This makes the Cubs, along with the Braves who were also founded in 1871, one of the two oldest active teams in major North American sports.

Mordecai " Three-Finger " Brown, Jack Taylor, Ed Reulbach, Jack Pfiester, and Orval Overall were several key pitchers for the Cubs during this time period.

There were some historic moments for the Cubs as well ; they claimed the ' 35 pennant in thrilling fashion, winning a record 21 games in a row in September.

Due to the wartime travel restrictions, the first three games of the 1945 World Series were played in Detroit, where the Cubs won two games, including a one-hitter by Claude Passeau, and the final four were played at Wrigley.

The Cubs hit a high-water mark on June 28 at 47 – 22, boasting an game NL East lead, as they were led by Bobby Murcer ( 27 Hr / 89 RBI ), and Rick Reuschel ( 20 – 10 ).

Iowa Cub Joe Carter and CF Mel Hall were sent to Cleveland for Sutcliffe and back-up C Ron Hassey (. 333 with Cubs in 1984 ).

With strong defense – Dernier CF and Sandberg 2B, won the NL Gold Glove-solid pitching and clutch hitting, the Cubs were a well balanced team.

The shift in the Cubs ' fortunes were characterized June 23 on the " NBC Saturday Game of the Week " contest against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The celebrating crowd outside at Wrigley Field was enormous despite the fact the Cubs were on the road.

In 1989, the first full season with night baseball at Wrigley Field, Don Zimmer's Cubs were led by a core group of veterans in Ryne Sandberg, Rick Sutcliffe and Andre Dawson, who were boosted by a crop of youngsters such as Mark Grace, Shawon Dunston, Greg Maddux, Rookie of the Year Jerome Walton, and Rookie of the Year Runner-Up Dwight Smith.

" The Cubs, however, were unable to come through, losing the first game and eventually stranding over 30 baserunners in a 3-game Arizona sweep.

The Cubs were expected to contend with the St. Louis Cardinals for the divisional title.

Sosa wore the iconic # 21 with the Cubs in honor of his childhood idol Roberto Clemente Also in 1998, Sosa's 416 total bases were the most in a single season since Stan Musial's 429 in.

The Cubs qualified as the NL Wild Card team, but were swept by the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.

In the 1984 NLCS, the Padres faced the NL East champion Chicago Cubs, who were making their first post-season appearance since 1945 and featured NL Most Valuable Player Ryne Sandberg and Cy Young Award winner Rick Sutcliffe.

The Cubs would win the first two games at Wrigley Field, and were less than two innings away from a series sweep when their luck changed.

At various times, a post office, exposition center, armory, and even an early home field of the baseball club now known as the Chicago Cubs were built in the park.

Kile, known for his sharp, big-breaking curveball, died of coronary disease in Chicago, where he and the Cardinals were staying for a weekend series against the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs were sold in 2009.

All these " in the park " shots, including the one from the previous scene where Ferris catches the foul ball on TV, were filmed on September 24, 1985 at a game between the Montreal Expos and the Cubs.

From 1982-83, the Pikeville Cubs were located in the city.

The club was originally called the Chicago White Stockings, after the nickname abandoned by the Cubs, and the name was soon shortened to Chicago White Sox, believed to have been because the paper would shorten it to Sox in the headlines.

Comiskey moved his St. Paul club to the Near South Side and renamed it the White Stockings, grabbing a nickname that had once been used by the Chicago Cubs.

Da Super Fan sketch has not been brought back by SNL, with the exception of a single appearance by Horatio Sanz as a Super Fan for the Cubs on Weekend Update in 2003.

After a disappointing record of 59-73 and a 9th-place finish in 1897, Anson was released by the Cubs as both a player and manager.

They then won back to back World Series titles in 1907 – 08 In 1902, Spalding, who by this time had revamped the roster to boast what would soon be one of the best teams of the early century, sold the club to Jim Hart, and the franchise became known as the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs responded by winning a pennant in the war-shortened season of 1918, where they played a part in another team's curse.

It has also been said by many that Sianis put a " curse " on the Cubs, apparently preventing the team from playing in the World Series.

In the Cubs, managed by Leo Durocher, built a substantial lead in the newly created National League Eastern Division by mid-August.

However, the Philadelphia Phillies cut the lead to two by the All-star break, as the Cubs sat 19 games over. 500, but they swooned late in the season, going 20 – 40 after July 31.

The 1983 Cubs had finished 71 – 91 under Lee Elia, who was fired before the season ended by Green.

It was the second game of a double header and the Cubs had won the first game in part due to a three run home run by Moreland.

This was approved by Major League Baseball and would have enabled the Cubs to host games 1 and 2, along with games 6 and 7 if necessary.

" One of the biggest stories of the season transpired as the club made a midseason deal for Fred McGriff, which was drawn out for nearly a month as McGriff debated waiving his no-trade clause, as the Cubs led the wild card race by 2. 5 games in early September.

Most notably, they traded with the Pittsburgh Pirates for outfielder Kenny Lofton and third baseman Aramis Ramirez, and rode dominant pitching, led by Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, as the Cubs led the division down the stretch.

Chicago halted St. Louis ' run to the playoffs by taking 4 of 5 games from the Cardinals at Wrigley Field in early September, after which the hapless Cubs finally won their first division title in 14 years.

A Chicago Cubs fan by the name of Steve Bartman, of Northbrook, IL, reached for the ball and deflected it away from the glove of Moisés Alou for the second out of the 8th inning.

They led the Wild Card by 1. 5 games over San Francisco and Houston on September 25, and both of those teams lost that day, giving the Cubs a chance at increasing the lead to a commanding 2. 5 games with only eight games remaining in the season, but reliever LaTroy Hawkins blew a save to the Mets, and the Cubs lost the game in extra innings, a defeat that seemingly deflated the team, as they proceeded to drop 6 of their last 8 games as the Astros won the Wild Card.

Caray succeeded longtime Cubs broadcaster Jack Brickhouse, himself a beloved announcer and Chicago media fixture.

In 1981, the team affiliated with the Chicago Cubs and adopted the nickname of the parent team, although it is often shortened to " I-Cubs " by fans and media to avoid confusion with the major league team.

In 2008 Listach was honored as Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year by peers and league media representatives for leading the Iowa Cubs to an 83-59 record and a playoff appearance.

The " Empire Man " has been seen internationally in commercials and other media, has spawned a line of collectible bobblehead dolls and inspired the Chicago Cubs to declare an official " Empire Day " at Wrigley Field in 2007.