Chicago Cubs: 5 loudest moments in Wrigley Field history

As we quickly learned during the fan-less 2020 season, the game just isn’t the same without a goosebump-inducing roar from the crowd in big moments. Wrigley Field has seen its share of those moments over its more than a century on the North Side – as Cubs fans rooted for the team through thick and thin.

We’re all sitting here hoping for a miracle with the CBA talks seemingly going nowhere – so instead of focusing on the possibility of a delayed or shortened season, let’s go in a different direction and focus on those memories we have when the Friendly Confines were absolutely rocking.

With so many incredible moments in the storied franchise’s past, it’s hard to narrow it down a list of the top five. Realistically, you could create a top 50 list of honorable mentions just as easily. From go-ahead hits in the postseason, to monumental game-tying home runs, let’s dive right in to the most dramatic moments ever at Wrigley Field, all of which came with some pretty intense fan reactions.

Cubs: 5 loudest Wrigley Field moments: #5 – Kyle Schwarber onto the videoboard

Flashing back to 2015 when Kyle Schwarber launched an insurance run onto the right field videoboard which then infamously became known as the Schwarboard. The Cubs were finally good again and notched their first 90-win season since 2008. That home run served as the final run scored in the 2015 NLDS, elating fans in the process as the Cubs punched their ticket to the NLCS.

The eruption of the crowd speaks for itself. Knowing how vital that insurance run could be against the St. Louis Cardinals, the no-doubter by Schwarber helped cement the belief that this team might really be the one to end the drought. Though the ball sat on top of the scoreboard for a couple months, it was eventually taken down for security reasons after the postseason had ended. Schwarber opted not to keep the ball, allowing the club to do whatever they liked with it.

It speaks for itself just how rare it is for a ball to land up on the narrow scoreboard that high above the bleachers in right field. Throw in the fact it was the first time Chicago was back in the postseason since 2008 and that it came against their biggest rival – this incredible feat of strength was destined to make the cut.

Though the Cubs ultimately were eliminated by the New York Mets in the following series, the Schwarboard moment helped put the Cubs on the map, letting the league know they were ready to become serious contenders.

Cubs: 5 loudest Wrigley Field moments: #3 – Miguel Montero’s pinch-hit GS

Returning home following their Division Series win against San Francisco, the Cubs began an epic series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, looking to get over the hump they stumbled over a year prior. Now just one step away from their first World Series appearance since 1945, the Cubs needed to set the tone from the very beginning in Chicago and take a commanding lead of the series.

What happened at the end of Game 1 goes down as one of the most dramatic moments of the entire 2016 postseason – and even in franchise history.

With the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning, bases loaded, two outs and two strikes,  Miguel Montero unleashed one of the most iconic Cubs home runs in history. As soon as the bat made contact with the ball, the explosion from fans told you all you needed to know: he got all of it and Chicago had blown the game open, 7-3.

The Cubs struck first in the win column in the NLCS with an emphatic W, setting the pace of the series in the process. Moving forward, the offense went cold after being shut out in both Games 2 and 3. However, that slump was short-lived as the Cubs went on to score 18 runs and take the series lead, three games-to-two, setting up a potential clincher at Wrigley.

Cubs: 5 loudest Wrigley Field moments: #2 – Sammy Sosa goes deep late

Rewinding all the way back to the 2003 season, the Chicago Cubs finished the year 88-74. After taking down the 101-win Atlanta Braves, the Cubs advanced to the NLCS to take on the Florida Marlins, who beat their own 100-win team in the San Francisco Giants in the Division Series.

Though the Cubs ultimately lost the series in seven games, a moment from Game 1 still lives in the memories of Cubs fans everywhere.

After a wild game which saw the Cubs down 8-6 in the ninth inning and down to their final out, Sammy Sosa launched a game-tying two-run home run deep into the nigh, landing on Waveland Ave. To imagine being at that game is one thing. For those that were in attendance and remember the moment it had to be one of the most magical moments in baseball you can possibly experience. If you don’t remember it, Pat Hughes calling the play in the above gives you an idea of what that moment was like.

Ultimately, the Cubs went on to lose to the game but the memory of that monumental ninth-inning blast lives on. Nearing the end of an incredible career with the Cubs, 2003 marked the final year in a string of nine-straight seasons Sosa eclipsed 100 RBI. The home run accolades speak for themselves, however this one, in particular, was something that gave Cubs fans a timeless memory.

Cubs: 5 loudest Wrigley Field moments: #1 – Cubs win the NL pennant

The list is topped by the greatest moment in Wrigley, in any of our lifetimes at least – when the Cubs clinched the NL pennant and a World Series berth for the first time in 1945. After so many dreadful seasons, the Cubs were heading back to the dance with all eyes and the majority of the country rooting them on. Not only was Wrigley packed to the gills, it was reported nearly 300,000 fans had gathered outside the stadium, in anticipation of an all-night celebration.

In Game 6, the Cubs faced Dodgers ace, Clayton Kershaw. In Game 2, Kershaw had blanked the Cubs for  seven innings before being pulled. However, Kershaw’s success did not come to fruition in the second meeting between clubs. This time it was Kyle Hendricks’ turn to throw a gem, pitching into the eighth inning and completely shutting the Dodgers out while allowing two hits and zero walks.

Kershaw, on the other hand, allowed five runs (four earned) and took a huge loss. Anthony Rizzo’s solo shot was the catalyst for knocking Kershaw out of the game and from there it was smooth sailing. In the eighth, Aroldis Chapman, super closer at the time, came in and recorded a double play to end the inning after coming on in relief of Hendricks.

In the ninth, history was set in motion after Chapman allowed a walk but got Yasiel Puig to ground into a game-ending double play, sending the Cubs to the World Series. 42,386 people were in attendance to witness one of the greatest moments in Wrigley Field history. Surely, had the Cubs won it all at home, that crowd reaction probably would have induced fans to rush the field college football style and wound up number one on this list, but nonetheless, it doesn’t get much better than this.