Friday, May 16, 2003

It's Early, but I can't Sleep

It is about 7 in the morning, but I woke up about 3 hours ago and I am not able to go back to bed. So, I thought I would write a little something about road game records. I checked the standings today and the Cubs are 12-9 at home and 12-7 on the road. That got me thinking. When was the last time the Cubs finished with a better road record than home. Thanks to the great website at Baseball Reference I was able to take a quick look at the numbers. I went back to the 89 Playoff Team.

Year Home/Away
2002 36-45/31-50
2001 48-33/40-41
2000 38-43/27-54
1999 34-47/33-48
1998 51-31/39-42 (Playoff)
1997 42-39/26-55
1996 43-38/33-48
1995 34-38/39-33 (Strike Season)
1994 20-39/29-25 (Strike Season)
1993 43-38/41-40
1992 43-38/35-46
1991 46-37/31-46
1990 39-42/38-43
1989 48-33/45-36 (Playoff)

The Cubs have had a better record on the Road twice in the past 14 years, but those two seasons were because of the strike. The only time in the past 30 years the Cubs had better record at home than on the road in a full season was 1974 32-49/34-37. In 1945 the Cubs had the Same number of Wins 49-26 at home and 49-30 on the Road.

The 1937 Cubs is the last team to finish with a better road record in a full season with a winning record.

Home 46-32/ Road 47-29

The 37 Cubs did not even make it to the playoffs. They finished 3 games back of the NY Giants.

The Cubs probably will not finish with a better road record, but it is fun to look at. The Cubs continue the long road trip with the Cardinals tonight. This is a four game set, and they will face Woody Williams tonight. Clement looks to rebound after the do-over last Sunday.

Who wants to take a poll of when Mike Kiley writes "Cubs have options with Wellemeyer in Pen." It could be funny, but I would not put it by him. This could