Cubs Join NL Central 100
What better way for the Cubs to lose its 100th game of the season than being shutout at home against the major’s worst club, the Houston Astros (54-106). Seriously, how fitting.
And for all the talk coming from the Cubs’ clubhouse about avoiding 100, Chicago hardly put up a fight on Monday night. No runs, no walks, two hits and…11 K’s. Yeesh.
With the big One-Hundred now official, here’s a quick study of the last time teams within the NL Central have also crossed the century mark in the loss column.
- Pittsburgh: The Pirates eclipsed 100 or more losses 7 times since 1917, including 3 straight seasons ’52, ’53, ’54. The most recent occurrence was a (57-105) record in 2010.
- St. Louis: The Cardinals’ organization has four 100-loss campaigns, none of which have come recently. The Browns twice slumped to 100-losses in 1897 (102) & 1898 (111), and the Cardinals also hit triple-digit losses in back-to-back seasons: 1907 (101) & 1908 (105)–the last time the Cubs won the World Series.
- Houston: The Astros avoided 100-losses during its first 49-years of existence. But in 2011 the club succumbed to a (56-106) mark, which is in jeopardy of being outdone if they lose 1 of its final 2-games against the Cubs this week.
- Milwaukee: The Brewers have spent 44-years in Milwaukee. They’ve dropped 100-games on one occasion–2002 (56-106). Who knew?
- Cincinnati: The Reds, remarkably, have but one 100-loss season in 131-years of play–(61-101) in 1982.
- Chicago: This season marks the third-time in franchise history the Cubs have dropped 100 or more games. It was first done with 103-losses in 1962 and then repeated with the exact same mark in 1966. Even if the Cubs were to drop its final two-games this year they would only reach 102-losses. Now, there’s something to hang your hat on this offseason.
