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

10 greatest all-time teams in Chicago Cubs history – #5: 1910 (104-50)

Looking back at what’s widely considered to be a true golden era of Chicago Cubs baseball, we arrive at the 1910 Cubs. Another club that won a ton of ballgames, the Cubs had a NL league-leading 104-50 record, the fourth time they led the league within a five-year span.

Backed by super aces Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown and King Cole, the Cubs were looking to win their third title in franchise history – and their third in just four years. Brown, who lead the league in complete games for the second year in a row with 27 and even recorded seven saves while pitching a staggering 295 1/3 innings, posted a 25-14 record and 1.86 ERA. The only reason his 1.86 ERA didn’t lead the league that year was because his teammate, Cole, bested him with a 1.80 mark – tops in the league, winning 20 games and losing just four. More on Brown later.

As for Cole, he technically kind of sort of pitched a no-hitter in 1910. At the time, the Cubs were playing a doubleheader and teams decided to end the second game at 5:00 PM so they could all catch the train home. Unfortunately, due to a 1991 rule change that states a no-hitter must last nine innings, Cole’s accomplishment is not recognized. Fun fact: In 1914, Cole, then pitching for the Yankees, gave up a double to a player on the Boston Red Sox – his first career knock. That player’s name? Babe Ruth.

As for the Cubs, the 1910 season was remarkable. Unfortuantely, as fate had it, they went on to lose in the World Series to the Philadelphia Athletics, 4-1.