Chicago Cubs: Greatest moments in Wrigley Field history

Since its inception over a century ago, Wrigley Field has witnessed many historical moments – but these particular instances stand out.

If these walls could talk. The hallowed stomping grounds of the Chicago Cubs abound with the ghosts of baseball’s past and the legacy of which began 105 years ago. As the second-oldest stadium still open, beaten out by Fenway Park in Boston by two years, Wrigley is a legendary cathedral full of reminiscence.

Trying to break down all the unbelievable heart-stopping moments in Wrigley’s history is a challenging endeavor. Muddling through all the heartbreak, however, there are still so retrospection that we as fans can carry.

Here you won’t find the Steve Bartman story, the Sammy Sosa corked bat incident or the ‘Curse of the Billy Goat.’ No, here you will find the happiest, stadium-shaking conglomerate of experiences. Hold onto your seats, its time we flashback to what has been.

Chicago Cubs: Wrigley Field opens its gates

It is impossible to create a list of the greatest moments in Wrigley’s history without including Wrigley itself. Built way back in 1914, and home to the Cubs since 1916, the stadium reportedly only cost $250,000 and was built in a mere two months.

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The first big league game took place on April 23, 1914, when the Federals defeated the Kansas City Packers. On April 20, 1916, two years after Charles Weeghman purchased the park, the Cubs made their debut. Following in the footsteps four years later, chewing gum conglomerate William Wrigley Jr. purchase our beloved Cubs, and the part was renamed ‘Cubs Park.’

Wrigley Field became the ‘official’ home in 1926 and in 1981 Wrigley sold the team to the Tribune Company for $600,000. Throughout the years there has been many additions and renovations to the stadium.

Two of the most notable to this day which makes Wrigley what it is is the hand-operated scoreboard which is still being used and, of course, the ivy-covered brick walls.

The Ricketts family bought the Cubs in 2009, Wrigley saw the addition of a beautiful Jumbotron which towers over the left-field bleachers as part of the ‘1060 Project’, followed up by an additional Jumbotron in the right-field bleachers. To follow its inception from 1914 to 2019 is a thing of beauty and no matter the case, Wrigley Field will always be home to our beloved Cubbies.

Chicago Cubs: Kerry Wood 20 strikeout game

Amidst the buzz of memories for Cubs fans, this one finds itself at the top of the list. Starting in just his fifth career major league game, Kerry Wood dominated the Houston Astros on May 6, 1998.

Wood was just 20 years old. It was fitting for a set up to 20 strikeouts. The ‘blips’ on the radar, if you can even call it that, was a hit batter and an infield single. Other than that, perfection. According to Bill James’ Game Score metric, it remains to this day the greatest game ever pitched.

To make it sweeter, it was an Astros lineup which carried now Hall-of-Famers Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell and was one of the best teams in the league at the time. Wood tossed 122 pitches in that complete-game effort, with zero walks to boot.

Wood finished off his rookie campaign in 1998 13-6, 3.40 ERA over 26 starts. He managed to post a ridiculous 33.3 percent strikeout rate over 166 2/3 innings. To imagine a 20-year-old striking out one out of three batters across the scope of a season is insane. Needless to say, that dreary May afternoon 21 years ago will always hold its weight as one of the best moments in Wrigley’s history.

Chicago Cubs: The basket-saving bomb

2016. National League Division Series. San Francisco Giants at Wrigley to face the Cubs. An even year. What could go wrong?

The past six years before the 2016 regular season saw the Giants win three World Series championships in consecutive ‘even’ seasons: 2010, 2012, 2014. Matched with the Cubs to kick October off in 2016, there was a nervousness in the air as the NLDS kicked off.

The starting pitchers were Jon Lester and Johnny Cueto. It would morph into an unbelievable pitchers duel which kept fans on the edge of their seats. Lester finished off eight shutout frames, striking out five while walking nobody and allowing five hits. His counterpart had the Cubs’ number as well, as Cueto allowed just three hits and struck out ten. Everything for Cueto was going great, and then the eighth inning happened.

On a cold October night with the wind blowing in, nothing was going right for either team. In the bottom of the eighth, that would all change as Javier Baez stepped to the plate. With one-out, on a 3-2 pitch, Cueto attempted a ‘quick pitch’ against Baez.

Sitting on that exact pitch, Baez annihilated the baseball. Had it not been for the wind, it would have gone out on to Waveland Avenue. It landed in the basket above Angel Pagan, however, leading the Cubs to a 1-0 victory, beginning their quest for glory.

Chicago Cubs: Miguel Montero, Game 1 hero

Following an exciting Division Series which laid witness to the Cubs rallying from behind in Game 4 to clinch a berth in the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the club required a bit more late-game magic in Game 1.

Back in the ‘Friendly Confines’ of Wrigley, Lester faced off against Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda. Jumping out to a lightning-quick 3-0 lead after two innings, courtesy of a Kris Bryant RBI double and an exciting steal of home from Baez, Lester was in control throughout the game.

Coming into the game, staked to a 3-1 lead in the eighth after the Dodgers put two men on, Aroldis Chapman struck out two Dodgers hitters in a row before allowing a two-run single to Adrian Gonzalez tying the game.

As luck, or magic, would have it, it would be the eighth inning once again to light the fuse. Joe Blanton came in relief, allowing a leadoff double to Ben Zobrist. After a groundout from Addison Russell and an intentional walk to Jason Heyward, Blanton got Baez to fly out. Another intentional walk loaded the bases for backup catcher Miguel Montero.

With the home crowd rocking and facing an 0-2 pitch with two outs, Montero smashed a ball over the right-field bleachers causing Wrigley to literally shake. It was a historic home run and one that will remain in the annals of Wrigley history forever.