Cubs News: Taking a look at the history of three close rivals

For the Cubs, it’s a new season. But the Brewers rivalry has picked up right where it left off.

They call Miller Park, “Wrigley Field North,” and if you’ve ever been to a game there or spoken to die-hard Brewers fans–they hate it. I mean, who wouldn’t? It’d be pretty annoying to have your home stadium filled with fans of the enemy. The Cubs and Brewers rivalry is relatively young, but there have been some great matchups in the past, present, and it looks like there will be plenty in the future.

These two teams first met in interleague play in 1997 and would become division foes the following season when the Brewers moved to the NL Central. It took a while, but both teams began playing at a high level during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The Brewers, led by a young Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, challenged the north siders in some memorable matchups, but ultimately it was Cubs who won the division both seasons while Milwaukee finished in second place each time.

It would be a few years for both teams to become contenders again, but the rivalry was reignited in 2017 when the Brewers challenged the defending champion Cubs for the division title. The Cubs managed to hang on to their central crown that season but were dethroned the following year when Milwaukee, now with MVP Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain caught the Cubs in a late-season surge. The Brewers won 20 of their final 26 games, including a tie-breaking game 163 against the Cubs to steal the 2018 NL Central Division title.

Both squads had continued to compete at a high-level, leading to moments like earlier this season when Willson Contreras and Javier Baez were hit by pitches and voiced their displeasure to the Brewers. Since there are no fans in attendance, both sides were able to hear everything being said, and the benches cleared, though no physical altercations occurred.

As of Friday, the Cubs (16-8) sit in first place in the division while the Brewers (11-12) are 4.5 games back with the teams set to meet just three more times September 11-13. The stakes will be higher, and once again, we may be reminded why both of these rivals do not like one another.

The Cubs and the Cardinals have two of the most storied franchises in baseball history and have had great battles over the years.

A rivalry as old as time, it does not get any better than the Cubs and Cardinals squaring off against one another with plenty of memorable moments between these storied franchises.

The two foes first met in 1892, and since then, the Cubs have held the advantage with a record of 1,242-1,183 over St. Louis. There have also been 19 ties.

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Between those thousands of games, there are a lot of unforgettable moments. One that comes to mind is the 1984 “Sandberg Game,” where a young Ryne Sandberg launched two game-tying home runs off Cardinals closer Bruce Sutter en route to an 11th inning Cubs victory on national TV.

Another piece of history between the two teams comes in the form of the 1998 home run race between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire. Ultimately, it was McGwire who got there first and broke the record against the Cubs after taking Steve Trachsel deep. The two home run heroes embraced in celebration for one of the most memorable moments in baseball history.

Not every moment between these two rivals was as friendly as that. Some Cubs fans might remember Tony LaRussa and Dusty Baker exchanging some NSFW words during a 2003 matchup. When two opposing managers are ready to trade blows, you know these teams do not like each other.

The Cardinals have the upper hand when it comes to bragging rights, though the Cubs have always played them tough regardless if they were a winning ball-club or not, and when they finally turned the corner in 2015, the rivalry once again began to heat up.

The only time these storied rivals met in the playoffs was later that season, with the Cubs knocking out the Cardinals in four games in the NLDS. Most might remember game three of that series when the Cubs set a playoff record with six home runs–we are still waiting for Kyle Schwarber’s longball to land.

The Cardinals got their revenge last season, sweeping the Cubs in four games at Wrigley Field to essentially knock them out of the playoffs, and eventually beating them again in the final game of the season to win the NL Central Division.

The Cubs won three of five games against their rivals this past week in what had the feel of a playoff series. When these two rivals meet again on September 4th, they will likely be battling for first place so that we could be in for more of the same postseason-hype.

The new and improved White Sox may bring the crosstown rivalry against the Cubs to new heights.

Before we go any further, we need to set the record straight–one does not merely root for both the Cubs and the White Sox. Now everyone is entitled to be a fan of whoever they want. Still, if you do support both teams, it is probably because you have never experienced some of the actual animosity within this crosstown rivalry.

A nine-year-old me experienced this in 2005 when the White Sox went on one of the greatest postseasons runs in MLB history (11-1 in the playoffs) en route to becoming World Series champions. I remember my father and I watched every game that postseason except for the only one they lost, go figure.

For the next eleven years, I endured trash talk from family, friends, coaches, and teachers about how it’s been 100-plus years since the Cubs won a World Series, etc. which is why I and many others speak passionately about this subject. When the final out in the 2016 fall classic was made, you can bet I returned the favor and will continue to do so for as long as I can.

These two teams have been in the Windy City since the early 20th century and met in the 1906 World Series with the White Sox winning in six games. They would routinely meet in exhibition games until interleague play was established in 1997. Since then, the White Sox have a slight 62-60 advantage over the Cubs in some memorable matchups.

One of the most unforgettable moments occurred on May 20th, 2006. The Cubs (17-24) were amid a disappointing start to the season, while the White Sox (27-14) were coming off a championship.

Ultimately, it was the White Sox who got the last laugh in this one, Tadahito Iguchi hit a grand slam later in the inning, and the Cubs lost 7-0. Regardless of the outcome, Cubs fans have to acknowledge its moments like these which make the rivalry so unique.

There’s no doubt the battles between these two foes are at their best when both teams are seeing success. This isn’t something that happens often, as 2008 was the only season which both teams met while in first place.

Now that the White Sox finally have some exciting young talent, it looks like they are ready to make a case to be the best team in the city. This weekend, it’ll be up to the Cubs to remind them who has been the top dog in Chicago for the past half-decade.