The Most Epics Games at Wrigley Field
How the Cubs Became the Cubs
The Chicago National League club was known as the White Stockings for a time after the National League was established in 1876. Then Charley Hoyt wrote a play for Cap Anson, the manager of the team, calling it "A Runaway Colt," and subsequently the team was called Anson's Colts.
The nickname was discarded in 1898, after Anson's career as manager had ended, and then the team was called the Orphans because the team had lost its longtime captain.
Then a Chicago newspaper held a contest to select a new name. The term Cubs was chosen, but as other newspapers ignored the name at first, it was some time before the new nickname came into general use. Fred Hayner, the late sports editor of the Chicago Daily News, was among the first to use the name of the Cubs.
The Best Games at Wrigley
May 2, 1917
Cubs lefty Hippo Vaughn and Reds righty Fred Toney both complete nine innings without giving up a hit. The Reds score a run on their first hit against Vaughn in the top of the 10th, and Toney closes out his no-hitter by retiring the Cubs in the last half of the inning.
August 25, 1922
With the wind blowing out, the Cubs top the Phillies 26-23 in Chicago in the highest scoring game in baseball history.
October 1, 1932
Babe Ruth comes to the plate in the fifth inning of Game 3 of the World Series and, after some serious bench-jockeying by the Cubs, points toward pitcher Charlie Root--or perhaps the outfield wall. On the next pitch Ruth hits one into the center-field bleachers for his "called shot." The next batter, Lou Gehrig, also homers.
September 28, 1938
Chicago player-manager Gabby Hartnett hits "the homer in the gloaming" to give the Cubs a 6-5 win and a half-game lead over the Pirates for the National League pennant with only four days remaining in the season. They will win the flag by two games.
August 19, 1965
The Red's Jim Maloney no-hits the Cubs for 10 innings and wins 1-0. Two months earlier Maloney pitched 10 hitless innings against the Mets only to lose the no-hitter and the game on an 11th inning home run.
May 17, 1979
The Cubs and Phillies combine for 45 runs, 11 home runs and 50 hits in the Phillies 23-22 win in windswept Chicago. Philadelphia leads the game 21-9 after the top of the fifth, but the Cubs rally to tie on an eight-inning single by Barry Foote. Mike Schmidt's two-out homer in the 10th gives the Phillies the win.
April 17, 1976
The Phillies trail the Cubs 13-2 before Mike Schmidt blasts home runs in four consecutive trips to the plate, including a two-run 10th-inning shot that caps Philadelphia's 18-16 comeback win.
September 16, 1975
Pirates second baseman Rennie Stennett sets the modern major league record with seven hits in a nine-inning game (four singles, two doubles and a triple) in a 22-0 rout of the Cubs.
August 8, 1988
The Cubs, the last team in the majors to install lights, face the Phillies in the first night at the Friendly Confines. The game is rained out in the middle of the third inning, postponing the first official game under the Wrigley lights until the next night, when the Cubs top the Mets 6-4.
May 6, 1998
In only his fifth major league start, Cubs rookie Kerry Wood strikes out 20 Astros while pitching a one-hitter.