Chicago Cubs: The few times Wrigley didn’t feel like home

One thing we can always guarantee about Chicago Cubs fans and Wrigley Field is that it will be full of people on a beautiful summer day. There are a few instances where it is full of people that are not always on the Cubs side.

Anyone who follows the Chicago Cubs knows that their fans show up in droves to watch their team at both Wrigley Field and on the road. Often Cubs fans on the road turn an opponent’s stadium into Wrigley 2.0 when thousands of them show up decked in blue and cheer loudly.

Having a great fan presence on the road and knowing when they play at Wrigley Field, the crowd will have their backs is a nice luxury the Cubs have. Even when the ballpark gets tons of visitors from other places every year, the crowd is pro-Cubs.

With that being said, there are some rare occasions when a packed Wrigley Field does not love the Boys in Blue. The idea of an opponent being cheered for louder than the Cubs at the Friendly Confines is not something Cubs fans are very used to, but it has happened.

Sure, we regularly see a lot of red at Wrigley when the Cardinals are in town and plenty of White Sox fans in the stands when the Crosstown Series is going on, but that is normal and expected.

Now, these few occasions, we will look back on account for games/series, which Wrigley saw at least 50% or more (rough estimations of course) of the crowd supporting the visitors. Because this does not happen often, it is fascinating to talk about because it can give us Cubs fans a taste of our own medicine when we turn other ballparks into a pro-Cubs crowd.

Chicago Cubs: Hard to tell by the naked eye, but you just had to listen to hear Canada invading Chicago.

Back in 2017, the defending World Champion Chicago Cubs took welcomed the Toronto Blue Jays to Wrigley for the first time since 2005 for a three-game set. Canada’s baseball team, in general, is the Blue Jays, so they have themselves a pretty big following. They certainly did not shy away from coming to the Friendly Confines.

Walking around Wrigleyville before the games were like walking through the streets of Toronto with thousands of people sporting Blue Jays gear. For every one Cubs fan, five Blue Jays fans were standing around the ballpark. Once inside, looking around, it was kind of hard to distinguish the ratio of Jays and Cubs fans since both team’s colors are primarily blue and white, so they all blended together.

It was during the anthems when the Jays fans stood and cheered, “Let’s go Blue Jays!” when it sunk in how many of them there were. It was not a muffled and subtle chant; it was like being at Rogers Centre. When the Jays scored runs, it was just as loud if not louder than when the Cubs scored. The Cubs fans, however, would get the last laugh as their team swept the Jays in epic walk-off fashion in the Sunday finale.

To credit the Jays fans, they were classy the whole time and a lot of fun to be around.

Chicago Cubs: In their championship season, the Kansas City Royals paid a visit to Wrigley and brought their loyal subjects with them.

You’re probably sensing a theme here. American League teams. It makes perfect sense considering none of these teams visit Wrigley Field often when the Royals came to Wrigley Field in May of 2015 for the first time since 2001. While the Cubs were up and coming, the Royals were coming off a pennant in 2014 and would be in the middle of a campaign that ended with a World Series win.

The Cubs and Royals played two of three in late May while seeing the final game postponed to the end of the season. All three games had one thing in common…TONS of Royals fans. Chants of “Let’s go Royals” rung throughout the ballpark every game from start to finish. When Mike Moustakas would come to the plate, the “Mooooooooooose!” chants filled the air and could be heard around the whole neighborhood. There were plenty of Moustakas and Alex Gordon jerseys at Murphy’s Bleachers before and after the games.

As for the estimation of fan ratio that series, it felt like 60-40% Royals-Cubs. This invasion was also surprised at the time, considering the Royals, despite being rejuvenated, had been bad for years, and Kauffman Stadium was empty for so long. However, the Royals have a section of die-hards, and many of those made the trip to Chicago. In the end, the Cubs got walk-off hits from David Ross and Chris Denorfia to take two of three this series.

Chicago Cubs: This might have been the most significant visiting fan invasion seen at Wrigley in many years.

The 2012 Chicago Cubs season was miserable for many reasons…mainly the fact that the team was terrible and lost 101 games.

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There was once a time the Detroit Tigers were the powerhouse of the American League. The 2012 Tigers were in their prime window and would go on to make it to the World Series. This team came to Wrigley Field in mid-June of that year. A juggernaut offense vs. the eventual 101-loss Cubs.  But the real story was who was in the stands at Wrigley.

Tigers fans absolutely took over the old ballpark with ease. Detroit is close, and Cubs fans could scalp away tickets to make a quick buck and not watch their team get killed. The Tigers have made other trips to Wrigley in inter-league years (2006, 2015, 2018) and always brought a lot of their supporters with them…but what they did in 2012 was a whole other level.

One particular game that stands out was the series finale on June 14, 2012. It was the game reigning Cy Young winner Justin Verlander was throwing for Detroit as the Tigers looked to take the rubber game. It was a close game, a 5-3 Tigers win, but that is all the Cubs had going for them. Wrigley Field that day was somewhere around 70% Tigers fans. It was so noticeable it angered actor Jeff Garlin who said, “You Tigers fans suck!” after singing the stretch.

Longtime Cubs beat for the Tribune Paul Sullivan said he has never seen an invasion like that before. Former Cubs first baseman Bryan LaHair was on WSCR after the series and said he was “bothered” by the number of Tigers fans at Wrigley.

Looking back at these instances, it makes perfect sense a lot of these teams were from the AL Central. Despite not visiting Wrigley, often they are close by and have easy access. The Cubs do the same thing when they visit their parks, after all.