Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team that plays in the National League Central division of Major League Baseball (MLB). Since 1916, the Cubs have played at Wrigley Field, an intimate park known for its ivy-covered outfield walls. For many seasons, Chicago was the only team in major league baseball to play all its home games during the day. The Cubs began playing a limited number of night games in 1988.
The Cubs were founded in 1870 as the White Stockings. The team was a founding member of the National Association, baseball’s first professional league. The team was also among the first members of the National League, which replaced the National Association in 1876. The Cubs won the first National League pennant that year. The team became officially known as the Cubs in 1907.
The Cubs dominated the National League during the early 1900’s. From 1906 to 1918, the team won five pennants and two World Series. Stars during this time included pitcher Mordecai “Three-Finger” Brown and the famous infield of first baseman Frank Chance, second baseman Johnny Evers, and shortstop Joe Tinker.
In 1921, the wealthy manufacturer William Wrigley purchased the team. From 1929 to 1945, the Cubs won five more pennants, led by infielders Billy Herman and Rogers Hornsby, catcher Gabby Hartnett, and outfielder Hack Wilson. In spite of numerous losing seasons during the late 1900’s, the Cubs produced such stars as shortstop Ernie Banks, outfielder Billy Williams, second baseman Ryne Sandberg, third baseman Ron Santo, and pitcher Ferguson Jenkins. In 1981, the Wrigley family sold the team to the Chicago Tribune Company. In 2009, the Ricketts family purchased the Cubs with Tom Ricketts, an investment banker, as chairman of the board of directors.
In 1984, the Cubs reached the postseason for the first time since 1945, but lost to the San Diego Padres in the playoffs. The Cubs returned to the playoffs in 1989, 1998, 2003, 2007, 2008, and 2015 before finally winning the World Series in 2016. The World Series victory was the first for the Cubs since 1908, ending the longest winless streak (108 years) in baseball history. Stars of that championship ball club included pitchers Jake Arrieta, John Lester, and Kyle Hendricks; infielder Javier Báez; third baseman Kris Bryant; and first baseman Anthony Rizzo.
