Est. 1876 · National League Charter Member
Chicago Cubs
150 Years
of Baseball

From the gaslit ballparks of the Gilded Age to the ivy-covered walls of Wrigley Field. From back-to-back World Series titles in 1907 and 1908 to the longest drought in American sports — and finally, the W flag in 2016. One hundred and fifty years of the Chicago Cubs.

150
Years
1876 — 2026
3
World Series Titles
17
NL Pennants
56
Hall of Famers
110
Years at Wrigley
The Story of the Franchise

A Century & a Half

1876 Founding
Charter Members of the National League
The Chicago White Stockings become one of eight founding clubs of the National League on February 2, 1876. Player-manager Albert Spalding leads the club to the first NL pennant that inaugural season, going 52-14. The franchise that would become the Cubs is born.
1906 The Dynasty Begins
116 Wins — A Record That Stood for a Century
The Cubs go 116-36, the best record in MLB history at the time — a mark that stood until the 2001 Seattle Mariners tied it. Manager Frank Chance leads a roster built around the legendary Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance double play combination. The Cubs lose the World Series to the crosstown White Sox in six games — the last time Chicago would lose a Fall Classic for 110 years.
1907–08 Back-to-Back Champions
The Last Dynasty
The Cubs win back-to-back World Series championships in 1907 and 1908, defeating the Detroit Tigers both times. Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown anchors a pitching staff that was arguably the best of the dead-ball era. It would be 108 years before the franchise won again.
1914 A Cathedral is Built
Wrigley Field Opens
Weeghman Park opens on April 23, 1914 — originally built for the Chicago Whales of the Federal League. The Cubs move in two years later. Renamed Wrigley Field in 1926, it becomes the most iconic address in baseball. The ivy goes up in 1937. The lights don't arrive until 1988.
1945 Pennant
The Last Pennant Before the Drought
The Cubs win the NL pennant in 1945, facing the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. They lose in seven games. It would be their last World Series appearance for 71 years. The Billy Goat Curse, reportedly placed by tavern owner Billy Sianis after his goat was ejected from Wrigley during the Series, enters Chicago folklore.
1953–71 Mr. Cub
Ernie Banks Defines an Era
Ernie Banks never played in a postseason game, yet became the heart and soul of the Cubs franchise. Two-time NL MVP (1958, 1959), 512 career home runs, and an attitude toward the game — "Let's play two!" — that made him beloved across all of baseball. His #14 was the first number retired by the Cubs.
1969 The Collapse
The Cubs Blow a 9-Game Lead
Perhaps the most painful collapse in Cubs history. Leading the NL East by 9.5 games in mid-August with a roster that included Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, and Ferguson Jenkins, the Cubs fold down the stretch. The New York Mets — the "Miracle Mets" — run them down, go on to win the World Series, and cement the narrative of Cubs futility for a generation.
1984 The Sandberg Game
Ryno. The MVP. The NL East Title.
Ryne Sandberg wins the NL MVP. The Cubs win the NL East for the first time since 1945. June 23 — the Sandberg Game — puts a national spotlight on Chicago's second baseman. The Cubs lose the NLCS to the San Diego Padres after taking a 2-0 series lead, including the infamous Leon Durham error in Game 5.
1998 The Chase
Sammy Sosa & the Home Run Race
Sammy Sosa hits 66 home runs in one of baseball's most captivating individual seasons, dueling Mark McGwire in the chase that is widely credited with reviving interest in the game after the 1994 strike. Sosa's enthusiasm — the hop out of the box, the heart tap, the finger kiss to the sky — made him a global icon and Wrigley the center of the baseball universe that summer.
2003 Five Outs Away
The Bartman Game
The Cubs are five outs from the World Series, leading the Marlins 3-0 in the eighth inning of Game 6. A foul ball along the left field line. A fan reaches for it. Steve Bartman deflects the ball away from outfielder Moises Alou. The Cubs fall apart, lose eight straight runs, lose the series. A city mourns. A man becomes a scapegoat for history.
2016 World Champions
108 Years. Finally.
Down three games to one against Cleveland, the Cubs win three straight — including an extra-innings Game 7 thriller decided 8-7 in the tenth. Kris Bryant fields the final ground ball and throws to Anthony Rizzo. The W flag flies. Chicago erupts. One hundred and eight years of history dissolve into pure, cathartic joy.
2026 150th Season
A Franchise at 150
One hundred and fifty years after the founding, the Chicago Cubs remain one of the most beloved and watched franchises in American sport. The ivy still grows on the outfield walls at Clark and Addison. The W flag still flies after every win. The next chapter is still being written.
2026 · The 150th Season
The Next 150
Start Now

The franchise that gave us Tinker, Evers, and Chance. That gave us Ernie Banks and Ron Santo and Billy Williams. That gave us Ryne Sandberg and the Sandberg Game. That gave us Sammy Sosa and the summer of 1998. That gave us the 2016 World Series and made a city cry with joy. One hundred and fifty years of the Chicago Cubs — and the best stories may still be ahead.

1876
Year Founded
3×
World Series Titles
150
Years of Baseball