Chicago Cubs: How the team fared against its biggest rivals in 2021

Chicago Cubs: Not a division rival, but the White Sox had their number

Final record against the White Sox: 1-5

Runs scored vs. runs against: 30-51

While the White Sox are not a rival in terms of playing in the same division or league, but the Crosstown Series is always taken seriously by many fans. Sometimes too serious…but that is a topic for another day.

By the time the Crosstown Series began, the team was stripped down to basically a Triple-A roster. Meanwhile, the Sox were in the driver’s seat of the AL Central and were looking forward to clinching a division title by the time the season was over. It was a lopsided matchup that saw lopsided results. The Sox swept the Cubs at Wrigley Field, and won all but one game in the season series. For North Side fans, it was not fun watching Sox fans celebrate a sweep in their own house. 

Rafael Ortega put up a .400 OBP and .988 OPS against the Sox in five games, including a grand slam. To the frustration of Cubs fans, former top prospect Eloy Jimenez once again reminded his original organization what they gave up. In the six games he slashed .364/.440/.909 with three home runs and 10 RBI.

Best game: August 28 – Cubs 7 – Sox 0

Alec Mills was just two outs shy of a complete game shutout as he threw 8.1 innings, giving up only four hits on 103 pitches. American League Cy Young candidate Lance Lynn was tagged for all seven runs as Patrick Wisdom homered twice and Ortega hit a grand slam.

Worst game: August 27 – Sox 17 – Cubs 13

A six-run first inning by the Cubs off Dallas Keuchel would be answered by an eight-run inning by the Sox in the bottom of the third. Despite the Cubs scoring seven runs in the final three frames, they still lost by four. Seventeen runs on 15 hits by the Sox. Yasmani Grandal had four hits and eight RBI.

In the end, the North Siders were 22-41 against these four teams. Almost a third of these losses were against the Brewers. This will certainly have to change next year if they want to compete.