Chicago baseball in the 1990s

The 1990s was a tale of two different stories for each of Chicago’s baseball teams.  The Cubs and White Sox had a combined record of 1,555 wins and 1,548 losses. For the Cubs, it was a decade that was filled with poor plays and failed expectations. But on the South Side, a different story was told.  The 1990s was a time that built a foundation for the 2000s and later a championship. 

The Cubs in the 1990s only managed to make the postseason once during the decade and only had one season where they eclipsed more than 90 wins, which both happened in 1998. The Cubs overall had eight losing seasons and went through four managers, the longest lasting being Jim Riggleman who served as the Cubs manager for five seasons between 1995 and 1999, collecting a record of 374 – 419 and one winning season in 1998. Despite the club’s many losses, the Cubs still had one of its most iconic players play a large role for the team in the 1990s. Slammin’ Sammy Sosa made his Cubs debut in 1992 following a trade with the White Sox and contributed to one of baseball’s greatest adventures. 

In August of 1994, the MLB stopped operation and did not resume until early April of 1995. In the two and a half years following the strike, the MLB had lost millions of fans and was on the verge of losing even more of its fanbase. Yet, the home run race of 1998 single handedly saved baseball. That summer saw two members of one of baseball’s oldest rivalries, Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals, go toe to toe for who could hit the most homeruns in a season. This escapade became known as the “Home Run Race of 1998” and saw Mark McGwire of the Cardinals and Sosa of the Cubs battle it out for the home run crown that year. The two combined for 136 homeruns, 70 for McGwire and 66 for Sosa. It brought new life to a league that had desperately needed reviving.

Sosa was not the only Cub to make national headlines in 1998. Kerry Wood, the Cubs first round pick in 1995, was one of the most hyped-up prospects in Cubs history. Wood stood a daunting 6’5” and 210 lb frame with a fastball-slider combo that would leave hitters flabbergasted. The flame throwing right hander from Texas made his Major League debut less than three years later. In his fifth start of his career, Wood would do something that has only happened three times. On May 6, 1998, he took the mound on a cold and damp Chicago day against the Houston Astros. Wood would go on to allow only one hit and strike out 20 Astros. Wood’s 20 strikeout game is regarded as not only one of the best pitched games by a rookie, but one of the best pitched games of all time.  The 1990s, for the most part, were not kind to the Cubs, but the White Sox had a much different story.

The 1990s White Sox were a consistently exciting team that had five winning records and at least 80 wins in seven years, but would only make the postseason in 1993. The White Sox also had four managers during the 1990s with Gene Lambot spending the longest as the skipper of the White Sox, serving as manager from 1992 to 1995 and going 258-210. Like the Cubs, the White Sox had a plethora of great players come through and play in the South Side of Chicago. The 1990s White Sox would feature Robin Ventura, who eventually would become the manager of the team. Under Ventura’s leadership, the Sox only had one winning season in five years. While his managerial career was unsuccessful, he is remembered mainly for being a remarkable player.

Ventura made his debut in 1989 for the White Sox and in his ten years as a member of the White Sox, Ventura would play in 1,254 games and hit 171 homeruns with the White Sox. His two most famous home runs were of the grand slam variety and came in the same game. On September 4, 1995, Robin Ventura’s White Sox were closing in on the end of a disappointing 1995 campaign. In a season that ended prematurely due to the MLB strike, the White Sox held a record of 67-46 and destroyed the White Sox chances of winning the World Series. Instead, they would only win one more game in 1994 than they did in 1995. But Ventura would ensure that 1995 would be a memorable year for White Sox fans. Robin Ventura would hit two grand slams that day and lead the White Sox to a 14-3 win over the Texas Rangers.

A couple weeks later, on Sept. 27, the White Sox hosted the Mariners for a key late season matchup. If the White Sox won, the Rangers would be eliminated from playoff contention and the White Sox would move on to the postseason for the first time since 1983. The biggest hit of the season for the White Sox did not come from Ventura, however it came from bench player Bo Jackson. Jackson has been heralded as one of best athletes ever.  A former first round pick in football and a fourth round pick in baseball, injuries would derail a potential hall of fame career in both sports. However, Jackson became a solid bench bat for the White Sox and would walk up to the plate with two men on in the sixth inning and uncork a monumental homerun that put the White Sox up 3-0.  Jacksons home run would be all they needed as the White Sox won 4-2, sending the White Sox to the postseason.

The 1990s gave Chicago enjoyable baseball that both saved the sport, and brought in new fans.  Sosa and the 1998 Cubs revived baseball following the strike in 1994.  Wood struck out 20 Houston Astros and became a role model for many young baseball players while writing his name into the record books.  Ventura and Jackson would blast historic home runs, Ventura joining elite company and Jackson ending a decades long playoff drought.  While these exciting moments didn’t translate to team success.  The two clubs combined for only two playoff appearances and an unimpressive .501 winning percentage.  But the 1990s were a prosperous decade for Chicago baseball and built foundations for each franchise’s World Series in the early 2000s and mid 2010s.