1984 Chicago Cubs season

1984 Chicago Cubs
National League East Champions
League	National League
Division	East
Ballpark	Wrigley Field
City	Chicago
Record	96–65 (.596)
Divisional place	1st
Owners	Tribune Company
General managers	Dallas Green
Managers	Jim Frey
Television	WGN-TV/Superstation WGN (Harry Caray, Steve Stone, Milo Hamilton)
Radio	WGN (Milo Hamilton, Vince Lloyd, Lou Boudreau, Harry Caray)
Stats	ESPN.com Baseball Reference
Seasons

The 1984 Chicago Cubs season was the 113th season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 109th in the National League and the 69th at Wrigley Field. The Cubs finished with a record of 96 wins and 65 losses in first place of the National League East (the team's first winning season in 12 years). Chicago was managed by Jim Frey and the general manager was Dallas Green. The Cubs' postseason appearance in this season was their first since 1945. The Cubs pitching staff included 1984 Cy Young Award winner Rick Sutcliffe, and the lineup included 1984 Baseball Most Valuable Player Award winner second baseman Ryne Sandberg. Frey was awarded Manager of the Year for the National League for leading the Cubs to 96 victories. The Cubs were defeated in the 1984 National League Championship Series by the San Diego Padres three games to two.

Offseason

• January 17, 1984: Damon Berryhill was drafted by the Cubs in the 1st round (4th pick) of the 1984 Major League Baseball Draft. Player signed June 2, 1984.
• March 26, 1984: Bill Campbell and Mike Diaz were traded by the Cubs to the Philadelphia Phillies for Porfi Altamirano, Gary Matthews and Bob Dernier.
• March 31, 1984: Alan Hargesheimer was traded by the Cubs to the Kansas City Royals for Don Werner and Derek Botelho.

Spring training

The Cubs began their third season under the control of the Tribune Company and Dallas Green in Mesa, Arizona in February 1984. The previous year, the Cubs had fired manager Lee Elia during a 71–91 campaign, but the Cubs showed flashes of being competitive. As late as July 4, the Cubs were within a game of first place. After the 1983 season, general manager Green hired Jim Frey, the former Kansas City Royals manager who was Green's adversary during the 1980 World Series.

The Cubs opened camp with only a few new players. Richie Hebner, the former Pittsburgh Pirate, was signed as a free agent. The Cubs also made a three-way deal with San Diego and Montreal, sending Craig Lefferts and Carmelo Martínez to the Padres, and getting Scott Sanderson from the Expos.

The Cubs struggled in Cactus League action, so Green began to rebuild the team before it left Mesa. Green began by releasing Ferguson Jenkins, who was just 16 games shy of winning 300 games. Jenkins' release ended the right-hander's second stint with the Cubs, and effectively, his career. Green's biggest move of the spring came on March 26, when he sent journeyman reliever Bill Campbell and catcher Mike Diaz to Philadelphia for pitcher Porfi Altamirano and outfielders Gary Matthews and Bob Dernier.

Regular season

Season summary

The Cubs rebuilt the starting pitching staff through a series of trades by Dallas Green after a disappointing 1983 season where they went 71–91. Green had been brought to the Cubs by the Tribune company which purchased the team in 1981. Before the season started, Green dealt Carmelo Martínez, Craig Lefferts, and Fritzie Connally to acquire right-hander Scott Sanderson. On May 25, the Cubs traded Bill Buckner to the Boston Red Sox for righty Dennis Eckersley and Mike Brumley. Finally on June 13, Mel Hall, Joe Carter, Don Schulze, and Darryl Banks were sent to the Cleveland Indians for starter Rick Sutcliffe, George Frazier, and Ron Hassey. The acquisition of these three starters solidified the rotation for the year.

The Cubs opened up the season going 12–8 in April, and were tied for first place with the New York Mets and a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies.

On May 27 against the Cincinnati Reds in Wrigley Field, third baseman Ron Cey hit what was originally ruled a home run down the left field line. Believing the ball had gone foul, Mario Soto and Reds manager Vern Rapp disputed the call, and during the argument, Soto shoved third base umpire Steve Rippley, who had made the call. After conferring, the umpires changed their decision and ruled it a foul ball, drawing a protest from the Cubs. However, for shoving Rippley, Soto was ejected, prompting him to charge the field and attack Cubs coach Don Zimmer, which triggered a ten-minute brawl. Four days later, National League president Chub Feeney suspended Mario Soto for five games. This game is also notable because Soto's opponent that day was Dennis Eckersley, who would go on to become a record-setting closer years later. "Eck", who was making his Cubs debut after being acquired in a trade with the Boston Red Sox (the Cubs traded Bill Buckner and got Eckersley and then-minor league middle infielder Mike Brumley), would take the loss that day.

The race stayed tight through the first half of the season, with the Cubs and Phillies tied at 42–34 on June 30, with the Mets trailing by just one and a half games. The second half of the season was different, with the Cubs posting a 54–31 record, with the Mets trailing, and the Phillies slumping back to a .500 record.

A key game during the season occurred on June 23 at Wrigley, with the Cubs facing the rival St. Louis Cardinals on the nationally televised "game of the week". The Cardinals led throughout the game, and led 9-8 going into the bottom of the ninth with closer Bruce Sutter on the mound. Twenty-four-year-old second baseman Ryne Sandberg led off the ninth with a solo home run into the left-field bleachers, tying the game at nine. The following inning, St. Louis regained the lead, and Sutter stayed in the game attempting to close out the win. After the first two batters were retired, Bob Dernier walked, bringing up Sandberg again. He promptly hit another game-tying home run into the left-field bleachers, sending the Wrigley fans into a frenzy. The Cardinals did not score in the top of the 11th, but the Cubs loaded the bases on three walks, then rookie Dave Owen singled in the winning run. Ryne Sandberg had 7 RBI in the game. Henceforth, this game has become known as "The Sandberg Game". On September 3, 1984, Rick Sutcliffe had 15 strikeouts in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Cubs ended their playoff drought on September 24 at Three Rivers Stadium in front of just over 5,000 fans, many of whom were Cubs fans. Rick Sutcliffe threw a two-hit complete game for his sixteenth straight victory, and the Cubs won the National League East.

Opening Day starters

• Larry Bowa
• Ron Cey
• Jody Davis
• Bob Dernier
• Leon Durham
• Gary Matthews
• Keith Moreland
• Dick Ruthven
• Ryne Sandberg

Season standings

NL East

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Chicago Cubs	96	65	.596	—	51‍–‍29	45‍–‍36
New York Mets	90	72	.556	6½	48‍–‍33	42‍–‍39
St. Louis Cardinals	84	78	.519	12½	44‍–‍37	40‍–‍41
Philadelphia Phillies	81	81	.500	15½	39‍–‍42	42‍–‍39
Montreal Expos	78	83	.484	18	39‍–‍42	39‍–‍41
Pittsburgh Pirates	75	87	.463	21½	41‍–‍40	34‍–‍47

Record vs. opponents

1984 National League record Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
Team	ATL	CHC	CIN	HOU	LAD	MON	NYM	PHI	PIT	SD	SF	STL
Atlanta	—	3–9	13–5	12–6	6–12	5–7	4–8	7–5	8–4	7–11	10–8	5–7
Chicago	9–3	—	7–5	6–6	7–5	10–7	12–6	9–9	8–10	6–6	9–3	13–5
Cincinnati	5–13	5–7	—	8–10	7–11	7–5	3–9	5–7	7–5	7–11	12–6	4–8
Houston	6–12	6–6	10–8	—	9–9	7–5	4–8	6–6	6–6	6–12	12–6	8–4
Los Angeles	12–6	5–7	7–11	9–9	—	6–6	3–9	3–9	4–8	10–8	10–8	6–6
Montreal	7–5	7–10	5–7	5–7	6–6	—	7–11	11–7	7–11	7–5	7–5	9–9
New York	8–4	6–12	9–3	8–4	9–3	11–7	—	10–8	12–6	6–6	4–8	7–11
Philadelphia	5-7	9–9	7–5	6–6	9–3	7–11	8–10	—	7–11	7–5	8–4	8–10
Pittsburgh	4–8	10–8	5–7	6–6	8–4	11–7	6–12	11–7	—	4–8	6–6	4–14
San Diego	11–7	6–6	11–7	12–6	8–10	5–7	6–6	5–7	8–4	—	13–5	7–5
San Francisco	8–10	3–9	6–12	6–12	8–10	5–7	8–4	4–8	6–6	5–13	—	7–5
St. Louis	7–5	5–13	8–4	4–8	6–6	9–9	11–7	10–8	14–4	5–7	5–7	—

Notable transactions

• May 25, 1984: Bill Buckner was traded by the Cubs to the Boston Red Sox for Dennis Eckersley and Mike Brumley.
• June 4, 1984: 1984 Major League Baseball Draft
  • Greg Maddux was drafted by the Cubs in the 2nd round. Player signed June 19, 1984.
• June 13, 1984: Mel Hall, Joe Carter, Don Schulze, and Darryl Banks (minors) were traded by the Cubs to the Cleveland Indians for Rick Sutcliffe, George Frazier and Ron Hassey.
• July 2, 1984: Dickie Noles was traded by the Cubs to the Texas Rangers for players to be named later. The Rangers completed the deal by sending Tim Henry (minors) and Jorge Gomez (minors) to the Cubs on December 11.

Roster

1984 Chicago Cubs
Roster
Pitchers 33 Porfi Altamirano 42 Rich Bordi 41 Warren Brusstar 43 Dennis Eckersley 39 George Frazier 37 Bill Johnson 38 Ron Meridith 48 Dickie Noles 52 Reggie Patterson 30 Chuck Rainey 47,48 Rick Reuschel 44 Dick Ruthven 24 Scott Sanderson 43 Don Schulze 46 Lee Smith 49 Tim Stoddard 40 Rick Sutcliffe 34 Steve Trout		Catchers  7 Jody Davis 15 Ron Hassey 16 Steve Lake Infielders  1 Larry Bowa 22 Bill Buckner 11 Ron Cey 10 Leon Durham 18 Richie Hebner 19 Dave Owen 17 Dan Rohn 23 Ryne Sandberg 29 Tom Veryzer		Outfielders 27 Thad Bosley 28 Henry Cotto 20 Bob Dernier 27 Mel Hall 22 Billy Hatcher 21 Jay Johnstone 12 Davey Lopes 36 Gary Matthews  6 Keith Moreland 25 Gary Woods		Manager  8 Jim Frey Coaches  5 Rubén Amaro  3 Billy Connors  9 Johnny Oates  2 John Vukovich  4 Don Zimmer

Game log

1984 Game Log
April (12-8) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Other Info 1 April 3 @ Giants 5 – 3 Ruthven (1–0) M. Davis (0–1) Smith (1) 52,700 1-0 Opening Day 2 April 5 @ Giants 11 – 7 Rainey (1–0) Krukow (0–1) Smith (2) 8,460 2-0 3 April 6 @ Padres 3 – 2 Monge (1–0) Smith (0–1) 15,835 2-1 4 April 7 @ Padres 7 – 6 Dravecky (1–0) Trout (0–1) Gossage (2) 27,799 2-2 5 April 8 @ Padres 8 – 5 Smith (1-1) Thurmond (0–1) 24,285 3-2 6 April 9 @ Dodgers 4 – 2 Reuss (1–0) Rainey (1-1) Niedenfuer (1) 33,284 3-3 7 April 11 @ Dodgers 2 – 1 Honeycutt (1–0) Sanderson (0–1) 38,466 3-4 8 April 13 Mets 11 – 2 Trout (1-1) Gooden (1-1) 33,436 4-4 9 April 14 Mets 5 – 2 Ruthven (2–0) Leary (1-1) Smith (3) 15,789 5-4 10 April 18 Cardinals 5 – 0 Andújar (2–1) Rainey (1–2) 0 5-5 11 April 18 Cardinals 6 – 1 Sanderson (1-1) LaPoint (1–2) 5,816 6-5 12 April 19 Cardinals 6 – 1 Trout (2–1) Cox (2–1) 8,086 7-5 13 April 20 Pirates 5 – 4 Stoddard (1–0) Tekulve (0–1) 22,049 8-5 14 April 21 Pirates 8 – 5 DeLeon (1–0) Noles (0–1) Robinson (3) 21,936 8-6 15 April 23 @ Cardinals 6 – 2 Sanderson (2–1) LaPoint (1–3) 12,468 9-6 16 April 24 @ Cardinals 3 – 2 Stoddard (2–0) Sutter (0–1) Smith (4) 19,639 10-6 17 April 25 @ Cardinals 7 – 5 Lahti (1-1) Ruthven (2–1) Sutter (5) 24,978 10-7 18 April 27 @ Pirates 3 – 2 Rhoden (2-2) Rainey (1–3) Tekulve (2) 9,057 10-8 19 April 28 @ Pirates 7 – 1 Sanderson (3–1) McWilliams (0–3) 17,317 11-8 20 April 29 @ Pirates 2 – 1 Trout (3–1) Candelaria (3–2) Smith (5) 13,397 12-8
May (15-12) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Other Info 21 May 1 @ Mets 8 – 1 Gooden (2–1) Ruthven (2-2) 13,906 12-9 22 May 2 @ Mets 4 – 3 Lynch (3–0) Smith (1–2) 11,059 12-10 23 May 4 Padres 7 – 6 Smith (2-2) Monge (2–1) 6,533 13-10 24 May 5 Padres 6 – 5 Brusstar (1–0) Lefferts (0–1) 28,441 14-10 25 May 6 Padres 8 – 5 Show (5–1) Ruthven (2–3) 31,700 14-11 26 May 7 Giants 10 – 7 Rainey (2–3) M. Davis (0–4) Stoddard (1) 6,002 15-11 27 May 8 Giants 12 – 11 Smith (3–2) Minton (1–2) 4,645 16-11 28 May 9 Dodgers 7 – 0 Sanderson (4–1) Hooton (0–1) Bordi (1) 7,908 17-11 29 May 10 Dodgers 5 – 1 Welch (3-3) Trout (3–2) 15,747 17-12 30 May 11 @ Astros 3 – 1 Ryan (3–2) Ruthven (2–4) DiPino (5) 16,829 17-13 31 May 12 @ Astros 5 – 4 Noles (1-1) DiPino (1–2) Smith (6) 20,737 18-13 32 May 13 @ Astros 1 – 0 Madden (1-1) Reuschel (0–1) Ruhle (2) 13,405 18-14 33 May 15 @ Reds 6 – 3 Noles (2–1) Pastore (2–3) Stoddard (2) 13,074 19-14 34 May 16 @ Reds 10 – 4 Trout (4–2) Russell (2–4) 12,899 20-14 35 May 17 @ Reds 5 – 3 Soto (6–1) Ruthven (2–5) 18,974 20-15 36 May 18 Astros 7 – 6 Stoddard (3–0) Smith (0–1) 16,812 21-15 37 May 19 Astros 5 – 4 Reuschel (1-1) Dawley (2–3) Smith (7) 34,122 22-15 38 May 20 Astros 10 – 3 Bordi (1–0) M. Scott (2-2) 27,503 23-15 39 May 23 Braves 3 – 1 Trout (5–2) McMurtry (3–5) Smith (8) 15,860 24-15 40 May 24 Braves 10 – 7 Rainey (3-3) Perez (3–1) Brusstar (1) 0 25-15 41 May 24 Braves 7 – 5 Reuschel (2–1) Falcone (2–5) Bordi (2) 24,551 26-15 42 May 25 Reds 3 – 0 Hume (3–4) Noles (2-2) Power (1) 11,266 26-16 43 May 26 Reds 7 – 6 Scherrer (1–0) Trout (5–3) Power (2) 31,556 26-17 44 May 27 Reds 4 – 3 Berenyi (2–5) Eckersley (0–1) 38,060 26-18 45 May 29 @ Braves 7 – 4 Perez (4–1) Brusstar (1-1) Forster (3) 15,156 26-19 46 May 30 @ Braves 6 – 2 Trout (6–3) Barker (4–5) Smith (9) 16,660 27-19 47 May 31 @ Phillies 10 – 2 Hudson (6–3) Rainey (3–4) 25,044 27-20
June (15-14) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Other Info 49 June 2 @ Phillies 3 – 2 Holland (4–2) Smith (3-3) 40,102 28-21 50 June 3 @ Phillies 11 – 2 Trout (7–3) K. Gross (1-1) Brusstar (2) 30,278 29-21 51 June 5 @ Expos 3 – 2 Rainey (4-4) Smith (5-5) Smith (10) 25,810 30-21 52 June 6 @ Expos 8 – 1 Gullickson (2–5) Reuschel (3–2) 15,686 30-22 53 June 7 @ Expos 2 – 1 Lea (10–2) Eckersley (0–2) 14,976 30-23 54 June 8 @ Cardinals 5 – 4 Lahti (2–1) Stoddard (3–1) Sutter (14) 38,457 30-24 55 June 9 @ Cardinals 5 – 0 Bordi (2–0) Stuper (2–3) 48,869 31-24 56 June 10 @ Cardinals 2 – 0 Rainey (5–4) Andújar (10–5) Smith (11) 43,035 32-24 57 June 11 Expos 2 – 1 James (2–3) Smith (3–4) 21,231 32-25 58 June 12 Expos 11 – 4 Eckersley (1–2) Lea (10–3) 22,512 33-25 59 June 13 Expos 7 – 4 Stoddard (4–1) Lucas (0–1) Smith (12) 22,388 34-25 60 June 14 Phillies 11 – 2 Carlton (4–3) Bordi (2–1) 23,373 34-26 61 June 15 Phillies 5 – 2 Hudson (7–4) Rainey (5-5) Holland (14) 27,489 34-27 62 June 16 Phillies 8 – 2 Bystrom (3-3) Reuschel (3-3) 40,723 34-28 63 June 17 Phillies 9 – 7 K. Gross (3–2) Eckersley (1–3) Holland (15) 36,882 34-29 64 June 19 @ Pirates 4 – 3 Sutcliffe (1–0) Tudor (4-4) Smith (13) 9,377 35-29 65 June 20 @ Pirates 5 – 1 DeLeon (4-4) Rainey (5–6) 7,767 35-30 66 June 21 @ Pirates 8 – 6 Rhoden (5-5) Eckersley (1–4) Tekulve (6) 8,267 35-31 67 June 22 Cardinals 9 – 3 Reuschel (4–3) Stuper (2–5) Smith (14) 33,723 36-31 68 June 23 Cardinals 12 – 11 Smith (4-4) Rucker (1-1) 38,079 37-31 The Sandberg Game 69 June 24 Cardinals 5 – 0 Sutcliffe (2–0) Horton (3–1) 39,494 38-31 70 June 25 Pirates 3 – 0 DeLeon (5–4) Rainey (5–7) 19,036 38-32 71 June 26 Pirates 9 – 0 Rhoden (6–5) Eckersley (1–5) 0 38-33 72 June 26 Pirates 9 – 8 Bordi (3–1) McWilliams (4–6) Smith (15) 28,369 39-33 73 June 27 Pirates 8 – 7 Stoddard (5–1) Scurry (1–4) 37,055 40-33 74 June 28 @ Dodgers 5 – 3 Trout (8–3) Pena (8–4) Stoddard (3) 37,659 41-33 75 June 29 @ Dodgers 7 – 1 Hershiser (3-3) Sutcliffe (2–1) 43,700 41-34 76 June 30 @ Dodgers 14 – 4 Frazier (1–0) Howell (0–1) Stoddard (4) 47,991 42-34
July (18-10) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Other Info 77 July 1 @ Dodgers 4 – 3 Eckersley (2–5) Valenzuela (8–9) Brusstar (3) 47,460 43-34 78 July 2 @ Padres 5 – 1 Dravecky (5–4) Reuschel (4-4) 13,444 43-35 79 July 3 @ Padres 3 – 2 Trout (9–3) Thurmond (5–4) Stoddard (5) 20,287 44-35 80 July 4 @ Padres 2 – 1 Sutcliffe (3–1) Show (8–6) Smith (16) 52,134 45-35 81 July 5 @ Giants 9 – 3 Sanderson (5–1) Laskey (4–8) Bordi (3) 6,854 46-35 82 July 6 @ Giants 5 – 4 Stoddard (6–1) Minton (1–6) Smith (17) 11,071 47-35 83 July 7 @ Giants 7 – 2 Krukow (5–7) Reuschel (4–5) 16,662 47-36 84 July 8 @ Giants 6 – 3 Sutcliffe (4–1) M. Davis (3–8) Smith (18) 22,223 48-36 85 July 12 Dodgers 3 – 2 Stoddard (7–1) Niedenfuer (1–5) 33,129 49-36 86 July 13 Dodgers 7 – 5 Sutcliffe (5–1) Welch (6–10) Smith (19) 33,915 50-36 87 July 14 Dodgers 8 – 0 Hershiser (5–3) Sanderson (5–2) 39,396 50-37 88 July 15 Dodgers 4 – 1 Eckersley (3–5) Valenzuela (8–10) Smith (20) 39,574 51-37 89 July 16 Padres 4 – 0 Thurmond (6–5) Ruthven (2–6) 23,642 51-38 90 July 17 Padres 6 – 5 Show (10–6) Trout (9–4) Gossage (16) 29,499 51-39 91 July 18 Padres 4 – 1 Sutcliffe (6–1) Whitson (10–5) 27,471 52-39 92 July 19 Giants 6 – 4 Frazier (2–0) M. Davis (3–10) Stoddard (6) 22,523 53-39 93 July 20 Giants 3 – 2 Robinson (5–11) Eckersley (3–6) Minton (10) 27,259 53-40 94 July 21 Giants 4 – 3 Bordi (4–1) Minton (1–7) 37,527 54-40 95 July 22 Giants 11 – 5 Krukow (7–8) Trout (9–5) 37,096 54-41 96 July 23 @ Phillies 3 – 2 Sutcliffe (7–1) Rawley (3–2) Smith (21) 32,243 55-41 97 July 24 @ Phillies 3 – 2 Koosman (12–7) Stoddard (7–2) Holland (22) 37,063 55-42 98 July 25 @ Phillies 9 – 4 Eckersley (4–6) Hudson (8-8) 45,183 56-42 99 July 27 @ Mets 2 – 1 Gooden (9–6) Ruthven (2–7) Orosco (21) 51,102 56-43 100 July 28 @ Mets 11 – 4 Smith (5–4) Sisk (1–3) 37,518 57-43 101 July 29 @ Mets 3 – 0 Trout (10–5) Terrell (8-8) 0 58-43 102 July 29 @ Mets 5 – 1 Sanderson (6–2) Berenyi (7–11) 50,443 59-43 103 July 30 Phillies 3 – 2 Eckersley (5–6) Hudson (8–9) Smith (22) 29,425 60-43 104 July 31 Phillies 2 – 1 (12) Holland (5-5) Stoddard (7–3) Campbell (1) 30,175 60-44
August (20-10) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Other Info 105 August 1 Phillies 5 – 4 Smith (6–4) Holland (5–6) 32,900 61-44 106 August 2 Expos 3 – 2 Sutcliffe (8–1) Smith (9-9) Smith (23) 22,485 62-44 107 August 3 Expos 6 – 5 Reardon (4-4) Stoddard (7–4) 28,483 62-45 108 August 4 Expos 4 – 1 Eckersley (6-6) Schatzeder (4–3) Frazier (1) 38,306 63-45 109 August 5 Expos 4 – 3 Reuschel (5-5) Grapenthin (0–1) Smith (24) 35,142 64-45 110 August 6 Mets 9 – 3 Ruthven (3–7) Gooden (9–8) 31,793 65-45 111 August 7 Mets 8 – 6 Sutcliffe (9–1) Darling (10–5) Frazier (2) 0 66-45 112 August 7 Mets 8 – 4 Stoddard (8–4) Lynch (8–7) Smith (25) 39,271 67-45 113 August 8 Mets 7 – 6 Smith (7–4) Gardner (1-1) Stoddard (7) 37,292 68-45 114 August 9 @ Expos 1 – 0 Schatzeder (5–3) Frazier (2–1) 20,227 68-46 115 August 10 @ Expos 2 – 1 James (5–4) Stoddard (8–5) 21,566 68-47 116 August 11 @ Expos 2 – 1 Smith (8–4) Lea (14–8) 30,494 69-47 117 August 12 @ Expos 7 – 3 Sutcliffe (10–1) Rogers (3–12) 28,464 70-47 118 August 13 @ Astros 2 – 1 Dawley (7–4) Sanderson (6–3) 14,793 70-48 119 August 14 @ Astros 7 – 6 Solano (1–2) Frazier (2-2) DiPino (10) 18,756 70-49 120 August 15 @ Astros 6 – 2 Knepper (12–8) Eckersley (6–7) DiPino (11) 19,999 70-50 121 August 17 @ Reds 6 – 4 Soto (13–6) Ruthven (3–8) 35,038 70-51 122 August 18 @ Reds 13 – 11 Sutcliffe (11–1) Robinson (0–1) Smith (26) 32,256 71-51 123 August 19 @ Reds 9 – 6 Frazier (3–2) Russell (5–14) 38,404 72-51 124 August 20 Astros 6 – 1 Trout (11–5) Knepper (12–9) 26,967 73-51 125 August 21 Astros 11 – 5 Eckersley (7-7) M. Scott (5–11) 29,184 74-51 126 August 22 Astros 8 – 3 Ryan (11–7) Ruthven (3–9) 31,018 74-52 127 August 24 Braves 3 – 0 Sutcliffe (12–1) Camp (6-6) 35,496 75-52 128 August 25 Braves 3 – 2 Mahler (9–8) Sanderson (6–4) 36,614 75-53 129 August 26 Braves 5 – 0 Trout (12–5) Perez (11–6) 35,002 76-53 130 August 28 Reds 5 – 2 Eckersley (8–7) McGaffigan (3–6) Frazier (3) 0 77-53 131 August 28 Reds 5 – 2 Ruthven (4–9) Pastore (3–8) Bordi (4) 32,827 78-53 132 August 29 Reds 7 – 2 Sutcliffe (13–1) Russell (6–15) 26,425 79-53 133 August 30 @ Braves 8 – 3 Smith (9–4) Garber (2–4) 10,876 80-53 134 August 31 @ Braves 3 – 2 Moore (3-3) Smith (9–5) 19,396 80-54
September (16-11) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Other Info 135 September 1 @ Braves 4 – 1 Bordi (5–1) McMurtry (8–14) Smith (27) 28,821 81-54 136 September 2 @ Braves 4 – 2 Ruthven (5–9) Mahler (9-9) Smith (28) 26,106 82-54 137 September 3 @ Phillies 4 – 3 (12) Frazier (4–2) Martin (1–2) Smith (29) 28,162 83-54 138 September 4 @ Phillies 7 – 2 Sanderson (7–4) Carlton (11–7) 25,054 84-54 139 September 5 @ Expos 3 – 1 Palmer (6–3) Trout (12–6) Grapenthin (2) 12,623 84-55 140 September 6 @ Expos 4 – 1 Frazier (5–2) Lea (15–10) Smith (30) 13,089 85-55 141 September 7 @ Mets 10 – 0 Gooden (15–8) Ruthven (5–10) 46,301 85-56 142 September 8 @ Mets 6 – 0 Sutcliffe (14–1) Terrell (10–11) 42,810 86-56 143 September 9 @ Mets 5 – 1 Darling (12–6) Frazier (5–3) 34,956 86-57 144 September 10 Phillies 3 – 2 Stoddard (9–5) Koosman (14–12) Smith (31) 26,083 87-57 145 September 11 Phillies 6 – 3 Hudson (9–10) Smith (9–6) Holland (29) 28,964 87-58 146 September 12 Expos 11 – 5 Stoddard (10–5) Smith (11–12) 20,976 88-58 147 September 14 Mets 7 – 1 Sutcliffe (15–1) Darling (12–7) 32,403 89-58 148 September 15 Mets 5 – 4 Sanderson (8–4) Fernandez (4–6) Smith (32) 38,653 90-58 149 September 16 Mets 9 – 3 Berenyi (12–13) Trout (12–7) 38,936 90-59 150 September 18 Pirates 6 – 2 Tudor (10–11) Eckersley (8-8) Robinson (9) 30,721 90-60 151 September 19 Pirates 11 – 6 McWilliams (11–10) Stoddard (10–6) Winn (1) 31,585 90-61 152 September 20 Pirates 7 – 6 Tekulve (3–9) Smith (9–7) Candelaria (1) 33,651 90-62 153 September 21 @ Cardinals 8 – 0 Kepshire (5-5) Sanderson (8–5) 36,847 90-63 154 September 23 @ Cardinals 8 – 1 Trout (13–7) Ownbey (0–3) 0 91-63 155 September 23 @ Cardinals 4 – 2 Eckersley (9–8) Andújar (19–14) Smith (33) 46,083 92-63 156 September 24 @ Pirates 4 – 1 Sutcliffe (16–1) McWilliams (11-11) 5,472 93-63 Clinch NL East Title 157 September 25 @ Pirates 7 – 1 DeLeon (7–13) Patterson (0–1) 4,068 93-64 158 September 26 @ Pirates 5 – 2 Ruthven (6–10) Tunnell (1–7) 3,365 94-64 159 September 28 Cardinals 4 – 1 Andújar (20–14) Bordi (5–2) Sutter (45) 31,021 94-65 160 September 29 Cardinals 9 – 5 Eckersley (10–8) Cox (9–11) 33,954 95-65 161 September 30 Cardinals 2 – 1 Frazier (6–3) Sutter (5–7) 33,100 96-65

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
C	Jody Davis	150	523	134	.256	19	94
1B	Leon Durham	137	473	132	.279	23	96
2B	Ryne Sandberg	156	636	200	.314	19	84
3B	Ron Cey	146	505	121	.240	25	97
SS	Larry Bowa	133	391	87	.223	0	17
LF	Gary Matthews	147	491	143	.291	14	82
CF	Bob Dernier	143	536	149	.278	3	32
RF	Keith Moreland	140	495	138	.279	16	80

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
Mel Hall	48	150	42	.280	4	22
Henry Cotto	105	146	40	.274	0	8
Gary Woods	87	98	23	.235	3	10
Thad Bosley	55	98	29	.296	2	14
Dave Owen	47	93	18	.194	1	10
Richie Hebner	44	81	27	.333	2	8
Tom Veryzer	44	74	14	.189	0	4
Jay Johnstone	52	73	21	.288	0	3
Steve Lake	25	54	12	.222	2	7
Bill Buckner	21	43	9	.209	0	2
Ron Hassey	19	33	11	.333	2	5
Dan Rohn	25	31	4	.129	1	3
Davey Lopes	16	17	4	.235	0	0
Billy Hatcher	8	9	1	.111	0	0

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
Steve Trout	32	190.0	13	7	3.41	81
Dennis Eckersley	24	160.1	10	8	3.03	81
Rick Sutcliffe	20	150.1	16	1	2.69	155
Scott Sanderson	24	140.2	8	5	3.14	76
Dick Ruthven	23	126.2	6	10	5.04	55
Chuck Rainey	17	88.1	5	7	4.28	45
Don Schulze	1	3.0	0	0	12.00	2

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
Rick Reuschel	19	92.1	5	5	5.17	43
Rich Bordi	31	83.1	5	2	3.46	41
Reggie Patterson	3	6.0	0	1	10.50	5

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
Lee Smith	69	9	7	33	3.65	86
Tim Stoddard	58	10	6	7	3.82	87
Warren Brusstar	41	1	1	3	3.11	36
George Frazier	37	6	3	3	4.10	58
Dickie Noles	21	2	2	0	5.15	14
Porfi Altamirano	5	0	0	0	4.76	7
Bill Johnson	4	0	0	0	1.69	3
Ron Meridith	3	0	0	0	3.38	4

Cultural Influences

Before the season began, Grammy Award winning artist Steve Goodman recorded the tune "Go Cubs Go" which was played as the lead-in music for the radio broadcast on WGN radio. Goodman, who died just days before the Cubs clinched the division, also recorded "A Dying Cubs Fan's Last Request". Since the 2007 season, the song has been played at Wrigley Field after victories; the practice continues to this day.

The home games always began with the popular Van Halen song "Jump".

NLCS

Main article: 1984 National League Championship Series

A theory is that the Cubs were deprived of home-field advantage for the 1984 National League Championship Series (NLCS) because they could not host night games. There are accounts of MLB executives becoming frustrated throughout the 1984 MLB season and when it started to become clear in mid-August that the Cubs were very likely going to win the division, TV money was at stake. The networks then covering postseason games — NBC and ABC — could have lost millions if they had to cover those games at the then-lightless Wrigley Field on weekday afternoons. This was considered by MLB moguls to be important for the World Series and ultimately leads some to believe there may have been collusion leading to the Cubs losing three straight games to the San Diego Padres.

However, from 1969 to 1984, the LCS were five-game series played in a 2-3 format. The NL West and AL East champs hosted the first two games in odd years and the NL East and the AL West hosted the first two games in even years. Thus, no changes were made to the NLCS schedule due to Wrigley Field's lack of lights.

It is true that Major League Baseball announced in August 1984 that if the Cubs were to make the World Series, the first game would be moved to the American League park, to maximize the television revenues from night games. In 1984, the series was to be a seven-game series in a 2-3-2 format with the NL hosting the first two and last two games. San Diego won the series, 3–2.

Game	Date	Score	Location	Time	Attendance
1	October 2	San Diego Padres – 0, Chicago Cubs – 13	Wrigley Field	2:49	36,282
2	October 3	San Diego Padres – 2, Chicago Cubs – 4	Wrigley Field	2:18	36,282
3	October 4	Chicago Cubs – 1, San Diego Padres – 7	Jack Murphy Stadium	2:19	58,346
4	October 6	Chicago Cubs – 5, San Diego Padres – 7	Jack Murphy Stadium	3:13	58,354
5	October 7	Chicago Cubs – 3, San Diego Padres – 6	Jack Murphy Stadium	2:41	58,359

Awards and honors

• Jim Frey, Associated Press Manager of the Year
• Ryne Sandberg – National League Most Valuable Player
• Rick Sutcliffe – National League Cy Young Award Winner

All-Star Game

• Ryne Sandberg, second baseman (starter)
• Jody Davis, catcher (reserve)

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Iowa Cubs	American Association	Jim Napier
AA	Midland Cubs	Texas League	George Enright
A	Lodi Crushers	California League	Junior Kennedy
A	Quad Cities Cubs	Midwest League	Larry Cox
A-Short Season	Geneva Cubs	New York–Penn League	Tony Franklin
Rookie	Pikeville Cubs	Appalachian League	Jim Fairey

References

• Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.

• 1984 Chicago Cubs at Baseball Reference
• 1984 Chicago Cubs on Baseball Almanac

External sources

• 1984 Chicago Cubs stats at Baseball Reference
• 1984 Batting and Pitching Statistics