Excessive groups: Cardinals and Cubs

By 2 months ago

The St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs are ensnared in a rivalry that’s notably lengthy and sometimes bitter.

That’s what occurs when two groups have performed in the identical league since 1892 and are positioned in the identical a part of the nation (simply 300 miles aside).

However the indeniable logic of alphabetical order is forcing these fierce opponents to share the highlight right now.

I’m devoting every Friday to an examination of the intense seasons for a pair of franchises, their finest and worst years throughout the Trendy Period (1961 by way of 2022). The Braves and Brewers have been final week’s duo, which brings us to the following two nicknames on the record. Sure, the Cardinals and the Cubs.

I calculated the staff scores for each St. Louis and Chicago membership within the 62-year interval, after which I ranked them from finest to worst. The method for TS generates an equalized rating on a 100-point scale, permitting direct comparisons of groups from totally different years. (Click on right here to be taught extra in regards to the calculations.)

The next have been the intense seasons for every membership.

Greatest yr for the Cardinals: St. Louis has received 5 world championships within the Trendy Period. The strongest of these titlists was the 1967 Playing cards, winners of the Nationwide League by 10.5 video games over runner-up San Francisco. The World Collection was harder, with St. Louis needing seven video games to subdue the Boston Pink Sox. First baseman Orlando Cepeda drove in 111 runs and received the NL’s Most Worthwhile Participant Award. Middle fielder Curt Flood hit for a .335 common. Pitcher Bob Gibson received 13 video games within the common season and three extra within the World Collection.

Worst yr for the Cardinals: The Nineteen Nineties have been a depressing decade for the Playing cards, who suffered 5 sub-.500 seasons and made the playoffs solely as soon as. They touched backside in 1995, ending 22.5 video games behind first-place Cincinnati within the NL Central. Proper fielder Brian Jordan batted a stable .296 and stole 24 bases. Nearer Tom Henke in some way accrued 36 saves for a staff that received solely 62 video games.

Greatest yr for the Cubs: Any baseball fan is aware of the reply on this class. The Cubs loved their biggest season in 2016, once they received their first world title in 108 years. It was a detailed name, in fact. Victory didn’t come till the tenth inning of Recreation Seven of the World Collection towards the Cleveland Indians. Third baseman Kris Bryant was named the NL’s MVP after hitting 39 homers and driving house 102 runs. First baseman Anthony Rizzo added 109 RBIs. Pitchers Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta respectively went 19-5 and 18-8.

Worst yr for the Cubs: The 1981 season was depressing for everyone, because of the midyear lull of two months due to a labor dispute. However it was an particularly dangerous yr for the Cubs, who completed with the worst file within the Nationwide League, 27 video games beneath .500. Mike Krukow was the one pitcher within the rotation to interrupt even, working up a file of 9-9. First baseman Invoice Buckner batted .311.

In case you scroll down, you’ll see the highest and backside 10 lists for each groups between 1961 and 2022. Comparable rankings for all 30 big-league golf equipment will be discovered within the print version of Baseball’s Best (and Worst) 2023 Yearbook.

Every staff is listed beneath with the yr in brackets, adopted by its regular-season win-loss file, postseason outcomes (if any) in parentheses, margin between runs scored and allowed per recreation, and Trendy Period percentile.

Postseason outcomes are abbreviated this fashion: P for an look within the playoffs, L for a league championship, and W for a World Collection title.

The Trendy Period percentile is the share of all 1,656 golf equipment within the 1961-2022 interval that the given staff outperformed, based mostly on relative TS outcomes.

A brand new installment will arrive in your e-mail every weekday morning

  • 1. Cardinals [1967], 101-60 (WLP), plus-0.86 margin, 98.6% in period

  • 2. Cardinals [1968], 97-65 (LP), plus-0.69 margin, 98.2% in period

  • 3. Cardinals [2004], 105-57 (LP), plus-1.21 margin, 97.5% in period

  • 4. Cardinals [1985], 101-61 (LP), plus-1.08 margin, 97.3% in period

  • 5. Cardinals [2013], 97-65 (LP), plus-1.15 margin, 96.8% in period

  • 6. Cardinals [2005], 100-62 (P), plus-1.06 margin, 95.6% in period

  • 7. Cardinals [2011], 90-72 (WLP), plus-0.43 margin, 95.0% in period

  • 8. Cardinals [1982], 92-70 (WLP), plus-0.47 margin, 94.7% in period

  • 9. Cardinals [1987], 95-67 (LP), plus-0.65 margin, 93.7% in period

  • 10. Cardinals [1964], 93-69 (WLP), plus-0.39 margin, 92.9% in period

  • 1. Cardinals [1995], 62-81, minus-0.66 margin, 10.3% in period

  • 2. Cardinals [1978], 69-93, minus-0.35 margin, 18.1% in period

  • 3. Cardinals [1990], 70-92, minus-0.61 margin, 21.5% in period

  • 4. Cardinals [1994], 53-61, minus-0.75 margin, 25.1% in period

  • 5. Cardinals [2007], 78-84, minus-0.64 margin, 26.9% in period

  • 6. Cardinals [1988], 76-86, minus-0.34 margin, 34.7% in period

  • 7. Cardinals [1976], 72-90, minus-0.26 margin, 35.2% in period

  • 8. Cardinals [1997], 73-89, minus-0.12 margin, 36.8% in period

  • 9. Cardinals [1999], 75-86, minus-0.18 margin, 37.5% in period

  • 10. Cardinals [1970], 76-86, minus-0.02 margin, 41.0% in period

  • 1. Cubs [2016], 103-58 (WLP), plus-1.56 margin, 99.8% in period

  • 2. Cubs [2008], 97-64 (P), plus-1.14 margin, 93.2% in period

  • 3. Cubs [1984], 96-65 (P), plus-0.65 margin, 90.8% in period

  • 4. Cubs [2015], 97-65 (P), plus-0.50 margin, 86.0% in period

  • 5. Cubs [1989], 93-69 (P), plus-0.49 margin, 84.7% in period

  • 6. Cubs [2018], 95-68 (P), plus-0.71 margin, 81.3% in period

  • 7. Cubs [2017], 92-70 (P), plus-0.78 margin, 81.0% in period

  • 8. Cubs [1970], 84-78, plus-0.78 margin, 76.9% in period

  • 9. Cubs [2004], 89-73, plus-0.77 margin, 76.6% in period

  • 10. Cubs [1972], 85-70, plus-0.76 margin, 76.6% in period

  • 1. Cubs [1981], 38-65, minus-1.07 margin, 3.8% in period

  • 2. Cubs [1980], 64-98, minus-0.70 margin, 4.0% in period

  • 3. Cubs [2012], 61-101, minus-0.90 margin, 4.8% in period

  • 4. Cubs [1966], 59-103, minus-1.02 margin, 5.3% in period

  • 5. Cubs [2006], 66-96, minus-0.73 margin, 5.6% in period

  • 6. Cubs [2000], 65-97, minus-0.86 margin, 9.5% in period

  • 7. Cubs [1962], 59-103, minus-1.20 margin, 10.0% in period

  • 8. Cubs [1999], 67-95, minus-1.07 margin, 11.3% in period

  • 9. Cubs [1997], 68-94, minus-0.44 margin, 11.7% in period

  • 10. Cubs [1974], 66-96, minus-0.97 margin, 14.7% in period

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