Chicago Cubs fans lived through the sport’s most notorious string of heartbreaks for over a century. Generations witnessed a supernatural-seeming sequence of disasters that kept the franchise from achieving championship glory until 2016.
MLB.com’s Matt Kelly noted that the Cubs didn’t suffer from just one curse — they dealt with multiple hexes. The North Siders became baseball’s most tortured franchise between 1908 and 2016, watching talented rosters crumble at crucial moments.
Editor’s Note: New to MLB Daily Dingers? Then Start Here!
The Four Legendary Curses That Plagued Chicago
The Cubs’ championship drought brought about multiple curse theories, each tied to a specific moment of crushing defeat:
- The Billy Goat Curse (1945): Tavern owner Billy Sianis was denied entry to Game 4 of the World Series with his pet goat, which prompted his famous declaration that the Cubs would never win again. The team lost that Fall Classic to Detroit and didn’t return to the final round of the playoffs for 71 years.
- The Black Cat Curse (1969): A black cat wandered between the Cubs’ dugout and on-deck circle during a crucial September game at Shea Stadium as Chicago was in the middle of blowing an 8.5-game divisional lead to the Mets. The symbolic bad luck perfectly captured their unreal late-season collapse.
- The Gatorade Glove Curse (1984): Leon Durham’s critical error in NLCS Game 5 against the San Diego Padres was allegedly caused by a Gatorade-soaked first baseman’s mitt, costing the Cubs their best shot at reaching a World Series in decades. Chicago was up 2-0 in the series before the proverbial wheels fell off.
- The Steve Bartman Curse (2003): A Cubs fan’s interference with a foul ball during NLCS Game 6 became the scapegoat for another devastating collapse. Chicago eventually surrendered an eight-run lead and lost to the Marlins in heartbreaking fashion.
The Black Cat That Symbolized Chicago’s Collapse
September 9, 1969 is a date that perfectly summed up the Cubs’ incredible misfortune. Chicago entered that day clinging to a slim 1.5-game lead over the surging New York Mets, a fraction of the large lead they held months earlier. The 1969 Cubs roster read like a Hall of Fame fantasy team, too. Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Billy Williams, and Ferguson Jenkins were all destined for Cooperstown.
As Santo stood in the on-deck circle at Shea Stadium, a black cat appeared and deliberately walked between him and the Cubs’ dugout before disappearing. The symbolism was unmistakable. Chicago lost that game 7-1, extending their losing streak to six games while the Mets continued their miraculous charge toward the franchise’s first World Series title.
The black cat incident became the perfect metaphor for the Cubs’ September swoon. Over the final quarter of the season, New York engineered a 17.5-game swing, transforming from also-rans into champions. Poor clutch hitting and shaky pitching likely explained Chicago’s collapse better than the appearance of a black cat, but the unwelcome visitor was the perfect villain for heartbroken fans needing answers.
Steve Bartman: The Fan Who Became Baseball’s Most Infamous Scapegoat
October 14, 2003, should have been Steve Bartman’s greatest night as a Cubs fan. Instead, it became a personal nightmare and one of baseball’s most controversial fan interference incidents. With Chicago leading the NLCS 3-2 and holding a 3-0 advantage in the eighth inning of Game 6, the Cubs were just five outs away from their first World Series appearance since 1945.
That’s when Luis Castillo lifted a foul ball down the left-field line while hitting for the Marlins. Cubs outfielder Moises Alou appeared positioned for a routine catch, but Bartman, wearing headphones and a Cubs cap, reached for the souvenir along with several other fans, deflecting the ball away from Alou’s glove. The left fielder’s animated reaction suggested he could’ve made the play, although it’s undetermined. You can’t blame him for being frustrated in the moment, though.
Castillo eventually drew a walk, which triggered an eight-run Florida rally that stunned Wrigley Field into silence. Alex Gonzalez’s error was more costly than Bartman’s interference, but the fan became the primary scapegoat for Chicago’s collapse. Death threats forced Bartman into hiding, while the Cubs lost Game 7 the following night to complete another disappointing season and a missed opportunity to break their title drought.
Breaking the Curse: Chicago’s Nightmare Finally Ended in 2016
The Cubs’ championship drought finally ended during the 2016 World Series against Cleveland. After falling behind 3-1 in the series, Chicago stormed back to win three straight games and break the longest streak of futility in professional sports.
Game 7 was epic, as it involved both clubs providing game-altering hits throughout the night. The contest ultimately required extra innings and a rain delay that seemed like one final test from the baseball gods.
When Ben Zobrist’s RBI double broke a 6-6 tie in the 10th inning, followed by Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo recording the final out in the bottom of the frame, 108 years of heartbreak finally lifted from the Windy City. Cubs fans who had inherited their loyalty through multiple generations finally witnessed the championship their ancestors had only dreamed about. The curses were broken, the goats were vindicated, and Chicago could finally celebrate baseball’s ultimate prize.
Love home runs? Sign up for my Substack today and start getting interesting home run-related observations straight to your inbox!
