Brewers–Cubs rivalry

The Brewers–Cubs rivalry is a Major League Baseball (MLB) rivalry between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. Both clubs are members of MLB's National League (NL) Central Division. The rivalry is also sometimes known as the I-94 Rivalry, because the two teams' ballparks are located only 83 miles (134 km) from each other off Interstate 94 (I-94).

Brewers–Cubs rivalry

Teams	Milwaukee Brewers Chicago Cubs
First meeting	June 13, 1997 Wrigley Field Brewers 4, Cubs 2
Latest meeting	August 28 , 2022 American Family Field Brewers 9 , Cubs 7
Next meeting	March 30, 2023 Wrigley Field
Statistics
Meetings total	417
Regular season series	Brewers, 209-208
Largest victory	Brewers, 18–1 (2010)
Longest win streak	Brewers, 10 (2021) Cubs, 9 (2015)
Current win streak	Brewers, 2

The Brewers and Cubs have been playing each other in spring training Cactus League games since the Brewers franchise began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969.^[1] However, the rivalry did not begin until 1998, when the Brewers moved from the American League (AL) Central Division to the National League Central. Until then, the Brewers had a rivalry with Chicago's AL team, the White Sox.

The Brewers-Cubs rivalry has been ranked among the best and most competitive in baseball.^[2][3] The teams have never met in the postseason.

Background

1997–1998: First meetings

The Brewers and Cubs met for the first official time on June 13, 1997 in interleague play, a 4–2 Brewers victory at Wrigley Field in Chicago.^[4] They met for the first time as division rivals on June 15, 1998, a 6–5 Cubs victory also in Wrigley Field.^[5]

1999–2016: Geographic foes and division races

After battling for the NL Central title in both 2007 and 2008, the teams met at Miller Park for the Brewers' home opener in 2009. During the second game of the series on April 11, the Brewers had the highest attendance in Major League Baseball for the rivalry game.^[6]

During games in Milwaukee, it was sometimes common for there to be many Cubs fans in attendance. This has been largely due to the ticket availability at Miller Park; Wrigley Field has routinely sold out in the past, so it has often been easier and cheaper for Cubs fans to watch games at Miller Park (with Amtrak's Hiawatha Service providing low-cost access between both cities and trains often packed during rivalry games either way^[7][8]), leading Cubs fans to call Miller Park by the derisive nickname of "Wrigley North". During the 2006 season, the Milwaukee Brewers started the "Take Back Miller Park" campaign to regain home field advantage. Since then, the dominating presence of Cubs fans has somewhat dwindled as the Brewers have become more popular with local fans following the sale of the team from Bud Selig to Mark Attanasio. Through the 2007 and 2008 seasons, the rivalry became more intense with both teams battling for the National League Central crown, a prize the Cubs eventually claimed both seasons.^[9] During 2008, the Brewers had a sellout streak going at the start of a mid-July series at home against the Cubs.^[10]

The rivalry was less prominent in the early 2010s, as both teams finished well out of playoff contention in 2010, while in 2011 the Brewers claimed the NL Central title and the Cubs struggled to a 71–91 record.

After the 2011 season ended, former Brewer player, coach and manager Dale Sveum was hired by the Cubs to be their new manager in 2012. The Brewers in 2012, won 13 of 17 games against the Cubs to take the all-time series at 118–117.

2017–Present

In 2017, a surprisingly competitive Brewers team led by young prospects and resurgent veterans challenged the defending World Series champion Cubs for the division, the two played in a key end of the season series which led to the Cubs clinching their second division crown in a row, finishing the season 92–70, six games ahead of the 86–76 Brewers.

The rivalry reached a pivotal stage in 2018. After narrowly missing the playoffs in 2017, the Brewers made several acquisitions during the off-season. They signed free agent outfielder Lorenzo Cain and acquired former Miami Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich in a blockbuster trade.^[11][12] These acquisitions, both occurring on January 25, 2018, helped the Brewers match the Cubs in terms of offensive prowess. During the regular season, the Cubs won eight of first nine meetings, but the Brewers ended up winning the last four series against the Cubs and both teams were tied for first place in the NL Central after 162 games. The teams faced off in a tie-breaker game for the division title. Milwaukee won 3–1, winning the division and securing home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs.^[13] The Brewers also enjoyed a large contingent of Brewers fans at Wrigley Field during this game, which marked a turn in a series where Cubs fans normally "took over" Miller Park.^[14] The Cubs were relegated to the Wild Card Game, which they lost to the Colorado Rockies. The Brewers went on to beat the Rockies in the NLDS but lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.

Season-by-season results

Brewers vs. Cubs Season-by-Season Results
1990s (Cubs, 14–13) Season Season series at Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs Notes 1997 Cubs 2–1 no games Cubs, 2–1 1998 Tie 6–6 Tie, 3–3 Tie, 3–3 1999 Tie 6–6 Tie, 3–3 Tie, 3–3
2000s (Cubs, 84–76) Season Season series at Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs Notes 2000 Brewers 7–6 Brewers, 5–1 Cubs, 5–2 2001 Brewers 9–8 Cubs, 4–3 Brewers, 6–4 2002 Brewers 10–7 Brewers, 6–4 Brewers, 4–3 2003 Cubs 10–6 Cubs, 7–0 Brewers, 6–3 2004 Cubs 10–7 Tie, 5–5 Cubs, 5–2 2005 Brewers 9–7 Brewers, 7–3 Cubs, 4–2 2006 Tie 8–8 Tie, 4–4 Tie, 4–4 2007 Cubs 9–6 Cubs, 4–2 Cubs, 5–4 2008 Cubs 9–7 Cubs, 5–2 Brewers, 5–4 Brewers clinched NL Wild Card and first postseason appearance since 1982 against the Cubs in game 162 of the regular season in Milwaukee with a victory along with a Mets' loss. 2009 Cubs 10–7 Cubs, 5–4 Cubs, 5–3
2010s (Tie, 91–91) Season Season series at Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs Notes 2010 Cubs 9–6 Cubs, 6–3 Tie, 3–3 2011 Brewers 10–6 Brewers, 8–1 Cubs, 5–2 2012 Brewers 13–4 Brewers, 7–2 Brewers, 6–2 Cubs hire former Brewers manager Dale Sveum as manager. Brewers win 10 straight home meetings (April 2011 – May 2012). 2013 Brewers 13–6 Brewers, 7–3 Brewers, 6–3 MLB realignment results in teams meeting 19 times per season beginning in 2013. 2014 Cubs 11–8 Brewers, 5–4 Cubs, 7–3 2015 Cubs 14–5 Cubs, 8–2 Cubs, 6–3 2016 Cubs 11–8 Brewers, 5–4 Cubs, 7–3 Cubs win 2016 World Series 2017 Cubs 10–9 Cubs, 7–3 Brewers, 6–3 2018 Cubs 11–9 Tie, 5–5 Cubs, 6–4 Both teams were 95–67, tied atop the division after 162 games, so they played a tie-breaker game to determine the division champion. The Brewers won the tie-breaker in Chicago, 3–1, to win the division, while the Cubs were relegated to the Wild Card Game. 2019 Brewers 10–9 Brewers, 7–3 Cubs, 6–3
2020s (Brewers, 29–19) Season Season series at Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs Notes 2020 Tie 5–5 Cubs, 2–1 Brewers, 4–3 Season shortened to 60 games (with 10 meetings) due to COVID-19 pandemic. 2021 Brewers 15–4 Brewers, 7–2 Brewers, 8–2 2022 Cubs 10–9 Brewers, 5–4 Cubs, 6–4 Last yr of 19 divisional games against each other. Balanced schedule starts in 2023 only 13 games against each other.
Summary of Results Season Season series at Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs Notes Regular Season Brewers 209–208 Brewers, 108–99 Cubs, 109–101

See also

Sports rivalries of the same cities/states:

• Bears–Packers rivalry

References

1. Vascellaro, Charlie. . cactusleague.com. Cactus League. Archived from the original on 2008-07-05.
2. "Ranking Baseball's 5 Best Rivalries". MLB. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
3. "15 biggest MLB rivalries of all time". Bola VIP. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
4. Sullivan, Paul (June 14, 1997). "Brewers 4, Cubs 2 For Cubbies, Interleague Play is Ex-Cub Factor Going Haywire". Chicago Tribune. p. 3.
5. Dorsey, David (June 16, 1998). "Sosa rips 3 HRs in Cubs' 6–5 win". USA Today. p. 1C.
6. De Marco, Pat (April 12, 2009). "Cubs and Brewers: One of Baseball's Best Rivalries". Bleacher Report. CBS Sports.
7. Jones, Meg (20 September 2017). "Amtrak adds late-night Milwaukee-Chicago trains just in time for Cubs series at Miller Park". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
8. Gallagher, Shaun (1 October 2018). "Milwaukee Brewers fans pack Amtrak trains to Chicago for crucial Game 163 tiebreaker against Cubs". WTMJ-TV. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
9. McCalvy, Adam (February 20, 2006). "Take Back Miller Park set to launch". MLB.com.
10. Glauber, Bill (July 29, 2008). "Rivalry, conflict, chaos erupt, and that's in stands: Miller Park packed for Brewers-Cubs". Journal Sentinel.
11. Macklin, Oliver (January 25, 2018). "Brewers sign free agent Lorenzo Cain". Major League Baseball. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
12. Neveau, James (January 25, 2018). "Brewers Acquire Yelich in Blockbuster Trade With Marlins". NBC 5 Chicago. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
13. "Cubs' season ends with 2-1, 13-inning loss to Rockies in NL wild-card game". Chicago Tribune. October 3, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
14. "Brewers fans stage a hostile takeover of Wrigley Field".