October 7, 2026
October 7, 2026
The Chicago Cubs went through a long, unfortunate stretch in which they went many seasons without winning consistently on the field. Many baseball fans took to calling the Cubs the “Lovable Losers,” because the team always seemed to find a way to break fans’ hearts whenever it got close to winning the biggest games. The 1980s brought a slight shift from that familiar story, as the franchise came within one win of reaching the World Series in 1984. Five years later, the 1989 Chicago Cubs were looking for another chance to play in the Fall Classic.
The 1989 Chicago Cubs went 93-69, winning the National League East by 6 games over the New York Mets. The Cubs went 10-8 against the Mets in head-to-head play. They went 48-33 at their home ballpark, Wrigley Field, known as the Friendly Confines, and 45-36 on the road. Except for June, the Cubs did well in every month of the regular season, going 12-11 in April, 16-11 in May, 18-9 in July, 16-12 in August and 17-11 in September.
Left fielder Dwight Smith batted .324 with 9 home runs, 111 hits, 19 doubles, 6 triples and 9 stolen bases in 109 games. First baseman Mark Grace batted .314 with 13 home runs and 79 RBIs, along with 160 hits, 28 doubles and 14 stolen bases. Center fielder Jerome Walton batted .293 with 139 hits, 23 doubles and 24 stolen bases in 116 games. Second baseman Ryne Sandberg batted .290 with 30 home runs and 76 RBIs, along with 176 hits, 25 doubles, 5 triples and 15 stolen bases. Shortstop Shawon Dunston batted .278 with 9 home runs and 60 RBIs, along with 131 hits, 20 doubles, 6 triples and 11 stolen bases.
Right fielder Andre Dawson had 21 home runs and 77 RBIs, along with 105 hits, 18 doubles, 6 triples and 8 stolen bases in 118 games. Third baseman Vance Law had 96 hits and 22 doubles in 130 games. Catcher Damon Berryhill had 86 hits and 13 doubles in 91 games. Utility player Lloyd McClendon batted .286 with 12 home runs, 74 hits and 12 doubles in 92 games. Left fielder Mitch Webster had 70 hits, 12 doubles, 4 triples and 14 stolen bases in 98 games. The team’s full numbers are available on Baseball-Reference.
Starting pitcher Greg Maddux had a knack for working around the edges of the strike zone. He didn’t have an overpowering fastball, but his off-speed pitches kept opposing batters off balance. Maddux went 19-12 with 135 strikeouts and a 2.95 ERA, recording 7 complete games and 1 shutout. Mike Bielecki went 18-7 with 147 strikeouts and a 3.14 ERA, recording 4 complete games and 3 shutouts. Rick Sutcliffe went 16-11 with 153 strikeouts and a 3.66 ERA, recording 5 complete games and 1 shutout. Scott Sanderson went 11-9 with 86 strikeouts and a 3.94 ERA, recording 2 complete games.
On December 5, 1988, the Cubs traded first baseman Rafael Palmeiro, starting pitcher Jamie Moyer and pitcher Drew Hall to the Texas Rangers for infielder Curtis Wilkerson, starting pitcher Paul Kilgus, relief pitcher Steve Wilson and closer Mitch Williams. The last two players in that group proved to be important short-term pieces, as Williams went 4-4 with 36 saves and a 2.76 ERA, while Wilson went 6-4 with 2 saves. Relief pitcher Les Lancaster went 4-2 with 8 saves and a 1.36 ERA. Jeff Pico went 3-1 with 2 saves and a 3.77 ERA. Calvin Schiraldi had 4 saves and a 3.78 ERA despite going just 3-6. Paul Assenmacher went 2-1 out of the bullpen.
The 1989 MLB All-Star Game was one of the more memorable Midsummer Classics in baseball history, and several Cubs players took part in it. Ryne Sandberg started for the National League, while Andre Dawson, Rick Sutcliffe and Mitch Williams made the NL All-Star team as reserves. Earlier in the regular season, the Cubs put together a 7-game winning streak that began with a 6-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 7 and ended with a 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on April 16.
On the North Side especially, it can be hard to tell which way the wind blows in Chicago, and it seems the wind blew the right way only once for the Cubs in the 1989 National League Championship Series against the NL West champion San Francisco Giants. The 1989 Chicago Cubs fell to the Giants 4 games to 1, ending their bid to reach the World Series for the first time since 1945.
Game 2 was the only bright spot of the NLCS for the Cubs, as they beat the Giants 9-5 on October 5 at Wrigley Field. Mike Bielecki pitched 4.2 innings and gave up 4 hits, 3 walks and 2 runs while recording 3 strikeouts. The Cubs broke out right away in the bottom of the 1st inning. Ryne Sandberg had an RBI triple, Mark Grace had an RBI double, and third baseman Luis Salazar, Bielecki and Jerome Walton all added RBI singles. The Giants got on the board in the top of the 4th with a 2-run home run by left fielder Kevin Mitchell. In the bottom of the 6th, Grace hit a 3-run double to put the game out of reach. In the top of the 8th, third baseman Matt Williams hit a 2-run home run, and in the top of the 9th, second baseman Robby Thompson added a solo home run for the Giants. With the win, the Cubs evened the NLCS at 1 game apiece.
The Cubs’ next trip to the postseason would come 9 years later, in 1998, as a beloved Wild Card team.
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