Chicago Cubs: My favorite memory vs. every National League team

Chicago Cubs: Houston Astros

Yes, I know the Houston Astros are now in the American League. However, they were in the National League for a long time until 2012. Therefore, I decided to add them as a bonus.

These two teams were involved in the dramatic NL Central race in 2003, yet there aren’t many head-to-head games that stand out from that season. Probably the most memorable was on May 31, when the two teams played 15 scoreless innings at Wrigley Field before Sammy Sosa singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 16th. Their final head-to-head meeting was August 19-21, when the Astros won two of three.

I’m also quite fond of September 2, 2007, when the team erased a 5-1 deficit late to beat the Astros at Wrigley Field, capped by a Derrek Lee homer in the eighth. We also had Carlos Zambrano’s no-hitter against the Astros in Milwaukee late in the 2008 season.

Then there was 1998 when Sammy Sosa hit his 66th and final home run off Jose Lima. However, I think most would agree that there’s a different 1998 moment that is the best from Cubs-Astros.

On May 6, 1998, Kerry Wood completed what many consider to be the most dominant pitching performance of all-time at Wrigley Field, against a potent Astros lineup. He allowed one hit, walked none, and struck out a record-tying 20 batters in what was just his fifth major league start. Amazingly, he had only gone more than five innings in one of his other previous starts.

It was an incredible performance, one that Chicago Cubs fans still get excited about when talking about today. In a season full of great memories, that has to be considered among the best, and certainly the best Cubs-Astros moment.