Chicago Cubs March Madness Bracket – Round of 32

Chicago Cubs: Catalina Region

• 1 seed Ernie Banks defeats 16 seed Ryan Dempster
• 8 seed Claude Passeau defeats 9 seed Ed Reulbach
• 5 seed Johnny Evers defeats 12 seed Heinie Zimmerman
• 4 seed Bill Hutchison defeats 13 seed Tom Burns

•  6 seed John Clarkson defeats 11 seed Kiki Cuyler
• 3 seed Mordecai Brown vs. 14 seed Derrek Lee
• 10 seed Bill Hands defeats 7 seed Bill Dahlen
• 15 seed Jake Arrieta defeats 2 seed Stan Hack

The big upset in this region is the 15 seed, Jake Arrieta, taking out the two seed, Stan Hack. Arrieta takes out Hack on the strength of one of the greatest seasons in MLB history in 2015, capped off by a Cy Young Award, and then a World Series with the Cubs in the following year. While he wasn’t quite as good for the entirety of the 2016 campaign, the first half of the season followed up his Cy Young year with much of the same, including another no-hitter against the Reds on April 21st.

10 seed Bill Hands also defeated seven seed, Bill Dahlen, in the only other non-chalk outcome in the bracket. Derrek Lee put up a fight in his matchup with Hall of Famer Mordecai Brown, but alas, one of my favorite players of the 2000s was no match for a guy who put up 20 wins in six straight seasons and now sits in Cooperstown.

With the outcomes of the first round in the books, here’s what the Catalina bracket now looks like:

1 seed Ernie Banks vs. 8 seed Claude Passeau

5 seed Johnny Evers vs. 4 seed Bill Hutchison

6 seed John Clarkson vs. 3 seed Mordecai Brown

10 seed Bill Hands vs. 15 seed Jake Arrieta

Going forward, it’s clear that Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, has a clear path to the Final Four, but some old-timers might have something to say about that along the way.

Keep commenting on Twitter and Facebook for who you want to see advance, and check back next week for the next round of matchups to know how the Cubs March Madness bracket shakes out.