- 1984 Chicago Cubs season
MLB yearly infobox
name = Chicago Cubs
season = 1984
misc = National League East Champs
current league = National League
y1 = 1876
division = Eastern Division
y2 = 1969
Uniform
ballpark =Wrigley Field
y4 = 1916
city = Chicago,Illinois
y5 = 1876
owners =Tribune Company
managers =Jim Frey
television =WGN-TV /Superstation WGN
(Harry Caray , Steve Stone)
radio = WGN
(Vince Lloyd ,Lou Boudreau ,Milo Hamilton )
espntn = chc
brtn = CHC|The
Chicago Cubs ' 1984 season was the 109th season for the Cubs. The team finished with a record of 96-65 in first place of theNational League Eastern Division . Chicago was managed byJim Frey and the general manager wasDallas Green . The Cubs played atWrigley Field , and their postseason appearance in this season was their first since1945 .The Cubs pitching staff included
1984 Cy Young Award winnerRick Sutcliffe , and the lineup included1984 Baseball Most Valuable Player Award winner second basemanRyne Sandberg . Frey was awardedManager of the Year for the National League for leading the Cubs to 96 victories. The Cubs were defeated in the1984 National League Championship Series by theSan Diego Padres three games to two.Offseason
*January 17, 1984:
Damon Berryhill was drafted by the Cubs in the 1st round (4th pick). Player signed June 2, 1984. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/berryda01.shtml Damon Berryhill page at Baseball Reference] ]pring Training
The Cubs began their third season under the control of the
Tribune Company andDallas Green in Mesa, Arizona in Feb. 1984. The previous year, the Cubs had fired managerLee 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 hiredJim Frey , the formerKansas 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, sendingCraig Lefferts andCarmelo Martínez to the Padres, and gettingScott Sanderson from the Expos.The Cubs struggled inCactus League action, so Green began to rebuild the team before it left Mesa. Green began by releasingFerguson Jenkins , who was just 12 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 catcherMike Diaz to Philadelphia for pitcherPorfi Altamirano and outfieldersGary Matthews andBobby Dernier .Regular Season
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 dealtCarmelo Martínez ,Craig Lefferts , and Fritzie Connally to acquire right-handerScott Sanderson [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/sandesc01.shtml Scott Sanderson Bio] ,Baseball-Reference.com, Retrieved onAugust 8 ,2007 .] . OnMay 25 , the Cubs tradedBill Buckner to theBoston Red Sox for rightyDennis Eckersley and Mike Brumley [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/e/eckerde01.shtml Dennis Eckersley Bio] ,Baseball-Reference.com, Retrieved onAugust 8 ,2007 .] . Finally onJune 13 ,Mel Hall ,Joe Carter , Don Schulze, and Darryl Banks were sent to theCleveland Indians for starterRick Sutcliffe , George Frazier, andRon Hassey [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/sutclri01.shtml Rick Sutcliffe Bio] ,Baseball-Reference.com, Retrieved onAugust 8 ,2007 .] . 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 thePhiladelphia Phillies . OnMay 27 against theChicago Cubs inWrigley Field ,third base manRon Cey hit what was originally ruled a home run down theleft field line. Believing the ball had gone foul, Mario Soto and Reds managerVern Rapp disputed the call, and during the argument, Soto shoved third base umpireSteve 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 presidentChub Feeney suspended Mario Soto for five games. This game is also notable because Soto's opponent that day was future Hall of FameDennis 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 theBoston Red Sox (the Cubs traded futureWorld Series goatBill Buckner and got Eckersley and then-minor league middle infielder Mike Brumley), would take the loss that day. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9907E6DE1739F93AA25755C0A962948260]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 [The Cubs's road to the NL East championship, month by month, Chicago Tribune, October 2, 1984] .
A key game during the season occurred on
June 23 at Wrigley, with the Cubs facing the rivalSt. 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 future hall-of-fame closerBruce Sutter on the mound. 24 year-old second basemanRyne Sandberg led off the ninth with a solo home run into the left-field bleachers, tying the game at nineMitchell, Fred, Cub Turning Point, Chicago Tribune, page 3, October 2, 1984] . 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. 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 [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN198406230.shtml June 23 1984 Cubs Cardinals Boxscore] , Baseball-Reference.com, Retrieved onAugust 8 ,2007 ] . Ryne Sandberg had 7 RBI in the game. Henceforth, this game has become known as "The Sandberg Game". OnSeptember 3 ,1984 , Rick Sutcliffe had 15 strikeouts in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies.The Cubs ended their playoff drought on
September 24 atThree Rivers Stadium in front of just over 5,000 fans [http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT198409240.shtml Sept 24 1984 Cubs Pirates Boxscore] , Baseball-Reference.com, Retrieved onAugust 8 ,2007 ] . Rick Sutcliffe threw a two-hit complete game for his sixteenth straight victory, and the Cubs won the National League East.Opening Day Starters
*
Larry Bowa
*Ron Cey
*Jody Davis
*Bob Dernier
*Leon Durham
*Gary Matthews
*Keith Moreland
*Dick Ruthven
*Ryne Sandberg eason Standings
Notable transactions
*March 31, 1984:
Alan Hargesheimer was traded by the Cubs to theKansas City Royals forDon Werner andDerek Botelho . [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/hargeal01.shtml Alan Hargesheimer page at Baseball Reference] ]
*May 25, 1984:Bill Buckner was traded by the the Cubs to theBoston Red Sox forDennis Eckersley and Mike Brumley. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/e/eckerde01.shtml Dennis Eckersley page at Baseball Reference] ]
*June 4, 1984:Greg Maddux was drafted by the Cubs in the 2nd round of the 1984 amateur draft. Player signed June 19, 1984. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/maddugr01.shtml Greg Maddux page at Baseball Reference] ]
*June 13, 1984:Mel Hall ,Joe Carter ,Don Schulze , and Darryl Banks (minors) were traded by the Cubs to theCleveland Indians forRick Sutcliffe , George Frazier andRon Hassey . [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/sutclri01.shtml Rick Sutcliffe page at Baseball Reference] ]
*July 2, 1984:Dickie Noles was traded by the Cubs to the Texas Rangers for players to be named later. The Rangers completed the deal by sending Tim Henry (minors) and Jorge Gomez (minors) to the Cubs on December 11. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/n/nolesdi01.shtml Dickie Noles page at Baseball Reference] ]Roster
1984 Chicago Cubs season
-
-
Pitching
tarting pitchers
Cultural Influences
Before the season began, Grammy-award winning artist
The home games always began with the popular Van Halen song "Jump" which always got the fans and the team fired up for a good game.
NLCS
A popular myth 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.
However, from 1969-1984, the LCS were five-game series played in a 2-3 format. The NL West and AL East camps hosted the first two games in odd years and the NL East and the AL West hosted the first two games in even years, including the Cubs in 1984. Thus, no changes were made to the NLCS schedule due to Wrigley Field's lack of lights. [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/MISC/masterPS.htm]
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. Thus, "if" the Cubs had beaten the Padres in 1984, they "would" have been "cheated". [From http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080806&content_id=3267314&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc]
Game 1
Game 4
Game 5
As if to tease their fatalistic fans, the Cubs started out well in the final and deciding game of the series. Durham hit a two-run homer in the first and Davis added a solo homer in the second to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead. With
Chicago's downfall began innocently enough, with San Diego getting two sacrifice flies in the sixth to cut the Cubs' lead to 3-2. But the Padres' seventh proved catastrophic for Chicago.
The Cubs got three baserunners over the final two innings against Gossage but could not score, and San Diego took home its first National League pennant. The Padres would go on to lose the World Series to the dominant
Awards and Honors
* Jim Frey, Associated Press Manager of the Year
*
*
* Class AAA:
* Class AA:
* Class A:
* Class A:
* Class SS-A:
* Rookie:
References
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/1984.shtml 1984 Chicago Cubs]
* [http://sports-library.com/index.php/1984_Chicago_Cubs_Season 1984 Cubs on a Chicago-centric wiki]
* [http://baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1984&t=CHN 1984 Chicago Cubs on Baseball Almanac]
External Sources
* [http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/historical/player_stats.jsp?c_id=mlb&baseballScope=NL&subScope=teamCode&teamPosCode=CH2&statType=Overview&sitSplit=&venueID=&timeSubFrame2=1&timeFrame=1&timeSubFrame=1984&Submit=Submit 1984 Batting and Pitching Statistics] succession box
title = NL East Championship Season
years = 1984
before = Philadelphia Phillies
1983
after = St. Louis Cardinals
1985
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
1969 Chicago Cubs season — 1969 Chicago Cubs Finished 2nd in NL East Major league affiliations National League (since 1876) Eastern Division (since 1969) Location Wrigley Field (since 1916) Chicago, Illinois (since 1876) … Wikipedia
2008 Chicago Cubs season — MLB yearly infobox name=Chicago Cubs season=2008 misc=NL Central Champions logo=Chicago Cubs Logo.png current league=National League y1=1876 division=Central Division y2=1994 Uniform ballpark=Wrigley Field y4=1916 city=Chicago, Illinois y5=1876… … Wikipedia
1998 Chicago Cubs season — MLB yearly infobox alt name=Chicago Cubs season=1998 misc= NL Wildcard Sammy Sosa hits 66 Home Runs logo=Chicago Cubs Logo.png current league=National League y1=1876 division=Central Division y2=1994 Uniform ballpark=Wrigley Field y4=1916… … Wikipedia
1985 Chicago Cubs season — MLB yearly infobox name = Chicago Cubs season = 1985 misc = current league = National League y1 = 1876 division = Eastern Division y2 = 1969 Uniform ballpark = Wrigley Field y4 = 1916 city = Chicago, Illinois y5 = 1876 owners = Tribune Company… … Wikipedia
1987 Chicago Cubs season — MLB yearly infobox alt name=Chicago Cubs season=1987 misc= Andre Dawson hits 49 Home Runs logo=Chicago Cubs Logo.png current league=National League y1=1876 division=Eastern Division y2=1987 Uniform ballpark=Wrigley Field y4=1916 city=Chicago,… … Wikipedia
Chicago Cubs — 2012 Chicago Cubs season Established 1870 … Wikipedia
Chicago Cubs team records — The following lists statistical records and all time leaders as well as awards and major accomplishments for the Chicago Cubs professional baseball club of Major League Baseball. The records list the top 5 players in each category since the… … Wikipedia
Chicago Cubs futility theories — The Chicago Cubs have the longest dry spell between championships in all of the four major U.S. sports leagues (MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA), having failed to win a World Series since 1908; the other three major sports leagues were not even in existence… … Wikipedia
1984 Cincinnati Reds season — MLB yearly infobox alt name = Cincinnati Reds season = 1984 misc = current league = National League y1 = 1890 division = Western Division y2 = 1969 Uniform ballpark = Riverfront Stadium y4 = 1970 city = Cincinnati, Ohio y5 = 1882 owners = Marge… … Wikipedia
1984 Montreal Expos season — MLB yearly infobox name = Montreal Expos season = 1984 misc = Pete Rose s only season in Montreal current league = National League y1 = 1969 division = Eastern Division y2 = 1969 Uniform logo = ballpark = Olympic Stadium y4 = 1977 city = Montreal … Wikipedia