1906 Chicago Cubs season

Major League Baseball team season

1906 Chicago Cubs

National League Champions
League| National League
Ballpark| West Side Park
City| Chicago, Illinois
Record| 116–36 (.763)
League place| 1st
Owners| Charles Murphy
Managers| Frank Chance
| <- 1905 | Seasons | 1907 ->

|
|

The 1906 Chicago Cubs season was the 35th season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 31st in the National League and the 14th at West Side Park. Skippered by player-manager Frank Chance, the Cubs won the National League pennant with a record of 116–36, a full 20 games ahead of the second-place New York Giants. The team's .763 winning percentage, with two ties in their 154-game season,[1][2] is the highest in modern MLB history. The 2001 Seattle Mariners also won 116 games, but they did that in 162 games, resulting in a .716 winning percentage.

The 1906 Cubs are often considered the greatest MLB team to not win the World Series.[3] In a major upset, the Cubs were beaten by their crosstown counterparts Chicago White Sox in that year's World Series.

## Regular season

[edit]

The 1906 Cubs won a record 116 of 154 games.

Led by new manager Frank Chance, the Cubs dominated the NL. They led the league in both runs scored and fewest runs allowed by large margins. Their record of 116 wins has never been beaten, although it was tied by the 2001 Seattle Mariners (who played a longer 162-game season).

The team included four future Hall of Famers: manager and first baseman Chance, second baseman Johnny Evers, shortstop Joe Tinker, and pitcher Mordecai Brown. Brown finished second in the NL in wins to Joe McGinnity, but his 1.04 ERA set a major league record. Although the record was broken by Dutch Leonard in 1914, Brown's mark still stands as the National League record.

The pitching staff led the majors with a team earned run average of 1.76. Six members of the pitching staff had double digit victories – Mordecai Brown (26), Jack Pfiester (20), Ed Reulbach (19), Carl Lundgren (17), Orval Overall (12), and Jack Taylor (12). In addition, Mordecai Brown set a major league record with the lowest earned run average attained with at least 250 innings pitched (1.04).[4] The offensive star was third baseman Harry Steinfeldt, who led the NL in both hits and RBI.

The team's .763 winning percentage also set a modern-era record, and was the best overall since 1885. However, it set neither a National League record nor even a franchise record, as the 19th-century White Stockings finished with better records on three occasions (1876, 1880, and 1885). The all-time major league record belongs to the 1884 St. Louis Maroons of the Union Association at .832.

On August 9, Jack Taylor threw the last of a major league record 187 consecutive complete games that he pitched[5] (not counting appearances as a relief pitcher), a streak that began in 1901 when Taylor was pitching for the Chicago Orphans. Taylor had been re-acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals on July 1, having been traded to the Cards after the 1903 season.[6]

### Season standings

[edit]

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National League Team  | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road

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Chicago Cubs | 116 | 36  | .763  | —  | 56‍–‍21  | 60‍–‍15
New York Giants | 96 | 56  | .632  | 20  | 51‍–‍24  | 45‍–‍32
Pittsburgh Pirates | 93 | 60  | .608  | 23½  | 49‍–‍27  | 44‍–‍33
Philadelphia Phillies | 71 | 82  | .464  | 45½  | 37‍–‍40  | 34‍–‍42
Brooklyn Superbas | 66 | 86  | .434  | 50  | 31‍–‍44  | 35‍–‍42
Cincinnati Reds | 64 | 87  | .424  | 51½  | 36‍–‍40  | 28‍–‍47
St. Louis Cardinals | 52 | 98  | .347  | 63  | 28‍–‍48  | 24‍–‍50
Boston Beaneaters | 49 | 102  | .325  | 66½  | 28‍–‍47  | 21‍–‍55

### Record vs. opponents

[edit]

1906 National League record

* v
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Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Team  | BOS  | BR  | CHC  | CIN  | NYG  | PHI  | PIT  | STL
Boston | — | 9–13 | 5–17 | 11–10–1 | 6–15 | 6–16 | 3–19 | 9–12
Brooklyn | 13–9 | — | 6–16 | 8–14 | 9–13 | 8–13 | 9–13 | 13–8–1
Chicago | 17–5 | 16–6 | — | 18–4 | 15–7–1 | 19–3–1 | 16–5 | 15–6–1
Cincinnati | 10–11–1 | 14–8 | 4–18 | — | 5–16 | 11–11 | 8–14–1 | 12–9–2
New York | 15–6 | 13–9 | 7–15–1 | 16–5 | — | 15–7 | 11–11 | 19–3
Philadelphia | 16–6 | 13–8 | 3–19–1 | 11–11 | 7–15 | — | 8–14 | 13–9
Pittsburgh | 19–3 | 13–9 | 5–16 | 14–8–1 | 11–11 | 14–8 | — | 17–5
St. Louis | 12–9 | 8–13–1 | 6–15–1 | 9–12–2 | 3–19 | 9–13 | 5–17 | —

### Roster

[edit]

1906 Chicago Cubs

Roster
Pitchers

* Fred Beebe
* Mordecai Brown
* Jack Harper
* Carl Lundgren
* Orval Overall
* Jack Pfiester
* Ed Reulbach
* Jack Taylor
* Bob Wicker

|  | Catchers

* Johnny Kling
* Pat Moran
* Tom Walsh

Infielders

* Frank Chance
* Johnny Evers
* Pete Noonan
* Harry Steinfeldt
* Joe Tinker

|  | Outfielders

* Doc Gessler
* Solly Hofman
* Wildfire Schulte
* Jimmy Sheckard
* Jimmy Slagle

Other batters

* Bull Smith

|  | Manager

* Frank Chance

## Player stats

[edit]

| = Indicates team leader

|

### Batting

[edit]

#### Starters by position

[edit]

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

|
|
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|
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|

C | Johnny Kling | 107 | 343 | 107 | .312 | 2 | 46
1B | Frank Chance | 136 | 474 | 151 | .319 | 3 | 71
2B | Johnny Evers | 154 | 533 | 136 | .255 | 1 | 51
SS | Joe Tinker | 148 | 523 | 122 | .233 | 1 | 64
3B | Harry Steinfeldt | 151 | 539 | 176 | .327 | 3 | 83
OF | Jimmy Sheckard | 149 | 549 | 144 | .262 | 1 | 45
OF | Frank Schulte | 146 | 563 | 158 | .281 | 7 | 60
OF | Jimmy Slagle | 127 | 498 | 119 | .239 | 0 | 33

#### Other batters

[edit]

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

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|
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Pat Moran | 70 | 226 | 57 | .252 | 0 | 35
Solly Hofman | 64 | 195 | 50 | .256 | 2 | 20
Doc Gessler | 34 | 83 | 21 | .253 | 0 | 10
Pete Noonan | 5 | 3 | 1 | .333 | 0 | 0
Tom Walsh | 2 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0
Bull Smith | 1 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0

### Pitching

[edit]

#### Starting pitchers

[edit]

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player  | G  | IP  | W  | L  | ERA  | SO

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Mordecai Brown | 36 | 277.1 | 26 | 6 | 1.04 | 144
Jack Pfiester | 31 | 250.2 | 20 | 8 | 1.51 | 153
Ed Reulbach | 33 | 218.0 | 19 | 4 | 1.65 | 94
Carl Lundgren | 27 | 207.2 | 17 | 6 | 2.21 | 103
Jack Taylor | 17 | 147.1 | 12 | 3 | 1.83 | 34
Orval Overall | 18 | 144.0 | 12 | 3 | 1.88 | 94
Bob Wicker | 10 | 72.1 | 3 | 5 | 2.99 | 25
Jack Harper | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0

#### Other pitchers

[edit]

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player  | G  | IP  | W  | L  | ERA  | SO

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Fred Beebe | 14 | 70.0 | 6 | 1 | 2.70 | 55

## 1906 World Series

[edit]

Main article: 1906 World Series

AL Chicago White Sox (4) vs NL Chicago Cubs (2)

Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance

|
|
|
|

1 | White Sox – 2, Cubs – 1 | October 9 | West Side Park | 12,693
2 | Cubs – 7, White Sox – 1 | October 10 | South Side Park | 12,595
3 | White Sox – 3, Cubs – 0 | October 11 | West Side Park | 13,667
4 | Cubs – 1, White Sox – 0 | October 12 | South Side Park | 18,385
5 | White Sox – 8, Cubs – 6 | October 13 | West Side Park | 23,257
6 | Cubs – 3, White Sox – 8 | October 14 | South Side Park | 19,249

## Awards and honors

[edit]

* Highest team winning percentage in one season in the modern era (.763) [4]
* Chicago Cubs pitching staff led the majors with a team earned run average of 1.76.
* Mordecai Brown, major league record, lowest earned run average with at least 250 innings pitched (1.04)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ 1906 Chicago Cubs Schedule
2. ^ SABR: Schedule Changes Since 1876
3. ^ "The Best MLB Teams Of All-Time, According To Elo". FiveThirtyEight.com. May 9, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
4. ^ a b Baseball's Top 100: The Game's Greatest Records, p. 28, Kerry Banks, 2010, Greystone Books, Vancouver, BC, ISBN 978-1-55365-507-7
5. ^ Baseball's Top 100: The Game's Greatest Records, p.62, Kerry Banks, 2010, Greystone Books, Vancouver, BC, ISBN 978-1-55365-507-7
6. ^ Jack Taylor page at Baseball Reference

* 1906 Chicago Cubs season at Baseball Reference

* v
* t
* e

1906 MLB season by team

American League|

* Boston
* Chicago
* Cleveland
* Detroit
* New York
* Philadelphia
* St. Louis
* Washington

National League|

* Boston
* Brooklyn
* Chicago
* Cincinnati
* New York
* Philadelphia
* Pittsburgh
* St. Louis

1906 World Series

* v
* t
* e

Chicago Cubs

* Established in 1874
* Formerly the Chicago White Stockings, Chicago Colts and the Chicago Orphans
* Based in Chicago, Illinois

Franchise|

* History
* Seasons
* Awards
* Records
* No-hitters
* Players
* Managers
* Owners and executives
* Broadcasters
* Opening Day starting pitchers
* First-round draft picks

Ballparks|

* 23rd Street Grounds
* Lakefront Park
* West Side Park I
* South Side Park
* West Side Park II
* Wrigley Field
* History
* List of events
* Renovations
* Wrigley Rooftops

Culture|

* Tinker to Evers to Chance
* Bleacher Bums
* The Dugout
* Wayne Messmer
* Ronnie Woo Woo
* Jerry Pritikin
* Yosh Kawano
* Life's Greatest Game
* Alibi Ike
* Mike Royko
* Holy Cow!
* Grant DePorter
* Wrigley Company
* Wrigley Field ivy
* Hey Hey Holy Mackerel
* Bill Holden
* The Heckler
* The Curse: Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Or Do They?
* We Believe: Chicago and Its Cubs
* Arne Harris
* "Go, Cubs, Go"
* "Sweet Home Chicago"
* "All the Way"
* "Jump"
* Cubs Win Flag
* Eamus Catuli
* Addison Red Line Station
* Sheridan Red Line Station
* Clark Street
* Addison Street
* The Winning Team
* Elmer, the Great
* Ferris Bueller's Day Off
* Rookie of the Year
* This Old Cub
* The Natural
* Taking Care of Business
* A League of Their Own
* The Cubs Fan's Guide To Happiness
* Pat Pieper
* The Cubby Bear
* Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse
* Bohemian National Cemetery Columbarium
* Clark
* Back to the Future Part II

Lore|

* Curse of the Billy Goat
* Ex-Cubs Factor
* Babe Ruth's called shot
* Steve Bartman incident
* Homer in the Gloamin'
* 1998 home run chase
* Brock for Broglio
* Merkle's Boner
* College of Coaches
* Ken Hubbs
* Billy Jurges incident
* June 23, 1984 game
* 1998 NL Wild Card tie-breaker game
* 2015 NL Wild Card Game
* 2015 NL Division Series
* 2016 NL Championship Series
* 2016 World Series
* 2018 NL Central tie-breaker game
* 2019 MLB Little League Classic
* MLB at Field of Dreams
* 2023 MLB London Series

Rivalries|

* Chicago White Sox
* Milwaukee Brewers
* St. Louis Cardinals

Key personnel|

* Owner: Joe Ricketts family
* Chairman: Tom Ricketts
* President of Baseball Operations: Jed Hoyer
* General Manager: Carter Hawkins
* Manager: Craig Counsell

World Series
championships (3)|

* 1907
* 1908
* 2016

National League
championships (17)|

* 1876
* 1880
* 1881
* 1882
* 1885
* 1886
* 1906
* 1907
* 1908
* 1910
* 1918
* 1929
* 1932
* 1935
* 1938
* 1945
* 2016

Division
championships|

| East (2)|

* 1984
* 1989

|

Central (6)|

* 2003
* 2007
* 2008
* 2016
* 2017
* 2020

Wild Card (3)|

* 1998
* 2015
* 2018

Minor league
affiliates|

* Iowa Cubs (Triple-A)
* Knoxville Smokies (Double-A)
* South Bend Cubs (High-A)
* Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Single-A)
* ACL Cubs (Rookie)
* DSL Cubs Blue (Rookie)
* DSL Cubs Red (Rookie)

Broadcasting|

| Television|

* Marquee Sports Network

|

Radio|

* Radio network
* WSCR

Broadcasters|

| Television|

* Jon Sciambi
* Jim Deshaies
* Joe Girardi
* Beth Mowins

|

Radio|

* Pat Hughes
* Ron Coomer
* Zach Zaidman

Seasons (151)

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
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019

2020s|

* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

* v
* t
* e

National League champions

1870s|

* 1876: Chicago White Stockings
* 1877: Boston Red Caps
* 1878: Boston Red Caps
* 1879: Providence Grays

1880s|

* 1880: Chicago White Stockings
* 1881: Chicago White Stockings
* 1882: Chicago White Stockings
* 1883: Boston Beaneaters
* 1884: Providence Grays
* 1885: Chicago White Stockings
* 1886: Chicago White Stockings
* 1887: Detroit Wolverines
* 1888: New York Giants
* 1889: New York Giants

1890s|

* 1890: Brooklyn Bridegrooms
* 1891: Boston Beaneaters
* 1892: Boston Beaneaters
* 1893: Boston Beaneaters
* 1894: Baltimore Orioles
* 1895: Baltimore Orioles
* 1896: Baltimore Orioles
* 1897: Boston Beaneaters
* 1898: Boston Beaneaters
* 1899: Brooklyn Superbas

1900s|

* 1900: Brooklyn Superbas
* 1901: Pittsburgh Pirates
* 1902: Pittsburgh Pirates
* 1903: Pittsburgh Pirates
* 1904: New York Giants
* 1905: New York Giants
* 1906: Chicago Cubs
* 1907: Chicago Cubs
* 1908: Chicago Cubs
* 1909: Pittsburgh Pirates

1910s|

* 1910: Chicago Cubs
* 1911: New York Giants
* 1912: New York Giants
* 1913: New York Giants
* 1914: Boston Braves
* 1915: Philadelphia Phillies
* 1916: Brooklyn Robins
* 1917: New York Giants
* 1918: Chicago Cubs
* 1919: Cincinnati Reds

1920s|

* 1920: Brooklyn Robins
* 1921: New York Giants
* 1922: New York Giants
* 1923: New York Giants
* 1924: New York Giants
* 1925: Pittsburgh Pirates
* 1926: St. Louis Cardinals
* 1927: Pittsburgh Pirates
* 1928: St. Louis Cardinals
* 1929: Chicago Cubs

1930s|

* 1930: St. Louis Cardinals
* 1931: St. Louis Cardinals
* 1932: Chicago Cubs
* 1933: New York Giants
* 1934: St. Louis Cardinals
* 1935: Chicago Cubs
* 1936: New York Giants
* 1937: New York Giants
* 1938: Chicago Cubs
* 1939: Cincinnati Reds

1940s|

* 1940: Cincinnati Reds
* 1941: Brooklyn Dodgers
* 1942: St. Louis Cardinals
* 1943: St. Louis Cardinals
* 1944: St. Louis Cardinals
* 1945: Chicago Cubs
* 1946: St. Louis Cardinals
* 1947: Brooklyn Dodgers
* 1948: Boston Braves
* 1949: Brooklyn Dodgers

1950s|

* 1950: Philadelphia Phillies
* 1951: New York Giants
* 1952: Brooklyn Dodgers
* 1953: Brooklyn Dodgers
* 1954: New York Giants
* 1955: Brooklyn Dodgers
* 1956: Brooklyn Dodgers
* 1957: Milwaukee Braves
* 1958: Milwaukee Braves
* 1959: Los Angeles Dodgers

1960s|

* 1960: Pittsburgh Pirates
* 1961: Cincinnati Reds
* 1962: San Francisco Giants
* 1963: Los Angeles Dodgers
* 1964: St. Louis Cardinals
* 1965: Los Angeles Dodgers
* 1966: Los Angeles Dodgers
* 1967: St. Louis Cardinals
* 1968: St. Louis Cardinals
* 1969: New York Mets

1970s|

* 1970: Cincinnati Reds
* 1971: Pittsburgh Pirates
* 1972: Cincinnati Reds
* 1973: New York Mets
* 1974: Los Angeles Dodgers
* 1975: Cincinnati Reds
* 1976: Cincinnati Reds
* 1977: Los Angeles Dodgers
* 1978: Los Angeles Dodgers
* 1979: Pittsburgh Pirates

1980s|

* 1980: Philadelphia Phillies
* 1981: Los Angeles Dodgers
* 1982: St. Louis Cardinals
* 1983: Philadelphia Phillies
* 1984: San Diego Padres
* 1985: St. Louis Cardinals
* 1986: New York Mets
* 1987: St. Louis Cardinals
* 1988: Los Angeles Dodgers
* 1989: San Francisco Giants

1990s|

* 1990: Cincinnati Reds
* 1991: Atlanta Braves
* 1992: Atlanta Braves
* 1993: Philadelphia Phillies
* 1994: No champion
* 1995: Atlanta Braves
* 1996: Atlanta Braves
* 1997: Florida Marlins
* 1998: San Diego Padres
* 1999: Atlanta Braves

2000s|

* 2000: New York Mets
* 2001: Arizona Diamondbacks
* 2002: San Francisco Giants
* 2003: Florida Marlins
* 2004: St. Louis Cardinals
* 2005: Houston Astros
* 2006: St. Louis Cardinals
* 2007: Colorado Rockies
* 2008: Philadelphia Phillies
* 2009: Philadelphia Phillies

2010s|

* 2010: San Francisco Giants
* 2011: St. Louis Cardinals
* 2012: San Francisco Giants
* 2013: St. Louis Cardinals
* 2014: San Francisco Giants
* 2015: New York Mets
* 2016: Chicago Cubs
* 2017: Los Angeles Dodgers
* 2018: Los Angeles Dodgers
* 2019: Washington Nationals

2020s|

* 2020: Los Angeles Dodgers
* 2021: Atlanta Braves
* 2022: Philadelphia Phillies
* 2023: Arizona Diamondbacks
* 2024: Los Angeles Dodgers

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