With success, Cubs drafting a new chapter with rival Cardinals
The cover of the Chicago Cubs media guide celebrates the 2016 World Series championship.
The cover of the St. Louis Cardinals media guide celebrates the team's 125th anniversary.
This is something new.
The Cardinals were the ones who put their pennants and World Series-winning ways out front while the Cubs searched for things to celebrate.
The Cards still lead the Cubs in world championships, 11-3. The Cubs lead the all-time regular-season series between the two clubs, 1,207 victories to 1,156 dating to 1892. But even over the past decade, the Cardinals hold an 89-81 edge over the Cubs.
Things started changing in the fall of 2015 when the third-place Cubs knocked the first-place Cardinals out of the playoffs with a stunning division-series victory, capped by Kyle Schwarber's videoboard home run. The Cardinals did not make the playoffs last year as the Cubs fought their way to their first world championship since 1908.
The trend appears to favor the Cubs, who have a deep talent pool, the advantages of playing in a big market and ownership committed to winning.
But history suggests not counting out the Cardinals.
These two teams will open their 2017 seasons against each other on Sunday Night Baseball at Busch Stadium.
As we enter this new chapter between the Cubs and their Gateway Arch rivals, let's take a fun look at what makes this Midwestern rivalry so great.
Ballpark atmosphere:
There is no better atmosphere in baseball when the Cubs and Cardinals play, particularly in the heat of summer.
For the most part, fans of both teams keep it friendly. Large swathes of red can be found at Wrigley Field, with Cardinals fans making the trek up north on I-55. Cubs blue dots all reaches of Busch Stadium when the scene shifts to St. Louis.
Brock for Broglio:
The Cubs and Cardinals haven't traded with each other for some time. The last deal between the teams had the Cubs sending pitcher Jeff Fassero to the Cardinals for minor league pitchers Jason Kamuth and Jared Blasdell on Aug. 25, 2002. The Cubs were dumping salary then, so they didn't mind sending a player to the Cardinals.
That was the first Cubs-Cards trade since June 16, 1995, when the Cubs sent pitcher Mike Morgan to St. Louis for third baseman Todd Zeile.
The Cubs never have lived down their June 15, 1964 trade that sent outfielder Lou Brock to the Cardinals in a deal that brought pitcher Ernie Broglio to Chicago. Media in both cities originally thought the Cubs got the better of the trade. But Broglio wasn't healthy, and Brock enjoyed a Hall of Fame career with the Cardinals.
Against the Cubs in 1964, Brock was 25-for-55 for a line of .418/.448/.655 with 2 homers, 10 RBI and 5 stolen bases. He helped the Cardinals to a World Series title that October.
On field and off-the-field wars:
In more than 20 years of covering Cubs-Cardinals games, I've seen a few things.
In July 1997, the Cardinals beat up on the Cubs for much of a four-game series, winning the finale 11-5 at Wrigley. In that game, Cubs reliever Ramon Tatis hit Gary Gaetti on the backside with a pitch. Cubs manager Jim Riggleman immediately yanked Tatis from the game, perhaps saving one of his own players from getting hit. The previous day, Mel Rojas threw up and in on Gaetti, who hit 4 homers during the series.
"Going back to Abner Doubleday, people think that if somebody's hitting home runs off you, you're supposed to knock them down," Riggleman said after the game. "I think that's one of the most ridiculous things I've heard in baseball. The solution is to throw better pitches, not hit people.''
Cardinals pitcher Matt Morris got the Cubs' goat a couple times, in 2002 and 2003.
In 2002, the Cardinals expressed concern the Cubs were stealing pitch locations and Morris said that if that kept up, "Somebody might get a fastball in the ear."
That angered Cubs manager Don Baylor.
"One thing with Morris, he throws fastballs in on right-handers all the time," Baylor said. "He knocks guys off the plate all the time. So, let him pitch his game. But when you start throwing at somebody's head, man, that's when we're going to have a problem."
It got even better in the 2003 season, when Morris said he hoped Houston, not the Cubs, would win the NL Central.
Dusty Baker was the Cubs manager then, and he didn't like what Morris said any better than Baylor did.
"If he thinks it's going on so far, he's got a whole decade full of what's coming," Baker said. "This is just the beginning. They've been beating up on us for a long time. So I think the best thing for him to do is just leave us alone. Just play your game and be quiet."
Playing for both sides:
Brock helped the Cardinals to three World Series (two titles) after being traded from the Cubs. The Cardinals released Gaetti in August 1998, and the Cubs signed him a few days later. He went on to help the Cubs win the wild card
One of the most famous games in Cubs history - the "Sandberg game" on June 23, 1984 - featured Ryne Sandberg hitting a pair of home runs off Cardinals reliever Bruce Sutter, a former Cub, in a game the Cubs won 12-11 in 11 innings. Sandberg's game-tying homers came in the ninth and 10th innings.
Dizzy Dean enjoyed the best years of his Hall of Fame career with the Cardinals, but he pitched for the Cubs from 1938-41.
Another Hall of Famer, Rogers Hornsby, began his career with the Cardinals in 1915. He played for the Cubs from 1929-32. He also served as a player-manager for both clubs.
Lee Smith has missed out on the Hall of Fame, but he experienced the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry from both sides, as did Dennis Eckersley, who did make the Hall.
Ryan Theriot, who came up with the Cubs, said he was finally on the "right side" of the rivalry when he was traded from the Dodgers to the Cardinals after the 2010 season. That didn't set well with Cubs fans.
Center fielder Jim Edmonds was a player Cubs fans loved to hate when he was a Cardinal, but he helped the Cubs on their way to a division title in 2008.
And so it will continue this week. Dexter Fowler, who put the "go" into the Cubs the past two seasons, signed with the Cardinals in the off-season. Reliever Miguel Socolovich was a member of the Cubs for a short time in 2012.
The Cubs have three prominent ex-Cardinals: right fielder Jason Heyward, outfielder Jon Jay and pitcher John Lackey.
Somewhere Harry Caray, who broadcast games for both teams must be letting out one of his hearty guffaws.
Let a new chapter begin.
Scouting report
Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium
TV: ESPN Sunday; Comcast Sports Net Plus Tuesday; WGN Wednesday
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Pitching matchups: The Cubs' Jon Lester (19-5 in 2016) vs. Carlos Martinez (16-9) Sunday at 7:35 p.m.; Jake Arrieta (18-8) vs. Adam Wainwright (13-9) Tuesday at 7:15 p.m.; John Lackey (11-8) vs. TBA Wednesday at 12:45 p.m.
At a glance: The Cubs begin defense of their 2016 World Series in prime time and against their top rivals. Lester makes the second opening-night start in three years, after giving way to Arrieta last year at Anaheim. The Cubs were 10-9 last year against the Cardinals, who are picked second in the NL Central to the Cubs by many for this year. Wainwright is 13-8 with a 4.25 ERA for his career against the Cubs. For the season last year, he was 13-9 with a 4.62 ERA. He gave up 220 hits in 198⅔ innings. Former Cubs leadoff man Dexter Fowler will fill that role now for the Cardinals after signing a free-agent deal in the off-season.
Next: Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park, Friday-Sunday
- Bruce Miles