1984 Chicago Cubs season

Last updated

1984  Chicago Cubs
National League East Champions
Chicago Cubs logo.svg
League National League
Division East
Ballpark Wrigley Field
City Chicago
Record96–65 (.596)
Divisional place1st
Owners Tribune Company
General managers Dallas Green
Managers Jim Frey
Television WGN-TV/Superstation WGN
(Harry Caray, Steve Stone, Milo Hamilton)
Radio WGN
(Milo Hamilton, Vince Lloyd, Lou Boudreau, Harry Caray)
Stats ESPN.com
BB-reference
←  1983 Seasons 1985  →

The 1984 Chicago Cubs season was the 113th season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 109th in the National League and the 69th at Wrigley Field. The Cubs finished with a record of 96 wins and 65 losses in first place of the National League East (the team's first winning season in 12 years). Chicago was managed by Jim Frey and the general manager was Dallas Green. The Cubs' postseason appearance in this season was their first since 1945. The Cubs pitching staff included 1984 Cy Young Award winner Rick Sutcliffe, and the lineup included 1984 Baseball Most Valuable Player Award winner second baseman Ryne Sandberg. Frey was awarded Manager of the Year for the National League for leading the Cubs to 96 victories. The Cubs were defeated in the 1984 National League Championship Series by the San Diego Padres three games to two.

Contents

Offseason

Spring training

The Cubs began their third season under the control of the Tribune Company and Dallas Green in Mesa, Arizona in February 1984. The previous year, the Cubs had fired manager Lee Elia during a 71–91 campaign, but the Cubs showed flashes of being competitive. As late as July 4, the Cubs were within a game of first place. After the 1983 season, general manager Green hired Jim Frey, the former Kansas City Royals manager who was Green's adversary during the 1980 World Series.

The Cubs opened camp with only a few new players. Richie Hebner, the former Pittsburgh Pirate, was signed as a free agent. The Cubs also made a three-way deal with San Diego and Montreal, sending Craig Lefferts and Carmelo Martínez to the Padres, and getting Scott Sanderson from the Expos.

The Cubs struggled in Cactus League action, so Green began to rebuild the team before it left Mesa. Green began by releasing Ferguson Jenkins, who was just 16 games shy of winning 300 games. Jenkins' release ended the right-hander's second stint with the Cubs, and effectively, his career. Green's biggest move of the spring came on March 26, when he sent journeyman reliever Bill Campbell and catcher Mike Diaz to Philadelphia for pitcher Porfi Altamirano and outfielders Gary Matthews and Bob Dernier.

Regular season

Season summary

The Cubs rebuilt the starting pitching staff through a series of trades by Dallas Green after a disappointing 1983 season where they went 71–91. Green had been brought to the Cubs by the Tribune company which purchased the team in 1981. Before the season started, Green dealt Carmelo Martínez, Craig Lefferts, and Fritzie Connally to acquire right-hander Scott Sanderson. [4] On May 25, the Cubs traded Bill Buckner to the Boston Red Sox for righty Dennis Eckersley and Mike Brumley. [5] Finally on June 13, Mel Hall, Joe Carter, Don Schulze, and Darryl Banks were sent to the Cleveland Indians for starter Rick Sutcliffe, George Frazier, and Ron Hassey. [6] The acquisition of these three starters solidified the rotation for the year.

The Cubs opened up the season going 12-8 in April, and were tied for first place with the New York Mets and a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies.

On May 27 against the Cincinnati Reds in Wrigley Field, third baseman Ron Cey hit what was originally ruled a home run down the left field line. Believing the ball had gone foul, Mario Soto and Reds manager Vern Rapp disputed the call, and during the argument, Soto shoved third base umpire Steve Rippley, who had made the call. After conferring, the umpires changed their decision and ruled it a foul ball, drawing a protest from the Cubs. However, for shoving Rippley, Soto was ejected, prompting him to charge the field and attack Cubs coach Don Zimmer, which triggered a ten-minute brawl. Four days later, National League president Chub Feeney suspended Mario Soto for five games. This game is also notable because Soto's opponent that day was Dennis Eckersley, who would go on to become a record-setting closer years later. "Eck", who was making his Cubs debut after being acquired in a trade with the Boston Red Sox (the Cubs traded Bill Buckner and got Eckersley and then-minor league middle infielder Mike Brumley), would take the loss that day. [7]

The race stayed tight through the first half of the season, with the Cubs and Phillies tied at 42-34 on June 30, with the Mets trailing by just one and a half games. The second half of the season was different, with the Cubs posting a 54-31 record, with the Mets trailing, and the Phillies slumping back to a .500 record. [8]

A key game during the season occurred on June 23 at Wrigley, with the Cubs facing the rival St. Louis Cardinals on the nationally televised "game of the week". The Cardinals led throughout the game, and led 9-8 going into the bottom of the ninth with closer Bruce Sutter on the mound. Twenty-four-year-old second baseman Ryne Sandberg led off the ninth with a solo home run into the left-field bleachers, tying the game at nine. [9] The following inning, St. Louis regained the lead, and Sutter stayed in the game attempting to close out the win. After the first two batters were retired, Bob Dernier walked, bringing up Sandberg again. He promptly hit another game-tying home run into the left-field bleachers, sending the Wrigley fans into a frenzy. [9] The Cardinals did not score in the top of the 11th, but the Cubs loaded the bases on three walks, then rookie Dave Owen singled in the winning run. [10] Ryne Sandberg had 7 RBI in the game. Henceforth, this game has become known as "The Sandberg Game". On September 3, 1984, Rick Sutcliffe had 15 strikeouts in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Cubs ended their playoff drought on September 24 at Three Rivers Stadium in front of just over 5,000 fans, many of whom were Cubs fans. [11] Rick Sutcliffe threw a two-hit complete game for his sixteenth straight victory, and the Cubs won the National League East. [11]

Opening Day starters

Season standings

NL East 		W L Pct. GB Home Road
Chicago Cubs 96650.596—51–2945–36
New York Mets 90720.5566½48–3342–39
St. Louis Cardinals 84780.51912½44–3740–41
Philadelphia Phillies 81810.50015½39–4242–39
Montreal Expos 78830.4841839–4239–41
Pittsburgh Pirates 75870.46321½41–4034–47

Record vs. opponents

1984 National League record

Sources:
TeamATLCHCCINHOULADMONNYMPHIPITSDSFSTL
Atlanta —3–913–512–66–125–74–87–58–47–1110–85–7
Chicago 9–3—7–56–67–510–712–69–98–106–69–313–5
Cincinnati 5–135–7—8–107–117–53–95–77–57–1112–64–8
Houston 6–126–610–8—9–97–54–86–66–66–1212–68–4
Los Angeles 12–65–77–119–9—6–63–93–94–810–810–86–6
Montreal 7–57–105–75–76–6—7–1111–77–117–57–59–9
New York 8–46–129–38–49–311–7—10–812–66–64–87–11
Philadelphia 5-79–97–56–69–37–118–10—7–117–58–48–10
Pittsburgh 4–810–85–76–68–411–76–1211–7—4–86–64–14
San Diego 11–76–611–712–68–105–76–65–78–4—13–57–5
San Francisco 8–103–96–126–128–105–78–44–86–65–13—7–5
St. Louis 7–55–138–44–86–69–911–710–814–45–75–7—

Notable transactions

Roster

1984 Chicago Cubs
Roster
PitchersCatchers

Infielders

OutfieldersManager

Coaches

Game log

1984 Game Log
April (12-8)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordOther Info
1April 3@ Giants 5 – 3 Ruthven (1-0) M. Davis (0-1) Smith (1) 52,7001-0Opening Day
2April 5@ Giants 11 – 7 Rainey (1-0) Krukow (0-1) Smith (2) 8,4602-0
3April 6@ Padres 3 – 2Monge (1-0) Smith (0-1) 15,8352-1
4April 7@ Padres 7 – 6Dravecky (1-0) Trout (0-1) Gossage (2)27,7992-2
5April 8@ Padres 8 – 5 Smith (1-1) Thurmond (0-1)24,2853-2
6April 9@ Dodgers 4 – 2Reuss (1-0) Rainey (1-1) Niedenfuer (1)33,2843-3
7April 11@ Dodgers 2 – 1Honeycutt (1-0) Sanderson (0-1) 38,4663-4
8April 13 Mets 11 – 2 Trout (1-1) Gooden (1-1)33,4364-4
9April 14 Mets 5 – 2 Ruthven (2-0) Leary (1-1) Smith (3) 15,7895-4
10April 18 Cardinals 5 – 0Andújar (2-1) Rainey (1-2) 05-5
11April 18 Cardinals 6 – 1 Sanderson (1-1) LaPoint (1-2)5,8166-5
12April 19 Cardinals 6 – 1 Trout (2-1) Cox (2-1)8,0867-5
13April 20 Pirates 5 – 4 Stoddard (1-0) Tekulve (0-1)22,0498-5
14April 21 Pirates 8 – 5DeLeon (1-0) Noles (0-1) Robinson (3)21,9368-6
15April 23@ Cardinals 6 – 2 Sanderson (2-1) LaPoint (1-3)12,4689-6
16April 24@ Cardinals 3 – 2 Stoddard (2-0) Sutter (0-1) Smith (4) 19,63910-6
17April 25@ Cardinals 7 – 5Lahti (1-1) Ruthven (2-1) Sutter (5)24,97810-7
18April 27@ Pirates 3 – 2Rhoden (2-2) Rainey (1-3) Tekulve (2)9,05710-8
19April 28@ Pirates 7 – 1 Sanderson (3-1) McWilliams (0-3)17,31711-8
20April 29@ Pirates 2 – 1 Trout (3-1) Candelaria (3-2) Smith (5) 13,39712-8
May (15-12)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordOther Info
21 May 1@ Mets 8 – 1Gooden (2-1) Ruthven (2-2) 13,90612-9
22 May 2@ Mets 4 – 3 Lynch (3-0) Smith (1-2) 11,05912-10
23 May 4 Padres 7 – 6 Smith (2-2) Monge (2-1)6,53313-10
24 May 5 Padres 6 – 5 Brusstar (1-0) Lefferts (0-1)28,44114-10
25 May 6 Padres 8 – 5 Show (5-1) Ruthven (2-3) 31,70014-11
26 May 7 Giants 10 – 7 Rainey (2-3) M. Davis (0-4) Stoddard (1) 6,00215-11
27 May 8 Giants 12 – 11 Smith (3-2) Minton (1-2)4,64516-11
28 May 9 Dodgers 7 – 0 Sanderson (4-1) Hooton (0-1) Bordi (1) 7,90817-11
29 May 10 Dodgers 5 – 1Welch (3-3) Trout (3-2) 15,74717-12
30 May 11@ Astros 3 – 1Ryan (3-2) Ruthven (2-4) DiPino (5)16,82917-13
31 May 12@ Astros 5 – 4 Noles (1-1) DiPino (1-2) Smith (6) 20,73718-13
32 May 13@ Astros 1 – 0Madden (1-1) Reuschel (0-1) Ruhle (2)13,40518-14
33 May 15@ Reds 6 – 3 Noles (2-1) Pastore (2-3) Stoddard (2) 13,07419-14
34 May 16@ Reds 10 – 4 Trout (4-2) Russell (2-4)12,89920-14
35 May 17@ Reds 5 – 3Soto (6-1) Ruthven (2-5) 18,97420-15
36 May 18 Astros 7 – 6 Stoddard (3-0) Smith (0-1)16,81221-15
37 May 19 Astros 5 – 4 Reuschel (1-1) Dawley (2-3) Smith (7) 34,12222-15
38 May 20 Astros 10 – 3 Bordi (1-0) M. Scott (2-2)27,50323-15
39 May 23 Braves 3 – 1 Trout (5-2) McMurtry (3-5) Smith (8) 15,86024-15
40 May 24 Braves 10 – 7 Rainey (3-3) Perez (3-1) Brusstar (1) 025-15
41 May 24 Braves 7 – 5 Reuschel (2-1) Falcone (2-5) Bordi (2) 24,55126-15
42 May 25 Reds 3 – 0Hume (3-4) Noles (2-2) Power (1)11,26626-16
43 May 26 Reds 7 – 6Scherrer (1-0) Trout (5-3) Power (2)31,55626-17
44 May 27 Reds 4 – 3Berenyi (2-5) Eckersley (0-1) 38,06026-18
45 May 29@ Braves 7 – 4Perez (4-1) Brusstar (1-1) Forster (3)15,15626-19
46 May 30@ Braves 6 – 2 Trout (6-3) Barker (4-5) Smith (9) 16,66027-19
47 May 31@ Phillies 10 – 2Hudson (6-3) Rainey (3-4) 25,04427-20
June (15-14)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordOther Info
49 June 2@ Phillies 3 – 2Holland (4-2) Smith (3-3) 40,10228-21
50 June 3@ Phillies 11 – 2 Trout (7-3) K. Gross (1-1) Brusstar (2) 30,27829-21
51 June 5@ Expos 3 – 2 Rainey (4-4) Smith (5-5) Smith (10) 25,81030-21
52 June 6@ Expos 8 – 1Gullickson (2-5) Reuschel (3-2) 15,68630-22
53 June 7@ Expos 2 – 1Lea (10-2) Eckersley (0-2) 14,97630-23
54 June 8@ Cardinals 5 – 4Lahti (2-1) Stoddard (3-1) Sutter (14)38,45730-24
55 June 9@ Cardinals 5 – 0 Bordi (2-0) Stuper (2-3)48,86931-24
56 June 10@ Cardinals 2 – 0 Rainey (5-4) Andújar (10-5) Smith (11) 43,03532-24
57 June 11 Expos 2 – 1James (2-3) Smith (3-4) 21,23132-25
58 June 12 Expos 11 – 4 Eckersley (1-2) Lea (10-3)22,51233-25
59 June 13 Expos 7 – 4 Stoddard (4-1) Lucas (0-1) Smith (12) 22,38834-25
60 June 14 Phillies 11 – 2Carlton (4-3) Bordi (2-1) 23,37334-26
61 June 15 Phillies 5 – 2Hudson (7-4) Rainey (5-5) Holland (14)27,48934-27
62 June 16 Phillies 8 – 2Bystrom (3-3) Reuschel (3-3) 40,72334-28
63 June 17 Phillies 9 – 7K. Gross (3-2) Eckersley (1-3) Holland (15)36,88234-29
64 June 19@ Pirates 4 – 3 Sutcliffe (1-0) Tudor (4-4) Smith (13) 9,37735-29
65 June 20@ Pirates 5 – 1DeLeon (4-4) Rainey (5-6) 7,76735-30
66 June 21@ Pirates 8 – 6Rhoden (5-5) Eckersley (1-4) Tekulve (6)8,26735-31
67 June 22 Cardinals 9 – 3 Reuschel (4-3) Stuper (2-5) Smith (14) 33,72336-31
68 June 23 Cardinals 12 – 11 Smith (4-4) Rucker (1-1)38,07937-31 The Sandberg Game
69 June 24 Cardinals 5 – 0 Sutcliffe (2-0) Horton (3-1)39,49438-31
70 June 25 Pirates 3 – 0DeLeon (5-4) Rainey (5-7) 19,03638-32
71 June 26 Pirates 9 – 0Rhoden (6-5) Eckersley (1-5) 038-33
72 June 26 Pirates 9 – 8 Bordi (3-1) McWilliams (4-6) Smith (15) 28,36939-33
73 June 27 Pirates 8 – 7 Stoddard (5-1) Scurry (1-4)37,05540-33
74 June 28@ Dodgers 5 – 3 Trout (8-3) Pena (8-4) Stoddard (3) 37,65941-33
75 June 29@ Dodgers 7 – 1Hershiser (3-3) Sutcliffe (2-1) 43,70041-34
76 June 30@ Dodgers 14 – 4 Frazier (1-0) Howell (0-1) Stoddard (4) 47,99142-34
July (18-10)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordOther Info
77 July 1@ Dodgers 4 – 3 Eckersley (2-5) Valenzuela (8-9) Brusstar (3) 47,46043-34
78 July 2@ Padres 5 – 1Dravecky (5-4) Reuschel (4-4) 13,44443-35
79 July 3@ Padres 3 – 2 Trout (9-3) Thurmond (5-4) Stoddard (5) 20,28744-35
80 July 4@ Padres 2 – 1 Sutcliffe (3-1) Show (8-6) Smith (16) 52,13445-35
81 July 5@ Giants 9 – 3 Sanderson (5-1) Laskey (4-8) Bordi (3) 6,85446-35
82 July 6@ Giants 5 – 4 Stoddard (6-1) Minton (1-6) Smith (17) 11,07147-35
83 July 7@ Giants 7 – 2Krukow (5-7) Reuschel (4-5) 16,66247-36
84 July 8@ Giants 6 – 3 Sutcliffe (4-1) M. Davis (3-8) Smith (18) 22,22348-36
85 July 12 Dodgers 3 – 2 Stoddard (7-1) Niedenfuer (1-5)33,12949-36
86 July 13 Dodgers 7 – 5 Sutcliffe (5-1) Welch (6-10) Smith (19) 33,91550-36
87 July 14 Dodgers 8 – 0Hershiser (5-3) Sanderson (5-2) 39,39650-37
88 July 15 Dodgers 4 – 1 Eckersley (3-5) Valenzuela (8-10) Smith (20) 39,57451-37
89 July 16 Padres 4 – 0Thurmond (6-5) Ruthven (2-6) 23,64251-38
90 July 17 Padres 6 – 5 Show (10-6) Trout (9-4) Gossage (16)29,49951-39
91 July 18 Padres 4 – 1 Sutcliffe (6-1) Whitson (10-5)27,47152-39
92 July 19 Giants 6 – 4 Frazier (2-0) M. Davis (3-10) Stoddard (6) 22,52353-39
93 July 20 Giants 3 – 2Robinson (5-11) Eckersley (3-6) Minton (10)27,25953-40
94 July 21 Giants 4 – 3 Bordi (4-1) Minton (1-7)37,52754-40
95 July 22 Giants 11 – 5Krukow (7-8) Trout (9-5) 37,09654-41
96 July 23@ Phillies 3 – 2 Sutcliffe (7-1) Rawley (3-2) Smith (21) 32,24355-41
97 July 24@ Phillies 3 – 2Koosman (12-7) Stoddard (7-2) Holland (22)37,06355-42
98 July 25@ Phillies 9 – 4 Eckersley (4-6) Hudson (8-8)45,18356-42
99 July 27@ Mets 2 – 1Gooden (9-6) Ruthven (2-7) Orosco (21)51,10256-43
100 July 28@ Mets 11 – 4 Smith (5-4) Sisk (1-3)37,51857-43
101 July 29@ Mets 3 – 0 Trout (10-5) Terrell (8-8)058-43
102 July 29@ Mets 5 – 1 Sanderson (6-2) Berenyi (7-11)50,44359-43
103 July 30 Phillies 3 – 2 Eckersley (5-6) Hudson (8-9) Smith (22) 29,42560-43
104 July 31 Phillies 2 – 1 (12)Holland (5-5) Stoddard (7-3) Campbell (1)30,17560-44
August (20-10)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordOther Info
105 August 1 Phillies 5 – 4 Smith (6-4) Holland (5-6)32,90061-44
106 August 2 Expos 3 – 2 Sutcliffe (8-1) Smith (9-9) Smith (23) 22,48562-44
107 August 3 Expos 6 – 5Reardon (4-4) Stoddard (7-4) 28,48362-45
108 August 4 Expos 4 – 1 Eckersley (6-6) Schatzeder (4-3) Frazier (1) 38,30663-45
109 August 5 Expos 4 – 3 Reuschel (5-5) Grapenthin (0-1) Smith (24) 35,14264-45
110 August 6 Mets 9 – 3 Ruthven (3-7) Gooden (9-8)31,79365-45
111 August 7 Mets 8 – 6 Sutcliffe (9-1) Darling (10-5) Frazier (2) 066-45
112 August 7 Mets 8 – 4 Stoddard (8-4) Lynch (8-7) Smith (25) 39,27167-45
113 August 8 Mets 7 – 6 Smith (7-4) Gardner (1-1) Stoddard (7) 37,29268-45
114 August 9@ Expos 1 – 0Schatzeder (5-3) Frazier (2-1) 20,22768-46
115 August 10@ Expos 2 – 1James (5-4) Stoddard (8-5) 21,56668-47
116 August 11@ Expos 2 – 1 Smith (8-4) Lea (14-8)30,49469-47
117 August 12@ Expos 7 – 3 Sutcliffe (10-1) Rogers (3-12)28,46470-47
118 August 13@ Astros 2 – 1Dawley (7-4) Sanderson (6-3) 14,79370-48
119 August 14@ Astros 7 – 6Solano (1-2) Frazier (2-2) DiPino (10)18,75670-49
120 August 15@ Astros 6 – 2Knepper (12-8) Eckersley (6-7) DiPino (11)19,99970-50
121 August 17@ Reds 6 – 4Soto (13-6) Ruthven (3-8) 35,03870-51
122 August 18@ Reds 13 – 11 Sutcliffe (11-1) Robinson (0-1) Smith (26) 32,25671-51
123 August 19@ Reds 9 – 6 Frazier (3-2) Russell (5-14)38,40472-51
124 August 20 Astros 6 – 1 Trout (11-5) Knepper (12-9)26,96773-51
125 August 21 Astros 11 – 5 Eckersley (7-7) M. Scott (5-11)29,18474-51
126 August 22 Astros 8 – 3Ryan (11-7) Ruthven (3-9) 31,01874-52
127 August 24 Braves 3 – 0 Sutcliffe (12-1) Camp (6-6)35,49675-52
128 August 25 Braves 3 – 2Mahler (9-8) Sanderson (6-4) 36,61475-53
129 August 26 Braves 5 – 0 Trout (12-5) Perez (11-6)35,00276-53
130 August 28 Reds 5 – 2 Eckersley (8-7) McGaffigan (3-6) Frazier (3) 077-53
131 August 28 Reds 5 – 2 Ruthven (4-9) Pastore (3-8) Bordi (4) 32,82778-53
132 August 29 Reds 7 – 2 Sutcliffe (13-1) Russell (6-15)26,42579-53
133 August 30@ Braves 8 – 3 Smith (9-4) Garber (2-4)10,87680-53
134 August 31@ Braves 3 – 2Moore (3-3) Smith (9-5) 19,39680-54
September (16-11)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordOther Info
135 September 1@ Braves 4 – 1 Bordi (5-1) McMurtry (8-14) Smith (27) 28,82181-54
136 September 2@ Braves 4 – 2 Ruthven (5-9) Mahler (9-9) Smith (28) 26,10682-54
137 September 3@ Phillies 4 – 3 (12) Frazier (4-2) Martin (1-2) Smith (29) 28,16283-54
138 September 4@ Phillies 7 – 2 Sanderson (7-4) Carlton (11-7)25,05484-54
139 September 5@ Expos 3 – 1Palmer (6-3) Trout (12-6) Grapenthin (2)12,62384-55
140 September 6@ Expos 4 – 1 Frazier (5-2) Lea (15-10) Smith (30) 13,08985-55
141 September 7@ Mets 10 – 0Gooden (15-8) Ruthven (5-10) 46,30185-56
142 September 8@ Mets 6 – 0 Sutcliffe (14-1) Terrell (10-11)42,81086-56
143 September 9@ Mets 5 – 1Darling (12-6) Frazier (5-3) 34,95686-57
144 September 10 Phillies 3 – 2 Stoddard (9-5) Koosman (14-12) Smith (31) 26,08387-57
145 September 11 Phillies 6 – 3Hudson (9-10) Smith (9-6) Holland (29)28,96487-58
146 September 12 Expos 11 – 5 Stoddard (10-5) Smith (11-12)20,97688-58
147 September 14 Mets 7 – 1 Sutcliffe (15-1) Darling (12-7)32,40389-58
148 September 15 Mets 5 – 4 Sanderson (8-4) Fernandez (4-6) Smith (32) 38,65390-58
149 September 16 Mets 9 – 3Berenyi (12-13) Trout (12-7) 38,93690-59
150 September 18 Pirates 6 – 2Tudor (10-11) Eckersley (8-8) Robinson (9)30,72190-60
151 September 19 Pirates 11 – 6McWilliams (11-10) Stoddard (10-6) Winn (1)31,58590-61
152 September 20 Pirates 7 – 6Tekulve (3-9) Smith (9-7) Candelaria (1)33,65190-62
153 September 21@ Cardinals 8 – 0Kepshire (5-5) Sanderson (8-5) 36,84790-63
154 September 23@ Cardinals 8 – 1 Trout (13-7) Ownbey (0-3)091-63
155 September 23@ Cardinals 4 – 2 Eckersley (9-8) Andújar (19-14) Smith (33) 46,08392-63
156 September 24@ Pirates 4 – 1 Sutcliffe (16-1) McWilliams (11-11)5,47293-63Clinch NL East Title
157 September 25@ Pirates 7 – 1DeLeon (7-13) Patterson (0-1) 4,06893-64
158 September 26@ Pirates 5 – 2 Ruthven (6-10) Tunnell (1-7)3,36594-64
159 September 28 Cardinals 4 – 1Andújar (20-14) Bordi (5-2) Sutter (45)31,02194-65
160 September 29 Cardinals 9 – 5 Eckersley (10-8) Cox (9-11)33,95495-65
161 September 30 Cardinals 2 – 1 Frazier (6-3) Sutter (5-7)33,10096-65

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PosPlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
C Jody Davis 150523134.2561994
1B Leon Durham 137473132.2792396
2B Ryne Sandberg 156636200.3141984
3B Ron Cey 146505121.2402597
SS Larry Bowa 13339187.223017
LF Gary Matthews 147491143.2911482
CF Bob Dernier 143536149.278332
RF Keith Moreland 140495138.2791680

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
Mel Hall 4815042.280422
Henry Cotto 10514640.27408
Gary Woods 879823.235310
Thad Bosley 559829.296214
Dave Owen 479318.194110
Richie Hebner 448127.33328
Tom Veryzer 447414.18904
Jay Johnstone 527321.28803
Steve Lake 255412.22227
Bill Buckner 21439.20902
Ron Hassey 193311.33325
Dan Rohn 25314.12913
Davey Lopes 16174.23500
Billy Hatcher 891.11100

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Steve Trout 32190.01373.4181
Dennis Eckersley 24160.11083.0381
Rick Sutcliffe 20150.11612.69155
Scott Sanderson 24140.2853.1476
Dick Ruthven 23126.26105.0455
Chuck Rainey 1788.1574.2845
Don Schulze 13.00012.002

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Rick Reuschel 1992.1555.1743
Rich Bordi 3183.1523.4641
Reggie Patterson 36.00110.505

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGWLSVERASO
Lee Smith 6997333.6586
Tim Stoddard 5810673.8287
Warren Brusstar 411133.1136
George Frazier 376334.1058
Dickie Noles 212205.1514
Porfi Altamirano 50004.767
Bill Johnson 40001.693
Ron Meridith 30003.384

Cultural Influences

Before the season began, Grammy-award winning artist Steve Goodman recorded the tune "Go Cubs Go" which was played as the lead-in music for the radio broadcast on WGN radio. Goodman, who died just days before the Cubs clinched the division, also recorded "A Dying Cubs Fan's Last Request". Since the 2007 season, the song has been played at Wrigley Field after victories; the practice continues to this day. [16]

The home games always began with the popular Van Halen song "Jump".

NLCS

A theory is that the Cubs were deprived of home-field advantage for the 1984 National League Championship Series (NLCS) because they could not host night games. There are accounts of MLB executives becoming frustrated throughout the 1984 MLB season and when it started to become clear in mid-August that the Cubs were very likely going to win the division, TV money was at stake. The networks then covering postseason games — NBC and ABC — could have lost millions if they had to cover those games at the then-lightless Wrigley Field on weekday afternoons. This was considered by MLB moguls to be important for the World Series and ultimately leads some to believe there may have been collusion leading to the Cubs losing three straight games to the San Diego Padres.

However, from 1969 to 1984, the LCS were five-game series played in a 2-3 format. The NL West and AL East champs hosted the first two games in odd years and the NL East and the AL West hosted the first two games in even years. Thus, no changes were made to the NLCS schedule due to Wrigley Field's lack of lights. [17]

It is true that Major League Baseball announced in August 1984 that if the Cubs were to make the World Series, the first game would be moved to the American League park, to maximize the television revenues from night games. In 1984, the series was to be a seven-game series in a 2-3-2 format with the NL hosting the first two and last two games. [18] San Diego won the series, 3–2.

GameDateScoreLocationTimeAttendance 
1October 2San Diego Padres – 0, Chicago Cubs – 13 Wrigley Field 2:4936,282 [19]  
2October 3San Diego Padres – 2, Chicago Cubs – 4Wrigley Field2:1836,282 [20]  
3October 4Chicago Cubs – 1, San Diego Padres – 7 Jack Murphy Stadium 2:1958,346 [21]  
4October 6Chicago Cubs – 5, San Diego Padres – 7Jack Murphy Stadium3:1358,354 [22]  
5October 7Chicago Cubs – 3, San Diego Padres – 6Jack Murphy Stadium2:4158,359 [23]

Awards and honors

All-Star Game

Farm system

LevelTeamLeagueManager
AAA Iowa Cubs American Association Jim Napier
AA Midland Cubs Texas League George Enright
A Lodi Crushers California League Junior Kennedy
A Quad Cities Cubs Midwest League Larry Cox
A-Short Season Geneva Cubs New York–Penn League Tony Franklin
Rookie Pikeville Cubs Appalachian League Jim Fairey

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References

  1. ↑ "Damon Berryhill Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  2. ↑ "Mike Diaz Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  3. ↑ "Alan Hargesheimer Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  4. ↑ Scott Sanderson Bio, Baseball-Reference.com, Retrieved on August 8, 2007.
  5. ↑ Dennis Eckersley Bio, Baseball-Reference.com, Retrieved on August 8, 2007.
  6. ↑ Rick Sutcliffe Bio, Baseball-Reference.com, Retrieved on August 8, 2007.
  7. ↑ "SPORTS PEOPLE; Soto Faces Suspension". The New York Times. June 19, 1984.
  8. ↑ The Cubs's road to the NL East championship, month by month, Chicago Tribune, October 2, 1984
  9. 1 2 Mitchell, Fred, Cub Turning Point, Chicago Tribune, page 3, October 2, 1984
  10. ↑ June 23, 1984 Cubs Cardinals Boxscore, Baseball-Reference.com, Retrieved on August 8, 2007
  11. 1 2 Sept 24 1984 Cubs Pirates Boxscore, Baseball-Reference.com, Retrieved on August 8, 2007
  12. ↑ "Dennis Eckersley Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  13. ↑ "Greg Maddux Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  14. ↑ "Rick Sutcliffe Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  15. ↑ "Dickie Noles Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  16. ↑ Muskat, Carrie, Cubs Mailbag 8/13/07, MLB.com, Retrieved on August 13, 2007
  17. ↑ "The Post-Season Games Directory". www.retrosheet.org.
  18. ↑ From http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080806&content_id=3267314&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc
  19. ↑ "1984 NLCS Game 1 - San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  20. ↑ "1984 NLCS Game 2 - San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  21. ↑ "1984 NLCS Game 3 - Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  22. ↑ "1984 NLCS Game 4 - Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  23. ↑ "1984 NLCS Game 5 - Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.

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