter Trevor Bauer then retired Heyward and Báez to end the inning. Carl Edwards, Jr. was called on by Maddon to end the Cubs World Series drought in
19602-435: The left field wall to give the Cubs an early 1–0 lead. Anthony Rizzo followed the homer with a single and Ben Zobrist singled to move Rizzo to third. Addison Russell hit a fly ball to right-center that looked to end the inning, but ended up falling between the Indians outfielders and scored Rizzo. Zobrist also scored on the play knocking over Indians catcher Roberto Pérez to give the Cubs an early 3–0 lead. Arrieta cruised through
19764-508: The lowest batting average by opponents in MLB. The Cubs offense, when compared to all teams, was second in on base percentage, second in base runners who eventually score, second in the number of RBIs, and first in walks. Kris Bryant was tied with Todd Frazier of the Chicago White Sox and Mark Trumbo of the Baltimore Orioles for the Major League Home Run lead with 23 and was fourth with 61 RBIs. Anthony Rizzo had 60. It
19926-620: The major league clubs, and the MLB Draft League , a hybrid amateur-professional showcase league. MLB and the World Baseball Softball Confederation jointly manage the international World Baseball Classic tournament. In the 1860s, aided by soldiers playing the game in camp during the Civil War , "New York"-style baseball expanded into a national game and spawned baseball's first governing body,
20088-548: The major leagues. Satchel Paige was signed by the Indians and the Dodgers added star catcher Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe , who was later the first winner of the Cy Young Award for his outstanding pitching. MLB banned the signing of women to contracts in 1952, but that ban was lifted in 1992. There have been no female MLB players since then. From 1903 to 1952, the major leagues consisted of two eight-team leagues whose 16 teams were located in ten cities, all in
20250-572: The major-league status of the Union Association by pointing out that franchises came and went and that the St. Louis club was deliberately "stacked"; the St. Louis club was owned by the league's president and it was the only club that was close to major-league caliber. In December 2020, Major League Baseball announced its recognition of seven leagues within Negro league baseball as major leagues:
20412-436: The majors, he returned to his home in Terre Haute, where he continued to pitch in the minor leagues and in exhibition games for more than a decade, as well as coaching and managing. According to his biography, in an exhibition game against the famous House of David touring team in 1928, at the age of 51, he pitched three innings as a favor to the local team, and struck out all nine batters he faced. From 1920 to 1945, Brown ran
20574-417: The mound, retiring the side and facing the minimum batters through seven innings. In the eighth, after a flyout by Adrián González, Reddick singled, only the second hit allowed by Hendricks. That ended the night for Hendricks as Cub manager Joe Maddon went to the bullpen and brought in closer Aroldis Chapman. Chapman induced Howie Kendrick into an inning-ending double play. In the top of the ninth, Chapman walked
20736-456: The mound, the Dodgers countered with Rich Hill . However, the Cubs' hitting problems continued as Hill shut them down, allowing only two hits in six innings of work. The Dodgers scored first in the third with a run-scoring single by Corey Seager . The Dodger offense also homered twice off of Arrieta: a two-run homer by Yasmani Grandal in the fourth and a solo homer by Justin Turner in the sixth. The Dodger bullpen continued where Hill left off and
20898-484: The names of his uncle, his father, and the United States Centennial year of his birth, respectively. According to his biography, he had two separate injuries to his right hand. The first and more famous trauma came when he was feeding material into the farm's feed chopper. He slipped and his hand was mangled by the knives, severing much of his index finger and damaging the others. A doctor repaired
21060-471: The nature of professional baseball, putting a higher premium on speed and defense over home-run hitting power since the fields were often too big for teams to expect to hit many home runs and foul balls hit in the air could more easily be caught for outs. Teams began to be built around pitching—particularly their bullpens—and speed on the basepaths. Artificial surfaces meant balls traveled quicker and bounced higher, so it became easier to hit ground balls " in
21222-399: The ninth, Ross walked and was pinch run for by Chris Coghlan. Jason Heyward grounded into a force play, but then stole second and advanced on a bad throw by Yan Gomes . With two strikes, Báez attempted to bunt, but fouled out. Fowler grounded out to end the threat. Surprisingly, Chapman returned to the mound in the ninth and retired the Indians in order to force extra innings. However, before
21384-527: The northeastern and mid-western United States: New York City had three teams and Boston , Chicago, Philadelphia , and St. Louis each had two teams. St. Louis was the southernmost and westernmost city with a major league team. The longest possible road trip, from Boston to St. Louis, took about 24 hours by railroad. After a half-century of stability, starting in the 1950s, teams began to move out of cities with multiple teams into cities that had not had them before. From 1953 to 1955, three teams moved to new cities:
21546-411: The pitching duel, Lester scattered five hits in eight innings of work, shutting out the Giants. Cueto also blanked the Cubs allowing only two hits prior to the eighth inning. In the eighth, Javier Báez hit a solo home run into the left field basket to put the Cubs up 1–0. Aroldis Chapman appeared for the save in the ninth and gave up a double to Buster Posey , but shut the Giants down as the Cubs took
21708-519: The point that the 1942 season was nearly canceled. On January 14, 1942, MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis wrote to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt , pleading for the continuation of baseball during the war. Roosevelt responded, "I honestly feel that it would be best for the country to keep baseball going. There will be fewer people unemployed and everybody will work longer hours and harder than ever before. And that means that they ought to have
21870-494: The process gained a colorful nickname. He turned this handicap into an advantage by learning how to grip a baseball in a way that resulted in an exceptional curveball (or knuckle curve ), which broke radically before reaching the plate. With this technique he became one of the elite pitchers of his era. Brown was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1949. Brown was born in Nyesville, Indiana , to Jane and Peter Brown. He
22032-542: The reserve clause, led to the organization of the Major League Baseball Players Association to collectively bargain with the owners, which in turn led to the introduction of free agency in baseball. Modern stadiums with artificial turf surfaces began to change the game in the 1970s and 1980s. Home runs dominated the game during the 1990s. In the mid-2000s, media reports disclosed the use of anabolic steroids among MLB players;
22194-412: The rest of his hand as best he could. While it was still healing, the injury was further aggravated by a fall he took, which broke several finger bones. They were not reset properly, especially the middle finger (see photo). He learned to pitch, as many children did, by aiming rocks at knot-holes on the barn wall and other wooden surfaces. Over time, with constant practice, he developed great control. As
22356-478: The resulting bidding war for players led to widespread contract-breaking and legal disputes. The war between the AL and NL caused shock waves throughout the baseball world. At a meeting at the Leland Hotel in Chicago in 1901, the other baseball leagues negotiated a plan to maintain their independence. A new National Association was formed to oversee these minor leagues. After 1902, the NL, AL, and NA signed
22518-459: The score 8–4. Chapman induced Justin Turner to ground out to end the game. The win put the Cubs on the brink of the World Series with a three games to two lead as the series moved back to Wrigley Field. The Cubs took advantage of the Dodgers bullpen in the series, scoring 26 runs in 26.2 innings pitched by Maeda and the Dodger bullpen. As the series returned to Wrigley Field, the Cubs looked to earn
22680-517: The season 8–1, their best start since 1969. The Cubs finished the month of April with an MLB-best record of 17–5. Jake Arrieta was selected National League Player of the Month. The Cubs finished May with a 35–15 record, the best in the majors, and led the NL Central by 6.5 games over the Pirates. The Cubs began June with the best run differential in the majors, plus 129, and a record of 35–15, also
22842-404: The second batter, but Yasiel Puig grounded into a game-ending double play as Wrigley Field erupted in celebration. The Cubs advanced to their first World Series since 1945 with the 5–0 win and the four games to two series win. In the game, the Cubs faced the minimum number of batters, 27, in a game. The only other time that had occurred in a postseason game was Don Larsen 's 1956 perfect game for
23004-553: The side, striking out Ramírez to end the game and extend the series to a Game 6 in Cleveland. The series returned to Cleveland with the Cubs looking to force a seventh game while the Indians looked to win the series. Cubs starter Jake Arrieta took the mound for the Cubs while Josh Tomlin took the hill for the Indians. The game started well for the Indians as Tomlin retired the first two batters easily and moved to an 0–2 count on Kris Bryant. However, Bryant drove Tomlin's next pitch over
23166-571: The sport. MLB rose in popularity in the decade following the Black Sox Scandal, and unlike major leagues in other sports it endured the Great Depression and World War II without any of its teams folding. Shortly after the war, Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier . Some teams moved to different cities in the 1950s and 1960s. The AL and NL added eight clubs in the 1960s: two in 1961, two in 1962, and four in 1969. Player discontent with established labor practices, especially
23328-429: The tenth inning could start, rain delayed the game for 17 minutes. During this rain delay, Heyward called a player's meeting in the visiting clubhouse's weight room to rally the team. Schwarber singled upon resumption of play and was pinch run for by Albert Almora Jr. Almora advanced to second on a flyout to the warning track by Bryant and the Indians chose to walk Rizzo to face Zobrist. Zobrist responded by doubling down
23490-410: The top of the third, the Giants answered, scoring two runs on back-to-back doubles by Joe Panik and pinch-hitter Gregor Blanco and a sacrifice fly by Brandon Belt . Hendricks was then hit in the arm by an Ángel Pagán line drive, forcing him to leave the game. Reliever Travis Wood ended the Giants' rally and, in the bottom half of the inning, hit a solo home run to put the Cubs up 5–2. The home run
23652-525: The two best pitchers in the National League. In fact, Brown defeated Mathewson in competition as often as not, most significantly in the final regular season game of the 1908 season. Brown had a career 13–11 edge on Mathewson, with one no-decision in their 25 pitching matchups. Brown's most important single game effort was the pennant-deciding contest between the Cubs and the New York Giants on October 8, 1908, at New York. With Mathewson starting for
23814-454: The use of new, white baseballs whenever a ball became scuffed or dirty, helping bring the "dead-ball" era to an end. The following year, the New York Yankees made their first World Series appearance. By the end of the 1930s, the team had appeared in 11 World Series, winning eight of them. Yankees slugger Babe Ruth had set the single-season home run record in 1927, hitting 60 home runs; breaking his own record of 29 home runs. Afflicted by
23976-403: The winter there, but returned home when he caught a mysterious sickness. Brown saw limited action in 1912 and was released by the Cubs in October, a week before he turned 36. Soon after, he consulted a physician about a minor illness. Examining Brown's knee, the physician advised Brown to retire from baseball because he risked losing the use of his leg. However, Brown continued to play, signing with
24138-399: Was "absorbing the available Negro Leagues numbers into the official historical record." The period between 1900 and 1919 is commonly referred to as the "dead-ball era". Games of this era tended to be low-scoring and were often dominated by pitchers, such as Walter Johnson , Cy Young , Christy Mathewson , Mordecai Brown , and Grover Cleveland Alexander . The term also accurately describes
24300-879: Was a result of players using steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs . In 1993, the National League added the Florida Marlins in Miami and the Colorado Rockies in Denver . In 1998, the Brewers switched leagues by joining the National League, and two new teams were added: the National League's Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix and the American League's Tampa Bay Devil Rays in Tampa Bay . 2016 Chicago Cubs season The 2016 Chicago Cubs season
24462-431: Was also known as "Miner", having worked in western Indiana coal mines for a while before beginning his professional baseball career. Nicknames like "Miner" (or misspelled as "Minor") and "Three Finger" (or sometimes "Three-Fingered") were headline writers' inventions. To fans and friends he was probably best known as "Brownie". To his relatives and close friends, he was also known as "Mort". His three-part given name came from
24624-576: Was among the leaders in on-base percentage (.343), base runners who eventually score (808), RBI's and drawing walks (656). Their run differential was +252. The Cubs had two serious MVP candidates in Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo and three possible Gold Glove winners. Infielders Coaches The Cubs began postseason play with starter Jon Lester on the mound facing Johnny Cueto for the Wild Card Game-winning Giants. In
24786-502: Was among the leaders in on-base percentage, base runners who eventually score, RBI's, and walks. Bryant and Rizzo were among the major league leaders in home runs and RBI's. Through August 22, Kyle Hendricks led the Majors in ERA for pitchers with over 140 innings at 2.16. Jake Arrieta was fourth at 2.75 and Jon Lester was fifth at 2.81. Addison Russell's 84 RBIs were the most in one season by
24948-515: Was announced that the July 12th All-Star game in San Diego would begin with the entire Cubs infield (Bryant, Rizzo, Russell, and Zobrist) as starters. Rizzo led all National League players in votes. Zobrist beat out Daniel Murphy by 88 votes. Fowler, though injured, was the top vote getter for National League outfielders. Lester and Arrieta were also named to the team. The Cubs finished July with
25110-546: Was forced out at second, but gold-glove winner Crawford's throw to first ended up in the dugout allowing Heyward to reach second with one out. Javier Báez then singled up the middle to complete the comeback and give the Cubs the 6–5 lead. Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth as the Cubs eliminated the Giants and moved on to the NLCS. The Cubs' comeback marked the biggest comeback in postseason-clinching history. 2016 NLDS (3–1): Chicago Cubs defeated San Francisco Giants. The NLCS opened at Wrigley Field with
25272-411: Was in and out of trouble frequently giving up six hits, and walking two in just 4 1/3 innings. Following a single by Tyler Naquin , a bunt by Tomlin, a walk to Carlos Santana, Hendricks hit Jason Kipnis with a pitch to load the bases in the fifth. Justin Grimm relieved Hendricks and got Francsico Lindor to hit into an inning-ending double play escaping with the score still 0–0. The Cubs chased Tomlin from
25434-619: Was later referred to as "The Noble Experiment", Robinson was the first black baseball player in the International League since the 1880s, joining the Dodgers' farm club, the Montreal Royals , for the 1946 season. The following year, the Dodgers called up Robinson to the major leagues. On April 15, 1947, Robinson made his major league debut at Ebbets Field before a crowd of 26,623 spectators, including more than 14,000 black patrons. Black baseball fans began flocking to see
25596-445: Was lifted after five innings, but reliever Mike Montgomery gave up another run in the sixth as the Indians lead moved to 4–1. Cleveland put the game away in the seventh on a three-run homer by Kipnis off of Travis Wood , pushing the lead to 7–1. Fowler hit a consolation eighth inning solo home run off of reliever Andrew Miller, but that was it as the Cubs lost 7–2 and fell behind in the series three games to one. Facing elimination and
25758-449: Was persuaded to move to California, Time magazine put O'Malley on its cover. MLB Commissioner Ford C. Frick had opposed the meeting, but the dual moves proved successful for both franchises—and for MLB. Had the Dodgers moved out west alone, the St. Louis Cardinals —1,600 mi (2,575 km) away —would have been the closest NL team. Instead, the joint move made West Coast road trips economical for visiting teams. The Dodgers set
25920-478: Was rumored to retire again in October 1914. He stayed in the league and played for the Chicago Whales in 1915. He returned to the Cubs for his final season in 1916. Brown and Mathewson wrapped their respective careers by squaring off on September 4, 1916, in the second game of a Labor Day doubleheader. The game was billed as the final meeting between the two old baseball warriors, and would turn out to be
26082-497: Was the 145th season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 141st in the National League and the Cubs' 101st season at Wrigley Field . The Cubs were managed by Joe Maddon in his second year as Cubs manager, and played their home games at Wrigley Field as members of the National League Central . They began the season on April 4, 2016 at the Los Angeles Angels and finished the regular season on October 2, 2016 at
26244-460: Was the first by a relief pitcher in a postseason game since 1924. The Cub bullpen of Carl Edwards Jr. , Mike Montgomery , and Héctor Rondón shut down the Giants for the remainder of the game with Aroldis Chapman getting the save. The Cubs looked to finish the series sweep with Jake Arrieta facing the Giants' Madison Bumgarner in game three. The Giants looked to extend their winning streak to 10–0 in their last 10 elimination games. Arrieta hit
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