INTRODUCTION

Even before the Cubs wore numbers on their uniforms, they had made three numbers famous: 6-4-3. Tinker to Evers to Chance was one of the great infields of its day, but it was a short ditty penned by Franklin P. Adams, a transplanted Chicagoan living in New York, that provided meter and made their names eternal, transforming these ballplayers into a “trio of bear cubs, fleeter than birds.” Oddly, in the nine seasons (1902–10) that these three made up that famous DP combination, not once did the Cubs lead the National League in double plays. It just must have seemed so to Adams and the New York Giants, the team the Cubs so often kept from the World Series.

In the years since “Peerless Leader” Frank Chance led the Cubs to no fewer than 90 wins—four times cracking 100, with four pennants and two world championships—in just seven full seasons at the helm, the Cubs have had to earn everything they’ve gotten. They won two pennants from Chance’s acrimonious exit in 1912 until the unpleasant removal of another future Hall of Famer, Rogers Hornsby, from the manager’s chair during the 1932 season. Charlie Grimm took over on July 13. By then, the Cubs were wearing numbers on their back. So was the whole National League. The Cubs dialed it up under “Jolly Cholly” and won the pennant.

Eighty-four years later, these numbers are like an epic poem through four generations of Cubs, from the days when no team played night games, to the present day, now more than a generation after Wrigley Field finally switched them on. Each player, each number, is linked in a chain through the years. Through the 2015 season, 1,405 players have buttoned up or pulled over a jersey with “Cubs” on the front and a number on the back. That number increases by 117 when counting managers and coaches who never suited up as Cubs players, bringing the grand total to 1,522 numbered personnel in franchise history. Of course, that number will already be obsolete by the time you read this. The numbers just keep rolling on.

Lists of every player and their numbers are not new—Baseball by the Numbers (by Mark Stang and Linda Harkness), Now Batting, Number … (by Jack Looney), and team media guides have trod this ground before us—but the tale of who these people were behind the numbers and connecting them by the often arbitrary selection of uniform numbers, establishes a new relationship among players who have heretofore had little more in common than their home park and the “C” on their hat. Nationalities, religions, and player ratings aside, we line them up toe to toe from Woody English, the original #1, to Todd Hundley, who doubled father Randy’s fun (but not his reliability) in #99. Pitchers, shortstops, and right fielders gather together at nearly every stop north of #10. Larry Biittner and Fritzie Connally (yes, there really was a major league player known as “Fritzie”) don #26 during the brief interludes between 1961 and 2001 when Billy Williams isn’t wearing it. Hall of Famer Billy, incidentally, wore a Cubs uniform for 31 seasons, 16 as a player and 15 as a coach, more than any other single individual. Follow the Wrigley brick road to #32: Coaker (Triplett), and (Craig) Lefferts, and Bobs (Carpenter and Schultz), Rich Nye!

Cubs by the Numbers is meant to be like the game and the team that inspired it: fun. Verifying all this information is a lot of work—hence the three names on the book’s cover—but we hope it’s as much fun to read as it was to write. Lord knows, the Cubs can’t win every day and this book is designed to take the sting out of those blue flag days while making the white flag with that cherished “W” snap a little crisper in that wind blowing off Lake Michigan.

Never again will Cubs fans chant “we’re Number 1” without being able to know just how many #1s there have been. And for those of you who have used Cubs numbers for locker combinations and other mnemonics for years, you are not alone. But don’t worry about someone discovering your combination of 40-10-38 (Sutcliffe-Santo-Zambrano), you’re among friends.

Follow These Numbered Instructions

Cubs by the Numbers was born out of hobby and obsession. This book reads a little differently than your average baseball book. Here’s why.

1. Each chapter begins with a uniform number and the player or player(s) most associated with it—or the story we’re most anxious to tell.

2. Each chapter begins with a chronological list of every Cub to wear the number and play in a game. Spring training numbers don’t count. There’s only one player in Cubs history since 1932 who was on the roster, was issued a number, and who never played in a game. For his story, see Chapter 32. Coaches and managers are included, with their roles designated in parentheses.

3. Dates that accompany players on each chapter’s roster list refer to the years that player was a Cub and wore that number. Many Cubs have worn multiple numbers, so if you wonder why Glenallen Hill is listed under #4 when you’d bet your brother’s liver that he was a hero in #6 for the Cubs back in ’98, G-Hill simply swapped numbers between stints at Wrigley. Players wearing multiple numbers will generally only have one writeup—and some won’t even have that—but every Cub will be listed under the number he wore.

4. Every chapter includes a man designated “Most Obscure Cub” to wear a given number. In most cases, it’s a stiff competition to find this candidate. If you’re familiar with most of these names before reading this book, you are hereby promoted to Cubs Fan, Company Grade. At ease.

5. Each chapter also includes the category, “Guy You Never Thought of as a Cub.” These are usually players whose names ring a bell, but who you associate with a different uniform. The Cubs have long collected such players, usually after their usefulness with other clubs has been expended, though sometimes the Cubs have dealt these well-known names and let them become stars in another city. It’s a versatile category and club.

6. This book is updated through the 2015 season. Baseball and life will go on, so to find out who has worn a number since publication, go to cubsbythenumbers.com (more specifically, cubsbythenumbers.com/cubs-all-time.html) to see who’s new in Cubs blue. The popular site bleedcubbieblue.com will also have updates, links, and book-related promotions on the site.

7. Each chapter comes with a sidebar, or other bits of information about the Cubs that may not be generally known. A lot of chapters include lists of uniform numbers that have collected the highest amount in a given statistical category, such as home runs or wins. You won’t find this information anywhere else. Though it might seem extraneous at first glance, you’ll surely never look at a Cub wearing #7 the same way again.

8. An alphabetical roster is included at the end of the book for quick and easy reference.

9. This is the pitcher’s spot—though not a pitcher’s number. Start reading the book already.