Sport: MLB
Regular-season record: 116-36 (.763 win%)
Manager: Frank Chance
Key players: 1B Frank Chance, 2B Johnny Evers, SS Joe Tinker, OF Frank Schulte, OF Jimmy Stagle, OF Jimmy Sheckard, P Mordecai Brown, P Jack Pfeister
Finish: Lost inWorld Series to Chicago White Sox
Bottom line: Granted, 1906 was a long, long time ago, but the ’06 Cubs were the epitome of dominance, with the greatest single-season win percentage in baseball history. They allowed just 381 runs, an average of just 2.5 surrendered per game, then scored more than 700 while finishing 20 games ahead of the second-place New York Giants, who by the way won 96 games, in the National League standings. Yet, the Cubs’ dominant pitching had no answer for their crosstown rival White Sox, who scored eight runs in Games 5 and 6, tagging Jack Pfeister — who won 20 games during the regular season — and ace Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown with losses in consecutive days, stealing the World Series in six games. The Cubs learned their lesson though, winning the next two Fall Classics.
