1989 Chicago Cubs Season

National League Division Championship

The 1989 Chicago Cubs had a mix of talent of all ages, and at multiple positions all over the field. Led by manager Don Zimmer, and with Jim Frey as GM, the team rode lofty expectations to a 93-69 record and a 1st place finish in the National League East. Of course, for the Chicago Cubs 1989 season, it wasn't to be, and the team couldn't overcome a series of blunders and poor performances in the series against the San Francisco Giants, falling 4-1 in the NLCS. While many teams that the Cubs have fielded have failed to live up to expectations, perhaps this team overachieved all the way through and did all they could, as I never figured it to be a championship season for them.

1989 NL Eastern Division Standings Team W L Pct GB Cubs 93 69 .574 -- Mets 87 75 .537 6 Cardinals 86 76 .531 7 Expos 81 81 .500 12 Pirates 74 88 .457 19 Phillies 67 95 .414 26

The Chicago Cubs 1989 season was notable for a number of reasons. Besides winning the NL East and finishing with 93 wins, this year was also the first full season that featured night games at Wrigley, marking a change in the times. Andre Dawson really struggled all year, but Ryne Sandberg had a great campaign, as did Mark Grace. Other young talent like Dwight Smith and Jerome Walton also had strong years, giving the 1989 Chicago Cubs a great deal of youthful exuberance.

Of course, that was also felt on the pitching mound, where a 23 year old Greg Maddux went 19-12 with a 2.95 ERA in 238.1 innings pitched. He led a rotation that featured great years by both Rick Sutcliffe and Mike Bielecki. For Bielecki, it was his best year ever, going 18-7 with a 3.14 ERA.

The National League Championship Series against the San Francisco Giants did not go well at all for the team. San Francisco won the first and the Cubs won the second, so the series moved to San Francisco evened up at one a piece. The Giants would then sweep all three games at home, winning the series 4-1. Lose as they did, the 1989 Chicago Cubs managed to have a lead in all of those games and couldn't hold on in any of them.

The most infamous event from this series involved Greg Maddux and Will Clark, the clutch hitter of the Giants. Maddux had a meeting on the mound with Zimmer, and Clark was basically able to surmise what was coming next. So he guessed correctly, and belted a home run off of Maddux. After this single event, Maddux spoke into his glove for every meeting on the mound, and that's something that every pitcher in all of baseball does today. All thanks to another sad moment for the Chicago Cubs 1989 season.

Like with most years, the 1989 Chicago Cubs were forced to end the year on a bad note. But as a whole, the Chicago Cubs 1989 season should be looked upon fondly, as it was the last major hurrah for Cubs greats like Ryne Sandberg and Mark Grace, even though they were both still so young, and the pitching staff featured some real stars, with Greg Maddux, Rick Sutcliffe, Mike Bielecki and Mitch Williams as the closer.

1989 National League Champion Series Series

NLCS GAME 1	R	H	E
Giants	11	13	0
Cubs	3	10	1

WP: Scott Garrelts, LP: Greg Maddux,
Save: none

NLCS GAME 2	R	H	E
Giants	5	10	0
Cubs	9	11	0

WP - Les Lancaster, LP - Rick Reuschel;
Save - none

NLCS GAME 3	R	H	E
Cubs	4	10	0
Giants	5	8	3

WP - Don Robinson, LP - Les Lancaster,
Save - Steve Bedrosian

NLCS GAME 4	R	H	E
Cubs	4	12	1
Giants	6	9	1

WP - Kelly Downs, LP - Steve Wilson,
Save - Steve Bedrosian

NLCS GAME 5	R	H	E
Cubs	2	10	1
Giants	3	4	1

WP - Rick Reuschel, LP - Mike Bielecki,
Save - Steve Bedrosian

San Fransico Giants win series 3-2

Shop Chicago Cubs Merchandise and Memorabilia