Chicago Cubs: 10 greatest all-time teams in franchise history

10 greatest all-time teams in Chicago Cubs history – #10: 2003 (88-74)

We get started on our journey with a team that, prior to 2016, was definitely viewed in a much more melancholy light, the 2003 Cubs.

With Dusty Baker at the helm, the Cubs won the NL Central for the first time since the division formed in 1994, finishing with a record of 88-74. A three-headed monster rotation of Carlos Zambrano, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood combined for a record of 45-27 with Wood and Prior earning All-Star nods in the process.

Though slammin’ Sammy Sosa’s tenure with the Cubs was nearing its end, the longtime Cubs slugger belted 40 more homers while driving in 103 runs on the year. 2003 marked the sixth time in a row, as well as the final time Sosa reached at least 40 long balls in a season. In the postseason, our hopes were high as the Cubs defeated the Atlanta Braves in a five-game set, three games to two, moving on to the team’s first chance to secure a pennant since 1989 when the Cubs lost 4-1 to the San Francisco Giants.

Ultimately, Chicago did not punch their ticket to the Fall Classic that year. In the end, the infamous Steve Bartman incident served as a scapegoat to the Cubs’ spectacular meltdown in Game 6. Though Moises Alou eventually admitted years later that he would not have caught that foul ball, the Cubs fell apart following the incident, eventually losing Game 7 as well and the season abruptly came to an end one win short of a World Series berth.