1997 Chicago Cubs season

1997 Chicago Cubs
Major league affiliations
National League (since 1876) Central Division (since 1994)
Location
Wrigley Field (since 1916) Chicago, Illinois (since 1871)
1997 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 (Ron Santo, Pat Hughes, Harry Caray, Josh Lewin)
Stats	ESPN.com BB-reference
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The 1997 Chicago Cubs season was one of little success for the team. The Cubs never had a record above .500 at any point during the season, and finished last in their division. The season is probably 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 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.

Offseason

• December 10, 1996: Mel Rojas was signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago Cubs.

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.

Season standings

Central Division	W	L	GB	Pct.
Houston Astros	84	78	.519	--
Pittsburgh Pirates	79	83	.488	5.0
Cincinnati Reds	76	86	.469	8.0
St. Louis Cardinals	73	89	.451	11.0
Chicago Cubs	68	94	.420	16.0

Notable Transactions

• July 12, 1997: Carlos Zambrano was signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent.
• 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.
• 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.

Roster

1997 Chicago Cubs
Roster
Pitchers 33,51 Terry Adams 47 Miguel Batista 34,45 Kent Bottenfield 55 Larry Casian 49 Frank Castillo 48 Mark Clark 31 Kevin Foster 54 Geremi González 33 Ramon Morel 45 Terry Mulholland 59 Rodney Myers 35 Bob Patterson 41 Marc Pisciotta 51 Mel Rojas 40 Dave Stevens 38 Dave Swartzbaugh 36 Kevin Tapani 52 Ramón Tatís 44 Amaury Telemaco 46 Steve Trachsel 13 Turk Wendell		Catchers  7 Tyler Houston  6 Mike Hubbard  9 Scott Servais Infielders 24 Manny Alexander 20 Miguel Cairo 17 Mark Grace 25 Dave Hansen 18 José Hernández 15 Kevin Orie 11 Rey Sánchez 23 Ryne Sandberg Outfielders 37 Brant Brown 22 Dave Clark 12 Shawon Dunston 1,8 Doug Glanville 29 Robin Jennings  1 Lance Johnson 19 Brooks Kieschnick 10 Terrell Lowery 56 Brian McRae 21 Sammy Sosa		Manager  5 Jim Riggleman Coaches 43 Dave Bialas (bullpen) 40 Tony Muser (former hitting)  2 Mako Oliveras (first base) 55 Jeff Pentland (hitting)  3 Dan Radison (third base) 27 Phil Regan (pitching) 26 Billy Williams (bench)

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

See also: Minor league baseball

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Iowa Cubs	American Association	Tim Johnson
AA	Orlando Rays	Southern League	Dave Trembley
A	Daytona Cubs	Florida State League	Steve Roadcap
A	Rockford Cubbies	Midwest League	Rubén Amaro, Sr.
Short-Season A	Williamsport Cubs	New York-Penn League	Bobby Ralston
Rookie	AZL Cubs	Arizona League	Terry Kennedy

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: AZL Cubs

References

• 1997 Chicago Cubs season at Baseball Reference