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

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.

More from Cubbies Crib

• Cubs should keep close eye on non-tender candidate Cody Bellinger
• Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side
• Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters
• Cubs are giving pitcher Javier Assad a deserved shot
• Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups

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.