With the Cubs celebrating their 150th anniversary as a National League franchise this weekend, it’s a great time to take a look back at the rich history of the team. We could easily give you 150 fun facts for the 150th anniversary, but that might be a bit much.
Instead, let’s settle on six Cubs stats you might not know.
Let’s take a trip back in time.
1. The original multi-time no-hitter thrower: the 1880s’ Larry Corcoran
You may know that Nolan Ryan threw an MLB-record seven no-hitters. But did you know that the first pitcher in MLB history to throw two no-hitters was a Cubs player? Larry Corcoran pitched 270 games for the franchise, then known as the White Stockings, from 1880-85. He threw the first no-no in franchise history on Aug. 19, 1880, against Boston (now the Braves). It was just the fourth no-hitter in MLB history. Then, on Sept. 20, 1882, he no-hit the Worcester Ruby Legs to become the first pitcher with multiple under his belt. On June 27, 1884, he threw his third, holding the Providence Grays without a hit. He reached three career no-hitters before any other pitcher in history threw two. No other pitcher reached three no-hitters until Cy Young on June 30, 1908.
2. One of the best power seasons in franchise history: 1884
While Corcoran was throwing that third no-hitter in 1884, the White Stockings hitters were raking. In what would be the club’s final year playing at Lake Front Park, located in what is now Grant Park, there was a ground rule change that led to a homer-happy home slate. The short outfield fences, including the left-field wall which was 180 feet from home, became home run alleys, with balls over the walls scored homers instead of doubles, as in years past. The result? They hit 142 home runs total, which stood as the most by a team until the 1927 Yankees hit 158. Before 1884, no team had hit more than 34 homers in a season. Ned Williamson led the way, hitting 27 home runs, a single-season record that stood until a fellow named Babe Ruth hit 29 in 1919. Before 1884, no player had hit more than 14 homers in a season. One hundred thirty-one of Chicago’s home runs came at home, a record that stood alone until the Giants tied it in 1947. Cleveland finally broke the mark for most home runs at home in 1970, with 133.
3. Walk(-off) this way: 1930
You may be attuned to the fact that the 2026 Cubs have made a habit of winning via walk-off, doing so 13 times so far. That’s tied with 2015 and 1932 for the second most in a season in franchise history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. But do you know which iteration of the team they’re chasing for franchise history? That would be the 1930 Cubs, who had 14 walk-off wins. The breakdown: eight walk-off singles, a double, a homer, a fielder’s choice, a wild pitch, an error and a stolen base. That’s right -- their 13th walk-off of the season came on a Danny Taylor straight steal of home on Aug. 24. How rare is that? There hasn’t been a walk-off straight steal of home in the Majors since the Cardinals’ Glenn Brummer did so on Aug. 22, 1982. The last by the Cubs was by Dee Fondy on Sept. 6, 1953.
4. The original power-hitting shortstop: 1953-61 Ernie Banks
Mr. Cub played from 1953-71, but our focus here is those first nine seasons, when he played almost exclusively at shortstop. These days, we are accustomed to seeing shortstops with gaudy power numbers, but it was far less the norm in those days. Along came Banks. From 1954-61, he tallied 24 multihomer games while playing shortstop, setting a then-MLB record. He surpassed Vern Stephens, who amassed 18 such games from 1943-52. Banks’ record for shortstop multi-homer games stood until Alex Rodriguez tied him with his 24th playing the position on May 31, 2002, and he passed Banks on July 14 that year. Rodriguez ended his career with 33 multihomer games as a shortstop, the last of which came in 2003, which stands as the record. Banks is still second.
5. First hometown Derby winner: 1990 Ryne Sandberg
There have been three players to win the Home Run Derby in their team’s home ballpark. Ryne Sandberg was the first to do it, at Wrigley Field in 1990, and held the distinction all to himself for quite a while. No other home contestants won until Todd Frazier at Great American Ballpark in 2015 and then Bryce Harper at Nationals Park in 2018. Why do we bring this up now, beyond being a great reason to remember Sandberg? With Wrigley set to host again in 2027, it’s never too early to start wondering if the Cubs will become the first team to have two host winners. Perhaps a certain 2026 NL MVP candidate? Only time will tell.
6. The present and future: 2026 Pete Crow-Armstrong
Speaking of that MVP candidate, we would be remiss to not include a stat on Pete Crow-Armstrong. You may be familiar with his defensive exploits, becoming the leader in career five-star catches earlier this year, and his leadoff and walk-off heroics recently. Here’s another PCA stat for your radar. There have been 21 individual player seasons since at least 1900 with at least four games of 10 or more total bases. The only players with two of those such seasons are Crow-Armstrong (2025-26) and Jimmie Foxx (1933 and ‘38). Aug. 17 was Crow-Armstrong’s eighth career game with at least 10 total bases. That broke a tie with Hal Trosky for the most such games before turning 25 since at least 1900. It also tied Andre Dawson for the fifth most among Cubs in that span, behind Billy Williams (12), Sammy Sosa (12), Hank Sauer (10) and Banks (10).