1997 Chicago Cubs season

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1997 Chicago Cubs
DivisionCentral Division
BallparkWrigley Field
CityChicago
Record68–94 (.420)
OwnersTribune Company
ManagersJim Riggleman
TelevisionWGN-TV/Superstation WGN/Chicagoland TV
(Harry Caray, Steve Stone, Josh Lewin)
RadioWGN
(Pat Hughes, Ron Santo, Harry Caray, Josh Lewin)
StatsESPN.com
BB-reference
← 1996 Seasons 1998 →

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.

This was also Harry Caray's final season as broadcaster for the team, and in MLB. He died just prior to the following season.

Offseason

  • December 10, 1996: Mel Rojas was signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago Cubs.[1]

Regular season

Opening Day Starters

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 record

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
Team ATL CHC CIN COL FLA HOU LA MTL 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
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Manager

Coaches

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.
A-Short Season Williamsport Cubs New York–Penn League Bobby Ralston
Rookie AZL Cubs Arizona League Terry Kennedy

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: AZL Cubs[6]

References

  1. ^ Mel Rojas Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
  2. ^ http://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=199706160CHA
  3. ^ https://www.baseball-reference.com/z/zambrca01.shtml
  4. ^ Brian McRae Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
  5. ^ Mark Clark Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
  6. ^ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007
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