Chicago Cubs 2023 Best Moments |
The Cubs, of course, missed the playoffs in a fashion that can only be called disappointing. However, they absolutely had some things to celebrate this season. The Cubs finished 83-79, their first finish above .500 in a full season since 2019. Chicago was in second place in the NL Central and held control of playoff position for most of the second half of the season.
The Cubs had a player in MVP conversation, in the short list of Cy Young contenders, three all-stars, and had three players win Gold Gloves. It had an unfortunate ending, but it was a good season with many ways to build on and improve. That is everybody’s focus — building and improving this team for 2024. But with the calendar to be soon flipped from 2023 to 2024, we at CubsHQ thought it would be fun this holiday season to reflect on some of the best moments from an entertaining 2023 season. This series will have three parts; here is part one: 15. Pat Hughes inducted into MLB Hall of Fame Of all franchises, the Cubs should know how important a broadcaster can be for a fan base. Harry Caray will forever be the idol for all future broadcasters to follow — and Pat Hughes has done a tremendous job. Known around baseball as one of the league’s best radio broadcasters, Hughes’ artistry paints a picture for listeners with his ever-so-descriptive and colorful vocabulary. Hughes has been the soundtrack behind so many great Cubs moments — including being the first and only Cubs announcer ever to say, “The Chicago Cubs win the World Series!” Beyond that, Hughes has made tremendous strides in the community for his love of baseball broadcasting and the game's history. Now, he officially is a part of that illustrious history as he was awarded the Ford C. Frick award for broadcasters — and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in July.
14. Cubs welcome Jeimer Candelario back to Wrigley
After a crucial stretch of baseball after the All-Star break, the Cubs' winning ways were enough to convince Jed Hoyer and the front office to make moves to add to the team rather than sell for the third consecutive season. The most notable of the additions was Jeimer Candelario, a former Cub who was enjoying a great season in Washington. The Cubs needed to add some offense to the lineup at the corner positions, and Candelario answered all of their needs in one.
In his return to Wrigley, he went 4-5 and then 4-4 in two games. The Cubs put up a combined 36 runs - signifying this team was a serious playoff contender.
13. Opening Day Win
Opening Day at Wrigley Field is just different — and the Cubs welcomed the rival Milwaukee Brewers to town for Dansby Swanson and Cody Bellinger’s debut and the atmosphere was great.
Marcus Stroman grabbed the W on opening day, and newcomers performed admirably. Dansby Swanson had three hits, Trey Mancini (I know, soft spot) drove in a run, Brad Boxberger got a hold, and Michael Fulmer closed things down.
The formula for winning games was there. The vibes were good. And the season got off to a great start.
12. Alexander Canario Grand Slam
The Cubs had many games where they scored over ten runs this year, but few were as fun as this game.
Canario is one of the Cubs' top prospects and has unparalleled power. However, many Cubs fans clamored for Canario to get more at-bats — especially after this moment.
In his second game, Canario punctuated an eight-run eight inning against the Pirates with his first MLB home run, a grand slam that sent the crowd at Wrigley into a frenzy.
11. Marcus Stroman complete game shutout
By the end of the year, Justin Steele was the story out of the starting rotation, inserting himself into the Cy Young conversation. However, at the beginning of the season, Marcus Stroman and Steele formed a formidable 1-2 punch at the top of the Cubs’ rotation before Stroman’s injury.
Stroman had an ERA that remained below 3.00 until July for the most part, but he was incredibly dominant early in the season. No outing echoed those sentiments more than his Memorial Day complete game shutout of the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays.
Stroman delivered eight strikeouts and allowed just one hit and one walk in his superb complete-game shutout. At that point in the season, Stroman had four starts, allowing zero runs, and an additional six starts, allowing two runs or less.
Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3.
