2008_Chicago_Cubs_season

2008 Chicago Cubs season

2008 Chicago Cubs season

Major League Baseball team season


The 2008 Chicago Cubs season was the 137th season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 133rd in the National League and the 93rd at Wrigley Field. The season began at home on March 31 against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs were champions of the National League Central for the second year in a row, accumulating 97 regular season wins—the most since 1945. It was the first time since 1908 that the Cubs made postseason appearances in consecutive seasons.[1]

Quick Facts Chicago Cubs, League ...

At the All-Star break in July, the Cubs led the NL Central and were tied with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the best record in the major leagues.[2] They tied a National League record with eight players selected to the All-Star team.[3]

On September 20, the Cubs clinched the NL Central championship with a 5–4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.[4] Despite their regular season success, the team did not advance past the first round of the playoffs; they were swept 3–0 by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.

Lou Piniella, in his second year as the Cubs' manager, won the National League's Manager of the Year Award in 2008. In addition, catcher Geovany Soto won the 2008 National League Rookie of the Year Award.[1]

Regular season

Game log

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Season standings

With the magic number at 1, fans had their "Cubs Win" flags flying in Chicago.
The Cubs and fans celebrate the 2008 National League Central Division championship. A few Cubs Win flags are visible.

National League Central

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Record vs. opponents

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Rally songs

In 2007, Ernie Banks had requested that Evanston, Illinois native Eddie Vedder write the Cubs a song, and in August 2008 Vedder recorded "All the Way", which was released on September 18, 2008.[5] During the season, a new version of "Go, Cubs, Go" was recorded and released by the Manic Sewing Circle,[6] although the original 1984 Steve Goodman version became the official Cubs victory song.[7]

Playoffs

NLDS vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Chicago Cubs were eliminated from the playoffs after Los Angeles won the series, 3-0.

Game 1, October 1

Wrigley Field in Chicago

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Game 2, October 2

Wrigley Field in Chicago

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Game 3, October 4

Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles

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The Cubs' Game 3 loss to the Dodgers marked the franchise's ninth consecutive post-season defeat, dating back to the 2003 NLCS.

Roster

2008 Chicago Cubs
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Manager

Coaching Staff

Player stats

Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

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Pitching

Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts

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2007 post-season changes

Trades

November 12, 2007
To Detroit Tigers
Jacque Jones
To Chicago Cubs
Omar Infante
November 13, 2007
To Minnesota Twins
Craig Monroe
To Chicago Cubs
Clay Rapada
December 4, 2007
To Atlanta Braves
Will Ohman
Omar Infante
To Chicago Cubs
José Ascanio
December 6, 2007
To Tampa Bay Rays
Cash considerations
To Chicago Cubs
Tim Lahey
January 5, 2008
To New York Mets
Ángel Pagán
To Chicago Cubs
Ryan Meyers
Corey Coles
July 8, 2008
To Oakland Athletics
Sean Gallagher
Matt Murton
Eric Patterson
Josh Donaldson
To Chicago Cubs
Rich Harden
Chad Gaudin

Free agent acquisitions

PlayerFormer teamContract Terms
Kosuke FukudomeChunichi Dragons4 years, $48 million
Jon LieberPhiladelphia Phillies1 year, $3.5 million
Reed JohnsonToronto Blue Jays1 year, $1.3 million
Jim EdmondsSan Diego Padres1 year, $280,000

Players lost to free agency

PlayerNew team
Jason KendallMilwaukee Brewers
Cliff FloydTampa Bay Rays
Mark PriorSan Diego Padres
Steve TrachselBaltimore Orioles
Wade MillerToronto Blue Jays

Other news

  • On November 20, 2007, John McDonough stepped down as team president to join the Chicago Blackhawks.[8]
  • On April 23, 2008, the Chicago Cubs recorded their 10,000th victory in franchise history with a 7-6 victory in 10 innings over the Colorado Rockies. They were just the second team to complete this feat behind the San Francisco Giants.
  • On September 14, 2008 Carlos Zambrano threw the first no-hitter for the Cubs since Milt Pappas threw his on September 2, 1972. Zambrano threw the no-hitter against the Houston Astros in a game played at Miller Park in Milwaukee. It was the first no-hitter recorded at a neutral site in baseball history. The game was moved due to the damage Hurricane Ike caused.

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Daytona


References

  • Chicago Cubs season at Baseball Reference
  • Kaduk, Kevin (October 6, 2008). "The Nail in the Coffin: Your 2008 Chicago Cubs". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
  1. Finnell, Neil (December 29, 2008). "A Look Back at Chicago Cubs 2008: Getting Off to a Strong Start". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  2. "Regular Season Standings". Major League Baseball. Associated Press. July 14, 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
  3. "Cubs tie record for most NL All-Stars". Yahoo! Sports. Associated Press. July 13, 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
  4. Gano, Rick (September 20, 2008). "Chicago Cubs win Central again". Yahoo! Sports. Yahoo! Inc. Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 27, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2008.
  5. "Cubbie jam". RedEye. Metromix. September 19, 2008. Retrieved September 20, 2008.[permanent dead link]
  6. "Manic Sewing Circle perform "Go Cubs Go"". WGNTV.com. Tribune Interactive. September 12, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2008. [dead link]

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