2010

While most of baseball celebrated the Year of the Pitcher, the 2010 season may best be remembered as the Year of the Rookies for the Cubs. The team finished fifth at 75-87, 16 games behind the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Central. The Cubs never topped .500, the first time they've failed to do that in a season since 2002. Eighteen rookies played, including 12 pitchers. Eleven players made their Major League debuts in 2010, with the most notable on May 7 when shortstop Starlin Castro burst onto the scene. He hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat and added a three-run triple against the Reds. The six RBIs were a Major League record for a debut. Tyler Colvin hit 20 homers in his first full season, the fourth most by a Cubs rookie, but his season ended early when he was stabbed in the chest by a broken bat Sept. 19.

Another star rookie was Andrew Cashner, part of a young bullpen, who made his Major League debut May 31. The Cubs did lead the NL in quality starts but went 22-32 in one-run games, the most losses in the Majors. Carlos Marmol set a franchise mark with 138 strikeouts in relief. His 15.99 Ks per nine innings was the highest single-season mark for a Major League reliever. Carlos Zambrano ended the season 8-0 with a 1.41 ERA in his last 11 outings. This was to be Lou Piniella's final season, but he began his retirement early, leaving after the August 22 game to tend to family matters. Mike Quade, a Chicago-area native who was the third base coach, took over, becoming the Cubs' 51st manager. They went 24-13 under "Q," the second-best record in the Major Leagues in the span behind the Philadelphia Phillies' 27-12 mark. On October 19, Quade agreed to a two-year contract with a club option for 2013.

2011

Manager Mike Quade, who grew up a Cubs fan in the Chicago area, faced an uphill battle after the first five games when the team lost both starters Andrew Cashner and Randy Wells to injuries. The team struggled to find replacements, and finished with the third worst ERA (4.33) in the National League. For the season, the Cubs were fifth in the NL Central (71-91) and 25 games behind the Brewers.

Starlin Castro was the Cubs' lone All-Star and became the youngest in history to lead the National League in hits, totaling 207. Aramis Ramirez won his first Silver Slugger Award, hitting 26 homers and leading the Cubs with 93 RBIs.

The 2011 season did mark the return of Kerry Wood, the team's first-round pick in 1995, who gave the Cubs a hometown discount to come back and pitch out of the bullpen. It also was general manager Jim Hendry's last, as he was dismissed Aug. 19 after 17 years in the organization. Theo Epstein left the Boston Red Sox and joined the Cubs in late October as the president of baseball operations, and revamped the front office, naming Jed Hoyer as general manager and Jason McLeod as scouting and player development director. Both Hoyer and McLeod had worked with Epstein in Boston. The Cubs also dismissed Quade and hired Dale Sveum as the Cubs' 52nd manager. Epstein's goal? To build "a foundation for sustained success."

2012

Theo Epstein's plan for the Cubs was to "build a foundation for sustained success." Dale Sveum, a former big league infielder and hitting coach with the Milwaukee Brewers, took over as manager, and was assigned the task of changing the culture. The effort was there but often the Cubs were over-matched and finished 61-101 for the first 100-loss season since 1966. The team went 50-31 when it scored at least four runs, and was 11-70 when scoring three runs or less.

Kerry Wood unexpectedly retired on May 18, ending a career that began in 1998 with the Cubs and was interrupted by elbow and shoulder injuries. He finished with one last strikeout. Bryan LaHair won the starting first baseman's job after leading the Pacific Coast League in 2011 with 38 home runs, and was named to the NL All-Star team. However, he was benched after the arrival of Anthony Rizzo in late June. Rizzo provided an instant boost, hitting game-winning RBIs in three of his first five games and won NL Rookie of the Month in July.

At the Trade Deadline, Ryan Dempster, Paul Maholm and Geovany Soto were dealt for prospects. They used a club-record 53 players, including 20 rookies, the most since 1974. Second baseman Darwin Barney won his first Gold Glove, playing a NL record 141 consecutive games without an error. Alfonso Soriano delivered, hitting 32 home runs and driving in 108 runs. Starlin Castro reached 500 hits at the age of 22.

2013

The Cubs finished the regular season with a 66-96 record, fifth in the NL Central Division, and used a franchise record 56 players. This surpassed the previous mark of 53 players used in 2012. Chicago used 43 players, including 24 pitchers prior to the All-Star break, both franchise marks. The team went 13-7 in interleague play, the team's first winning season against the AL since going 8-4 in 2007.

Anthony Rizzo (40 doubles) and Nate Schierholtz (32 doubles) became the first Cubs left-handed hitting teammates to reach 30 doubles in the same season since Jacque Jones (32) and Juan Pierre (31) in 2006.

The Cubs had a unique three-game stretch in which they won in three ballparks: May 26 at Great American Ball Park, May 27 at U.S. Cellular Field and May 29 at Wrigley Field. This marked the first time since 1956 that the Cubs had at least a three-game winning streak in which each win was at a different ballpark.

Starlin Castro led the team with 161 games and 163 hits while Anthony Rizzo paced the team with 71 runs, 65 extra-base hits, 40 doubles, 23 homers and 80 RBI. Travis Wood led the club with nine wins and a 3.11 ERA. Jeff Samardzija's 214 strikeouts led the club.

2014

The 2014 season was the Cubs' first in their new Spring Training complex in Mesa, Arizona, and first for manager Rick Renteria. Starlin Castro rebounded from a tough 2013 and was named to his third All-Star team. Anthony Rizzo was voted in by fans in Final Vote campaign. Jake Arrieta missed the first month of the season because of tightness in right shoulder but bounced back and became the first Cubs pitcher to take no-hitters into the seventh inning three times in a season since 1950. Javier Baez hit a game-winning home run in the 12th inning in his Major League debut August 5, and Jorge Soler topped that by belting a home run in his first big league at-bat on August 27. Another prospect, Kyle Hendricks, made a good first impression, posting a 4-0 record and 1.69 ERA in six August starts. On October 31, Renteria was dismissed, and three days later, Joe Maddon was hired as the new Cubs manager. Maddon had become a free agent after he opted out of his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. He signed a five-year, $25 million contract. Jon Lester, lured by the prospect of winning a World Series with the Cubs, signed a five-year, $155 million contract in December.

2015

Chicago advanced to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2003, going 97-65 in the regular season to capture the second NL Wild Card spot. The Cubs won the wildcard game in Pittsburgh, 4-0, a contest in which Jake Arrieta spun a complete game shutout. Chicago defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS, three-games-to-one, before falling to the New York Mets in the NLCS, four-games-to-none. The 97-65 regular season record was the team's third-best in the previous 75 seasons (98-56 in 1945 and 97-64 in 2008).

Cubs pitchers set a NL single-season record with 1,431 strikeouts. Joe Maddon earned NL Manager of the Year honors in his first year at the helm of the club. The Cubs experienced a 24-win turnaround from 2014, the best in baseball, and the 97 wins marked a franchise record for a manager's first year with the club. Jake Arrieta won the NL Cy Young, going 22-6 with four complete games, three shutouts and a 1.77 ERA in 33 starts. He recorded a 0.75 ERA and was 12-1 in 15 starts following the All-Star break, the lowest second-half ERA since the All-Star Game was instituted in 1933. Arrieta three times was named NL Pitcher of the Week and twice named NL Pitcher of the Month (August and September).

Kris Bryant earned unanimous NL Rookie of the Year honors and set franchise rookie marks with 26 home runs, 99 RBI, 62 extra-base hits and 273 total bases. He was named NL Rookie of the Month for both May and August. Bryant and Anthony Rizzo were named NL All-Stars, and both competed in the All-Star Game Home Run Derby.

2016

The Cubs began the season with high expectations following the success from 2015 and the additions of Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and John Lackey. Manager Joe Maddon's message was to "embrace the target," and the players did just that. Dexter Fowler surprised his teammates by returning in late February, which took care of center field and the leadoff spot. In the third game of the season, Kyle Schwarber tore two ligaments in his left knee in a freak outfield collision, and was out for the season. At least, that's what the Cubs thought. The team bounced back and went 17-5 in April, fueled by solid starting pitching as Jake Arrieta went 5-0 and threw his second career no-hitter on April 21 vs. the Cincinnati Reds. Fowler batted .347 in April, and Zobrist set the tone in May, batting .406 with a .483 on-base percentage. The Cubs finished June with the best record in the Majors for the first time since 1977 at 51-27. Jon Lester was named NL Pitcher of the Month (4-0, 1.41 ERA). Willson Contreras and Albert Almora Jr. made their Major League debuts in June. Seven Cubs, including the entire starting infield, were named to the All-Star team. Anthony Rizzo and Addison Russell became the first Cubs duo to reach 20 RBIs in July since 2010. The Cubs acquired closer Aroldis Chapman in a trade with the New York Yankees, but went 12-14 in July. The best win may have come on the last day as the Cubs erased a six-run deficit against the Seattle Mariners, scoring three in the ninth to tie the game, and winning on Lester's sacrifice bunt in the 12th.

In August, the Cubs posted a 22-6 record, including a 14-2 mark at home. Kyle Hendricks earned NL Pitcher of the Month honors after going 4-0 with a 1.28 ERA while Kris Bryant batted .383 with 10 homers and 22 RBIs, and was named NL Player of the Month. Russell led the Cubs with 23 RBIs in the month. In September, Lester went 5-0 with a 0.48 ERA to pick up his second NL Pitcher of the Month award. On September 26, the Cubs picked up their 100th win of the season with a 12-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Chicago finished the year 103-58, the best record in MLB, and a 17 1/2-game lead in the NL Central. The Cubs posted a plus 252 run differential; tops in the Majors and topped only once in franchise history (plus 324 in 1906). Wrigley Field gave them an edge as the Cubs set a franchise record with 57 wins at home. Chicago's starting rotation led the Majors with a 2.96 ERA, paced by Hendricks (2.13) and Lester (2.44).

The Cubs opened the playoffs against the Giants in the NL Division Series, and won the series, 3-1. In the decisive Game 4, the Cubs rallied to score four runs in the ninth for a 6-5 win. Contreras hit a game-tying two-run single and Javier Baez smacked a go-ahead RBI single. The only loss was a 13-inning battle in Game 3 which the Cubs tied on Bryant's two-run homer in the ninth. Next up was the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Cubs won Game 1 behind Miguel Montero's eighth inning pinch-hit grand slam. The Dodgers won the next two games but the Cubs tied the series in Game 4 with a 10-2 victory, sparked by Zobrist's bunt single to lead off the fourth. Russell added a two-run homer that inning. Rizzo borrowed Matt Szczur's bat and rattled off three straight hits, including a home run. The Cubs won the next two games to clinch their first pennant since 1945. In the 5-0 win in Game 6, Hendricks outdueled Clayton Kershaw, giving up a leadoff single, and then holding the Dodgers hitless until the eighth. Baez and Lester were named co-MVPs.

The Cubs faced the Cleveland Indians in the World Series, and got Schwarber back as the designated hitter. The Cubs fell behind, 3-1, in the best of seven series, but won Game 5 at Wrigley Field behind Lester and Chapman, who threw a career-high 2 2/3 innings. Russell was the force in Game 5, hitting a two-run double and a grand slam for six RBIs in a 9-3 victory. The Cubs opened a 6-3 lead in Game 7 at Progressive Field but the Indians tied the game with three runs in the eighth off Chapman. A brief rain delay stopped play prior to the 10th inning, which gave Heyward time to gather the players for a pep talk. The Cubs responded by scoring two runs in the 10th on an RBI double by Zobrist and RBI single by Montero, and held on for the first World Series championship since 1908. Zobrist was named MVP of the series.

The Cubs were celebrated with a parade in Chicago on November 4 that officials estimate drew 5 million people. Rizzo and Heyward were honored as Gold Glove winners, and Rizzo and Arrieta won their first Silver Slugger awards. Bryant capped his season by being named NL Most Valuable Player. Besides ending the championship drought, the feel good story of the season was David Ross, also known as "Grandpa Rossy," who had declared this his last season. The 39-year-old catcher was saluted by his teammates and fans, and finished with a bang, hitting a home run in Game 7 of the World Series.

2017

The Cubs reached the National League Championship Series for the third-straight year, becoming the first team to reach the NLCS for three-straight campaigns since the Cardinals did so from 2011-14. The Cubs qualified for the postseason three years in a row for the first time since 1906-08. Chicago won the NL Central Division for the second-straight year, going 90-72. After going 43-45 in the season's first half, Chicago was 49-25 following the All-Star Game. Chicago defeated the Washington Nationals in the National League Division Series, three-games-to-two, before falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, four-games-to-one.

The Cubs scored 822 runs in the regular season, surpassing 800 runs scored for just the 10th time in franchise history. The team belted 223 home runs, the second-highest single-season total in franchise history (235 homers in 2004), while six players reached 20 homers, a franchise mark. Joe Maddon recorded his 1,000th career managerial victory on May 17 against Cincinnati. Kris Bryant hit 29 homers, making him the first Cub ever to reach 25 homers in each of his first three major league seasons. Anthony Rizzo tied his career high with 109 RBI. Closer Wade Davis converted a franchise-record 32-straight save opportunities to start the season.

2018

The Cubs earned the first N.L. Wild Card spot, and advanced to the postseason for the fourth-straight campaign. It marked the first time in franchise history the team made the playoffs in four consecutive seasons. Chicago fell in the N.L. Wild Card Game vs. Colorado, 2-1, after finishing the season with a 95-68 record, including a 3-1 setback in a tiebreaker game vs. Milwaukee. The Cubs reached 90 wins for the fourth season in a row, a feat accomplished for the first time in more than 100 years since a nine-season run of 90 or more wins from 1904-12. Chicago led the majors with 48 come-from-behind wins. Javier Baez had a MVP-worthy campaign and led the N.L. with 111 RBI. Baez and Willson Contreras were starters for the N.L. All-Star Team, as Jon Lester was also named to the Mid-Summer Classic.