1997 Chicago Cubs season
| 1997 Chicago Cubs | |
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| Major League affiliations | |
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| Location | |
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| Other information | |
| Owner(s) | Tribune Company |
| General manager(s) | Ed Lynch |
| Manager(s) | Jim Riggleman |
| Local television |
WGN-TV/Superstation WGN/Chicagoland TV (Harry Caray, Steve Stone, Josh Lewin) |
| Local radio |
WGN (Pat Hughes, Ron Santo, Harry Caray, Josh Lewin) |
| Stats |
ESPN.com BB-reference |
| < Previous season Next season > | |
The 1997 Chicago Cubs season was the 126th season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 122nd in the National League and the 82nd at Wrigley Field. The Cubs finished fifth and last in the National League Central with a record of 68–94. The team never had a record above .500 at any point during the season.
The season is perhaps best remembered for the miserable way in which the team began the season, losing their first 14 games before finally winning the second game of a double-header against the New York Mets. The 0-14 start brought the superstition of the "billy goat curse" to the forefront, and at one point a goat was actually led around Wrigley Field in an effort to end the curse
Offseason
- December 10, 1996: Mel Rojas was signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago Cubs.[1]
Regular season
- June 16 – The first interleague game between the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox took place at U.S. Cellular Field. The Cubs won the game by a score of 8-3.[2]
Season standings
| NL Central | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 84 | 78 | 0.519 | — | 46–35 | 38–43 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 79 | 83 | 0.488 | 5 | 43–38 | 36–45 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 76 | 86 | 0.469 | 8 | 40–41 | 36–45 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 73 | 89 | 0.451 | 11 | 41–40 | 32–49 |
| Chicago Cubs | 68 | 94 | 0.420 | 16 | 42–39 | 26–55 |
Record vs. opponents
1997 National League Records Sources: | |||||||||||||||||
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| Team | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LAD | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | AL | ||
| Atlanta | — | 9–2 | 9–2 | 5–6 | 4–8 | 7–4 | 6–5 | 10–2 | 5–7 | 10–2 | 5–6 | 8–3 | 7–4 | 8–3 | 7–5 | ||
| Chicago | 2–9 | — | 7–5 | 2–9 | 2–9 | 3–9 | 5–6 | 4–7 | 6–5 | 6–5 | 7–5 | 6–5 | 5–6 | 4–8 | 9–6 | ||
| Cincinnati | 2–9 | 5–7 | — | 5–6 | 5–6 | 5–7 | 6–5 | 6–5 | 2–9 | 8–3 | 8–4 | 5–6 | 4–7 | 6–6 | 9–6 | ||
| Colorado | 6–5 | 9–2 | 6–5 | — | 7–4 | 5–6 | 5–7 | 7–4 | 6–5 | 4–7 | 4–7 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 7–4 | 9–7 | ||
| Florida | 8–4 | 9–2 | 6–5 | 4–7 | — | 7–4 | 7–4 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 7–4 | 5–6 | 5–6 | 5–6 | 12–3 | ||
| Houston | 4–7 | 9–3 | 7–5 | 6–5 | 4–7 | — | 7–4 | 8–3 | 7–4 | 4–7 | 6–6 | 6–5 | 3–8 | 9–3 | 4–11 | ||
| Los Angeles | 5–6 | 6–5 | 5–6 | 7–5 | 4–7 | 4–7 | — | 7–4 | 6–5 | 10–1 | 9–2 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 5–6 | 9–7 | ||
| Montreal | 2–10 | 7–4 | 5–6 | 4–7 | 5–7 | 3–8 | 4–7 | — | 5–7 | 6–6 | 5–6 | 8–3 | 6–5 | 6–5 | 12–3 | ||
| New York | 7–5 | 5–6 | 9–2 | 5–6 | 8–4 | 4–7 | 5–6 | 7–5 | — | 7–5 | 7–4 | 5–6 | 3–8 | 9–2 | 7–8 | ||
| Philadelphia | 2-10 | 5–6 | 3–8 | 7–4 | 6–6 | 7–4 | 1–10 | 6–6 | 5–7 | — | 5–6 | 7–4 | 3–8 | 6–5 | 5–10 | ||
| Pittsburgh | 6–5 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 7–4 | 4–7 | 6–6 | 2–9 | 6–5 | 4–7 | 6–5 | — | 5–6 | 8–3 | 9–3 | 7–8 | ||
| San Diego | 3–8 | 5–6 | 6–5 | 8–4 | 6–5 | 5–6 | 7–5 | 3–8 | 6–5 | 4–7 | 6–5 | — | 4–8 | 5–6 | 8–8 | ||
| San Francisco | 4–7 | 6–5 | 7–4 | 8–4 | 6–5 | 8–3 | 6–6 | 5–6 | 8–3 | 8–3 | 3–8 | 8–4 | — | 3–8 | 10–6 | ||
| St. Louis | 3–8 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 4–7 | 6–5 | 3-9 | 6–5 | 5–6 | 2–9 | 5–6 | 3–9 | 6–5 | 8–3 | — | 8–7 | ||
Notable Transactions
- July 12, 1997: Carlos Zambrano was signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent.[3]
- August 8, 1997: Brian McRae was traded by the Chicago Cubs with Mel Rojas and Turk Wendell to the New York Mets for players to be named later and Lance Johnson. The New York Mets sent Mark Clark (August 11, 1997) and Manny Alexander (August 14, 1997) to the Chicago Cubs to complete the trade.[4]
- August 11, 1997: Mark Clark was sent by the New York Mets to the Chicago Cubs to complete an earlier deal made on August 8, 1997. The New York Mets sent players to be named later and Lance Johnson to the Chicago Cubs for Brian McRae, Mel Rojas, and Turk Wendell. The New York Mets sent Mark Clark (August 11, 1997) and Manny Alexander (August 14, 1997) to the Chicago Cubs to complete the trade.[5]
Roster
| 1997 Chicago Cubs | |||||||||
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| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: AZL Cubs[6]
References
- ↑ Mel Rojas Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
- ↑ http://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=199706160CHA
- ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/z/zambrca01.shtml
- ↑ Brian McRae Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
- ↑ Mark Clark Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
- ↑ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007
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