Ernie Banks

For more information on Ernie Banks, visit Britannica.com.

baseball player; founder; president (organization)

Personal Information

Born Ernest Banks in Dallas, TX, on January 31, 1931; Divorced; children: Eddie B.
Education: Graduated from Booker T. Washington High School, Dallas, 1950; attended Northwestern University.
Military/Wartime Service: U.S. Army, 1951-53.

Career

Professional baseball player. Played for Kansas City Monarchs, Negro Leagues, 1950, 1953; signed to Chicago Cubs, 1953; became first black player on the field for Cubs, September, 1953; played for Cubs, 1953-71; retired in 1971 with 512 home runs, 1,636 RBIs; worked for Cubs as coach, consultant, and spokesman after retirement; became spokesman and consultant, New World Van Lines, 1984; founder and president, Ernie Banks International, a sports marketing firm.

Life's Work

The first African-American player to take the field for professional baseball's Chicago Cubs, Ernie Banks amassed a legendary record as a player over 19 seasons with the team. He hit a franchise record 512 home runs, was twice chosen the National League's Most Valuable Player, and played in 13 All-Star games. Yet as important as his exploits on the field was Banks's status as a positive-thinking and reliably comic icon of the long-suffering Cubs team. By the time Banks retired in 1971 he was known as "Mr. Cub," and in 1977 he was named to baseball's Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Ernest Banks was born in Dallas, Texas, on January 31, 1931, the second child and first boy of 12 children. "He never prowled, helped with the chores, went to Sunday School and church, and was a blessing to us all," his mother, Essie, was quoted as saying in the Washington Post. Banks's legendary outgoing personality--he often invites autograph seekers to join him at his table in restaurants--did not develop until adulthood. "I came from a family of 12 ..." Banks told the Chicago Sun-Times. "I did not have self-esteem. I know that sometimes all it takes is one person to say something or do something that just sets it off."

Played Other Sports in School

Banks's father was a pitcher and catcher with the Dallas Green Monarchs and the Black Giants, two teams of the all-black Negro League circuit that flourished before the major leagues were integrated in 1947, and he often brought his son along to serve as a batboy. Nevertheless, though naturally athletic, he rarely played baseball as a youngster. Attending Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas he notched a basketball average of 20 points per game and excelled as a track star (he could clear five feet, eleven inches in the high jump). Baseball wasn't a school sport at the time, and Banks knew little of the world beyond Dallas except for the cotton farms where he worked the fields for $1.75 a day. "It was a small universe," he told the Dallas Morning News. "I was never exposed to anything outside of my neighborhood."

But playing softball one day in 1947, Banks was spotted hitting home runs nearly at will by a local baseball scout and newspaper publisher, Bill Blair, who had once pitched for the Negro Leagues' Indianapolis Clowns. That led to a room-and-board gig with a small all-black club called the Amarillo Colts, playing around Texas and the Southwest. Banks, who was still in high school, played only in the summer. Though he was new to baseball, his skills developed rapidly. "You had to show Ernest everything one time, and he learned it," Blair told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "The talent was all natural."

Soon Banks moved up to the Kansas City Monarchs, a top-level team that had featured the talents of major-league pioneer Jackie Robinson and quotable pitcher Satchel Paige. After graduating from high school, Banks joined the Monarchs in 1950. "It was a new beginning in my life," Banks told the Post-Dispatch. "I was really traveling. I was meeting people from all over. I was seeing other cities. My eyes were opened." At that point, however, he joined the U.S. Army for two years, and when he returned to baseball the Negro Leagues were in a tailspin--in the wake of Robinson's breaking of the color barrier in previously all-white major- league baseball, many of the top black stars had been signed to major-league teams.

First Black Player for Cubs

Discouraged by his prospects, Banks briefly returned to Dallas. But he was persuaded to return to the Monarchs by manager Buck O'Neil, who had gotten wind of interest the major-league Chicago Cubs had expressed in his talented young player. Banks, who received a signing bonus of $2,000, joined the Cubs on September 17, 1953; though another black player, Gene Baker, had signed a contract a few days earlier, Banks was the first black player seen on the bases at the Cubs' Wrigley Field. His top salary with the Cubs was $65,000 a year.

With the number of black major-league players growing, Banks encountered little outright discrimination, but he recalled that white Cubs players mixed little with him and Baker at the start. Nevertheless, Banks soon became an indispensable part of the Cubs' lineup at his starting position of shortstop. Rarely missing a game between 1954 and 1969, he started strong in 1954, his first full season, with a .275 batting average and 19 home runs. Thereafter he improved consistently, slamming 44 home runs in 1955. Banks hit more home runs than any other player between 1955 and 1960, including such better-known sluggers as Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.

The high point of Banks's career came in the 1958 and 1959 seasons, in which he hit 47 and 45 home runs respectively, batting over .300 in both seasons. He was named the National League's Most Valuable Player for both years. After that Banks's pace slackened somewhat, but he remained a consistent player through the 1960s with batting averages in the .260 and .270 range and between 20 and 40 home runs in most seasons. His trademark phrase, "Let's play two," was first uttered on a torrid 100-degree day in 1969 when Banks attempted to lighten the mood of his depressed teammates. By that time Banks had become beloved by Cubs fans for his sportsmanship and unfailingly pleasant outlook. A Chicago alderman once suggested replacing a large Picasso sculpture that stands in the city's downtown with one of Banks instead.

Among Top Sluggers in History

On May 12, 1970 Banks joined a select group in baseball when, with one and the same swing, he hit his 500th home run and notched his 1,600th run batted in. By the time he retired the following year due to the effects of arthritis, he had 512 home runs, good for 12th place at the time on the list of all-time top home-run sluggers. His lifetime batting average was .274, and he also ranked among the top 15 in RBIs. When Banks became eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977, he was chosen for the honor in his first year--a feat only eight other players had achieved at the time. Banks in retirement might serve as a model for other players, as he has carved out goals and interests of his own independent from the world of baseball. For a time he worked as a Cubs coach and served in the team's front office, but, he told People, "I felt trapped. No one looked at me as a human being. I couldn't get on with my life." With the help of a psychologist, Banks decided that he wanted to become more than "a cigar store wooden Indian."

He continues to be associated with the Cubs as an occasional goodwill ambassador, but in the 1990s organized and headed a sports marketing firm of his own, Ernie Banks International. Banks has also established the Ernie Banks Live Above and Beyond Foundation, a nonprofit group that assists children and senior citizens in building self-esteem. He is the author, with Jim Enright, of an autobiography, Mr. Cub.

Awards

Selected: Named Most Valuable Player, National League, 1958 and 1959; member of National League All-Star Team 13 times between 1957 and 1970; inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame, 1977.

Further Reading

Periodicals

• Chicago Sun-Times, February 9, 1992, p. 20; March 8, 1996, p. 116.
• Jet, September 13, 1993, p. 48.
• New York Times, September 28, 1984, p. A29.
• People, April 11, 1983, p. 67.
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 5, 1997, p. F7.
• USA Today, July 9, 1990, p. E4.
• Washington Post, January 20, 1977, p. C4.

— James M. Manheim

Ernie Banks
Shortstop / First baseman
Born: January 31, 1931 (1931-01-31) (age 78) Dallas, Texas
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 17, 1953 for the Chicago Cubs
Last MLB appearance
September 26, 1971 for the Chicago Cubs
Career statistics
Batting average	.274
Home runs	512
Run batted in	1,636
Teams
Chicago Cubs (1953-1971)
Career highlights and awards
11× All-Star selection (1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1967, 1969) 2× NL MVP (1958, 1959) Gold Glove Award winner (1960) 1967 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award Chicago Cubs #14 retired Major League Baseball All-Century Team
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1977
Vote	83.8% (first ballot)

Ernest "Ernie" Banks (born January 31, 1931 in Dallas, Texas) is an American former Major League baseball player who played his entire career with the Chicago Cubs (1953–1971). He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.

Bank's nickname is Mr. Cub.^[1]

Contents 1 High school years 2 Playing career 3 Coaching career 4 Honors 5 Other 5.1 Years led league by statistical category 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

High school years

Banks was a letterman and standout in football, basketball, and track.

Playing career

retired number at Wrigley Field

Banks signed with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League in 1950 and broke into the Major Leagues in 1953 with the Chicago Cubs as their first black player. He played for the Cubs his entire career, starting at shortstop and moving to first base in 1962.^[1]

Initially Banks' double play partner was Gene Baker, the second black player on the Cubs, and Banks' roommate on road trips. When Steve Bilko would play first base, Cubs' announcer and home-town rooter Bert Wilson would refer to the Banks-Baker-Bilko double play combination as "Bingo to Bango to Bilko". This combination would not last quite as long as "Tinker to Evers to Chance", but Banks would become a Cubs institution.

Banks wore number 14 as a Cub, and is the first of only six Cubs players who have had their number retired by the organization. The number was originally worn by Guy Bush in 1932, the first year the Cubs wore numbers on their jerseys.

Banks was known for his catch phrase of, "It's a beautiful day for a ballgame... Let's play two!", expressing his wish to play a doubleheader every day out of his pure love for the game of baseball, especially in his self-described "friendly confines of Wrigley Field." In 1955, he set the record for grand slams in a single season with five, a record that stood for over thirty years.^[2]

Banks won the National League Most Valuable Player Award twice, in 1958 and 1959 despite the fact that the Cubs were not pennant contenders during those seasons. He became the first shortstop in the history of the National League to win the MVP award in back to back seasons.^[3] Jimmy Dykes reportedly remarked that, "Without him, the Cubs would finish in Albuquerque!"^[4]

On September 2, 1965, Banks hit his 400th home run, and five years later, on May 12, 1970 at Chicago's Wrigley Field, hit his 500th home run.^[5] Banks finished his career with 512 home runs, and his 277 homers as a shortstop were the most ever at the time of his retirement. (Cal Ripken, Jr now holds the record for most homers as a shortstop with 345.^[6]) Ernie Banks also currently holds the record for most extra base hits by a Cub with 1,009. Banks also holds the team's records for games played (2,528), at-bats (9,421) and total bases (4,706).^[7]

Coaching career

Ernie Banks, "Mr Cub," bronze statue at Wrigley Field

On December 1, 1971, Banks retired as a player, and the Cubs signed him as a coach.

On May 8, 1973, Cubs manager Whitey Lockman was ejected in the 11th inning of a game against the San Diego Padres. Coach Ernie Banks filled in as manager for the remainder of the game, which the Cubs won 3-2 in 12 innings. Thus, he was technically, if not officially, MLB's first black manager, predating Frank Robinson's hiring by almost two years.

Honors

Ernie Banks was honored alongside the retired numbers of the Chicago Cubs in 1982.

Banks is regarded as one of the most popular baseball players in Chicago sports history. He was a constant promoter of the Cubs and of daytime play at Wrigley Field. His popularity and positive attitude led to the nicknames "Mr. Cub" and "Mr. Sunshine."

In 1982, his uniform number 14 became the first to be retired by the Cubs.^[7] It had already been unofficially retired for nearly 9 years, because it was not assigned to anyone else after Banks' retirement from coaching.

In 1977, in his first year of eligibility, Banks was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The beginning of Banks' induction speech that August 8 leads off the Baseball's Greatest Hits Vol. II CD. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn is heard presenting Banks, who says, "Thank you very much, Commissioner, for the fine introduction. We've got the setting - sunshine, fresh air; we've got the team behind us [past inductees seated behind the podium]; so . . . 'Let's play two!"

In 1999, he ranked Number 38 on The Sporting News list of Baseball's Greatest Players, and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

On March 31, 2008, a statue of Banks was unveiled outside Wrigley Field. Upon its unveiling, the base of the statue was revealed to contain a typographical error, reading "Lets play two" rather than the grammatically correct "Let's play two." Two days later, sculptor Lou Cella came down to the ballpark early in the morning and carved the apostrophe.^[8]

Other

During Banks' career, the Cubs were rarely in contention despite his brilliance. They failed to finish in the first division every season until late in his career. Consequently, Banks holds the Major League record of most games played without a postseason appearance (2528).^[9]

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Banks operated the Ernie Banks Ford car dealership on Stony Island Avenue in Chicago.

Ernie Banks made a guest appearance in the eighth season episode "Dancing with Weezie" of the sitcom Married... with Children, appearing in a new sports bar in Chicago.

In June 2006, Crain's Chicago Business reported that Ernie Banks was part of a group looking into buying the Chicago Cubs, in case the Tribune Company decided to sell the club.^[10]

Ernie Banks established his own charity, the Live Above & Beyond Foundation, to eliminate prejudice, support programs that enhance neighborhoods and relieve discrimination among various age groups and races. In 2008, Banks released a charity wine called Ernie Banks 512 Chardonnay, a nod to his 512 career home runs, with all of his proceeds donated to his foundation.

Banks is the great-uncle of Atlanta Hawks point guard Acie Law IV.^[11] and the uncle of former major league catcher Bob Johnson. He is also the second cousin of O.J. Simpson.

Despite his advancing age, in late 2008 Banks and his wife adopted a daughter. He currently lives in the Los Angeles area.

Years led league by statistical category

• Shortstop Major League Leader:
  • Fielding Average - 1 time
  • Fewest errors - 1 time
• National League Leader:
  • Games played - 6 times
  • Extra base hits - 4 times
  • Home runs - 2 times
  • RBIs - 2 times
  • Slugging percentage - 1 time
  • Total bases - 1 time
  • At bats - 1 time

See also

• First black MLB players by team and date
• List of Major League Baseball Home Run Records
• 500 home run club
• List of baseball players who went directly to the major leagues
• DHL Hometown Heroes
• List of top 500 Major League Baseball home run hitters
• List of major league players with 2,000 hits
• List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
• List of Major League Baseball RBI champions
• List of Major League Baseball home run champions
• MLB consecutive games played streaks
• Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "The Ballplayers - Ernie Banks Biography". Baseballlibrary.com. http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Ernie_Banks_1931. Retrieved 2008-07-23. 
2. ^ "Grand Slams Single Season Leaders by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/hitting/higs2.shtml. Retrieved 2008-07-23. 
3. ^ Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p.152, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, NY, ISBN 978-0-451-22363-0
4. ^ "Ernie Banks", The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
5. ^ "Ernie Banks Home Run Log (Batting)". Baseball-Reference.com. http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/event_hr.cgi?n1=bankser01&type=b. Retrieved 2008-07-23. 
6. ^ Ripken: Records and Achievements. - SportingNews.com
7. ^ ^{a b} "Cubs Retired Numbers". Cubs.com. http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/chc/history/retired_numbers.jsp. Retrieved 2008-07-23. 
8. ^ "Banks statue gets a chip off new block". Chicago Tribune. 2008-04-03. http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CTRB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=11FD2E9C6A3C58F0&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0FA5BD299B01E287. Retrieved 22 April 2009. 
9. ^ "Most Games Played with no Post-Season Appearance". Baseball-Reference.com. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/leaders_most_gamesnops.shtml. Retrieved 2008-07-23. 
10. ^ Strahler, Steven. - "Ernie Banks Eyes Bid for Chicago Cubs". - Crain's Chicago Business. - June 9, 2006
11. ^ Acie Law Bio. - NBA

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ernie Banks

• Baseball Hall of Fame – Member biography
• Ernie Banks - BaseballLibrary.com
• Ernie Banks' oral history video excerpts at The National Visionary Leadership Project
• Ernie Banks Biography - The HistoryMakers

Links to related articles Awards and achievements Preceded by Hank Aaron Eddie Mathews National League Home Run Champion 1958 1960 Succeeded by Eddie Mathews Orlando Cepeda Preceded by Hank Aaron National League RBI Champion 1958-1959 Succeeded by Hank Aaron Preceded by Hank Aaron National League Most Valuable Player 1958, 1959 Succeeded by Dick Groat Preceded by Brooks Robinson Lou Gehrig Memorial Award 1967 Succeeded by Al Kaline v • d • e Major League Baseball All-Century Team Pitchers Nolan Ryan · Sandy Koufax · Cy Young · Roger Clemens · Bob Gibson · Walter Johnson · Warren Spahn · Christy Mathewson · Lefty Grove Infielders Johnny Bench · Yogi Berra · Lou Gehrig · Mark McGwire · Jackie Robinson · Rogers Hornsby · Mike Schmidt · Brooks Robinson · Cal Ripken, Jr. · Ernie Banks · Honus Wagner Outfielders Babe Ruth · Hank Aaron · Ted Williams · Willie Mays · Joe DiMaggio · Mickey Mantle · Ty Cobb · Ken Griffey, Jr. · Pete Rose · Stan Musial v • d • e National League MVP Award 1931: Frisch | 1932: Klein | 1933: Hubbell | 1934: Dean | 1935: Hartnett | 1936: Hubbell | 1937: Medwick | 1938: Lombardi | 1939: Walters | 1940: McCormick | 1941: Camilli | 1942: Cooper | 1943: Musial | 1944: Marion | 1945: Cavarretta | 1946: Musial | 1947: Elliott | 1948: Musial | 1949: J. Robinson | 1950: Konstanty | 1951: Campanella | 1952: Sauer | 1953: Campanella | 1954: Mays | 1955: Campanella | 1956: Newcombe | 1957: Aaron | 1958: Banks | 1959: Banks | 1960: Groat | 1961: F. Robinson | 1962: Wills | 1963: Koufax | 1964: Boyer | 1965: Mays | 1966: Clemente | 1967: Cepeda | 1968: B. Gibson | 1969: McCovey | 1970: Bench | 1971: Torre | 1972: Bench | 1973: Rose | 1974: Garvey | 1975: Morgan | 1976: Morgan | 1977: Foster | 1978: Parker | 1979: Hernandez & Stargell | 1980: Schmidt | 1981: Schmidt | 1982: Murphy | 1983: Murphy | 1984: Sandberg | 1985: McGee | 1986: Schmidt | 1987: Dawson | 1988: K. Gibson | 1989: Mitchell | 1990: Bonds | 1991: Pendleton | 1992: Bonds | 1993: Bonds | 1994: Bagwell | 1995: Larkin | 1996: Caminiti | 1997: Walker | 1998: Sosa | 1999: Jones | 2000: Kent | 2001: Bonds | 2002: Bonds | 2003: Bonds | 2004: Bonds | 2005: Pujols | 2006: Howard | 2007: Rollins | 2008: Pujols v • d • e Lou Gehrig Memorial Award 1955: Dark | 1956: Reese | 1957: Musial | 1958: McDougald | 1959: Hodges | 1960: Groat | 1961: Spahn | 1962: Roberts | 1963: Richardson | 1964: Boyer | 1965: Law | 1966: Robinson | 1967: Banks | 1968: Kaline | 1969: Rose | 1970: Aaron | 1971: Killebrew | 1972: Parker | 1973: Santo | 1974: Stargell | 1975: Bench | 1976: Sutton | 1977: Brock | 1978: Kessinger | 1979: Niekro | 1980: Pérez | 1981: John | 1982: Cey | 1983: Schmidt | 1984: Garvey | 1985: Murphy | 1986: Brett | 1987: Sutcliffe | 1988: Bell | 1989: Smith | 1990: Davis | 1991: Hrbek | 1992: Ripken, Jr. | 1993: Mattingly | 1994: Larkin | 1995: Schilling | 1996: Butler | 1997: Molitor | 1998: Gwynn | 1999: McGwire | 2000: Stottlemyre | 2001: Franco | 2002: Graves | 2003: Moyer | 2004: Thome | 2005: Smoltz | 2006: Hoffman | 2007: Timlin | 2008: Victorino v • d • e National League Shortstop Gold Glove Award 1958: McMillan | 1959: McMillan | 1960: Banks | 1961: Wills | 1962: Wills | 1963: Wine | 1964: Amaro | 1965: Cárdenas | 1966: Alley | 1967: Alley | 1968: Maxvill | 1969: Kessinger | 1970: Kessinger | 1971: Harrelson | 1972: Bowa | 1973: Metzger | 1974: Concepción |1975: Concepción | 1976: Concepción | 1977: Concepción | 1978: Bowa | 1979: Concepción | 1980: Smith | 1981: Smith | 1982: Smith | 1983: Smith | 1984: Smith | 1985: Smith | 1986: Smith | 1987: Smith | 1988: Smith | 1989: Smith | 1990: Smith | 1991: Smith | 1992: Smith | 1993: Bell | 1994: Larkin | 1995: Larkin | 1996: Larkin | 1997: Ordóñez | 1998: Ordóñez | 1999: Ordóñez | 2000: Pérez | 2001: Cabrera | 2002: Rentería | 2003: Rentería | 2004: Izturis | 2005: Vizquel | 2006: Vizquel | 2007: Rollins | 2008: Rollins v • d • e 500 home run club Barry Bonds · Hank Aaron · Babe Ruth · Willie Mays · Ken Griffey, Jr. · Sammy Sosa · Frank Robinson · Mark McGwire · Alex Rodriguez · Harmon Killebrew · Rafael Palmeiro · Jim Thome · Reggie Jackson · Mike Schmidt · Manny Ramirez · Mickey Mantle · Jimmie Foxx · Willie McCovey · Frank Thomas · Ted Williams · Ernie Banks · Eddie Mathews · Mel Ott · Gary Sheffield · Eddie Murray Italics denotes active player v • d • e Chicago Cubs Formerly the Chicago White Stockings, Chicago Colts and the Chicago Orphans • Based in Chicago, Illinois The Franchise History • Seasons • Records • Players • Managers • Broadcasters• Opening Day starting pitchers Ballparks 23rd Street Grounds • Lakefront Park • West Side Park I • South Side Park • West Side Park II • Tokyo Dome (two games in 2000) • Wrigley Field Spring Training: Plant Field • Blair Field • HoHoKam Park Lore Babe Ruth's called shot • The Inning • Gatorade Glove Play • Homer in the Gloamin' • The Sandberg Game • Fall of '69 • Home Run Chase • Brock for Broglio • Merkle's Boner/Curse of Fred Merkle • June Swoon • Worst to First • Monday Saves the Flag • College of Coaches • Playoff futilities • Sandy Koufax's perfect game • Ken Hubbs incident • Billy Jurges incident Culture Steve Bartman • Curse of the Billy Goat • Ex-Cubs Factor • Tinker to Evers to Chance • Rookie of the Year • This Old Cub • Ronnie Woo Woo • Grant DePorter • Wrigley Rooftops • Wrigleyville • Wayne Messmer • Yosh Kawano • Mike Royko • Holy Cow! • Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company • Old Style Beer • Hey Hey Holy Mackerel • Bill Holden • Bleacher Bums • The Heckler • Arne Harris • Voice of Chicago • Billy Sianis • "Go, Cubs, Go" • The Natural • Pat and Ron Show • "All the Way" • Cubs Win Flag • Brant Brown • JDRF • Addison Red Line Station • Sheridan Red Line Station • Taking Care of Business • Billy Goat Tavern • Heel Click • Winter Classic • Clark Street • Radio Network • "Let's Play Two!" • Mr. Cub • A League of Their Own • Take Me Out to the Ball Game • Wrigley Field North • I.O. Rivalries St. Louis Cardinals • Milwaukee Brewers • Chicago White Sox Important Figures William Wrigley, Jr. • Joe Tinker • Johnny Evers • Grover Cleveland Alexander • Mordecai Brown • Cap Anson • Frank Chance • Gabby Hartnett • Hack Wilson • Billy Herman • Stan Hack • Ron Santo • Ernie Banks • Ferguson Jenkins • Ken Holtzman • Bill Buckner • Ryne Sandberg • Billy Williams • Sammy Sosa • Harry Caray • Jack Brickhouse • Mark Grace • Greg Maddux • Andre Dawson • Kerry Wood • Carlos Zambrano • Derrek Lee • Pat Hughes • Aramis Ramirez • Kosuke Fukudome Retired Numbers 10 • 14 • 23 • 26 • 31 • 31 • 42 Key Personnel Owner: Family of Joe Ricketts; operated by Tom Ricketts • General Manager: Jim Hendry • Manager: Lou Piniella World Series Championships (2) 1907 • 1908 National League Championships (16) 1876 • 1880 • 1881 • 1882 • 1885 • 1886 • 1906 • 1907 • 1908 • 1910 • 1918 • 1929 • 1932 • 1935 • 1938 • 1945 Division Championships Eastern: 1984 • 1989 • Central: 2003 • 2007 • 2008 • Wild Card: 1998 Minor League Affiliates Iowa Cubs (AAA) • Tennessee Smokies (AA) • Daytona Cubs (A) • Peoria Chiefs (A) • Boise Hawks (A) • Arizona League Cubs (Rookie) • DSL Cubs1 (Rookie) • DSL Cubs2 (Rookie) Other Assets Comcast SportsNet Chicago • WGN   Seasons (138) 1870s 1870 • 1871 • 1872 • 1873 • 1874 • 1875 • 1876 • 1877 • 1878 • 1879 1880s 1880 • 1881 • 1882 • 1883 • 1884 • 1885 • 1886 • 1887 • 1888 • 1889 1890s 1890 • 1891 • 1892 • 1893 • 1894 • 1895 • 1896 • 1897 • 1898 • 1899 1900s 1900 • 1901 • 1902 • 1903 • 1904 • 1905 • 1906 • 1907 • 1908 • 1909 1910s 1910 • 1911 • 1912 • 1913 • 1914 • 1915 • 1916 • 1917 • 1918 • 1919 1920s 1920 • 1921 • 1922 • 1923 • 1924 • 1925 • 1926 • 1927 • 1928 • 1929 1930s 1930 • 1931 • 1932 • 1933 • 1934 • 1935 • 1936 • 1937 • 1938 • 1939 1940s 1940 • 1941 • 1942 • 1943 • 1944 • 1945 • 1946 • 1947 • 1948 • 1949 1950s 1950 • 1951 • 1952 • 1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 1960s 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 1970s 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 1980s 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 1990s 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 2000s 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 2010s 2010 v • d • e Chicago Cubs retired numbers #10 Ron Santo • #14 Ernie Banks • #23 Ryne Sandberg • #26 Billy Williams • #31 Ferguson Jenkins & Greg Maddux v • d • e Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 1977 BBWAA Vote Ernie Banks (83.81%) Veterans Committee Al Lopez • Amos Rusie • Joe Sewell Negro League Committee Martín Dihigo • Pop Lloyd J. G. Taylor Spink Award Harold Kaese • Red Smith v • d • e Shortstops in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Aparicio • Appling • Bancroft • Banks • Boudreau • Cronin • Davis • Jackson • Jennings • Lloyd • Maranville • Reese • Ripken • Rizzuto • Sewell • Smith • Tinker • Vaughan • Wagner • Wallace • Ward • Wells • Yount

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