The Chicago Cubs have accomplished something that hasn’t been seen in nearly 90 years, securing their second 10-game winning streak of the season following a commanding 7-1 victory against the Texas Rangers in Arlington on Friday evening.
Michael Busch delivered a crucial three-run double while Ian Happ continued his impressive on-base streak, now at 29 consecutive games, as Chicago reached this historic milestone. Not since 1935 has the franchise recorded two separate 10-game winning streaks within a single season.
“That means you’re doing something that’s pretty rare, and I think we realize that,” said manager Craig Counsell.
The achievement places the Cubs in exclusive company. According to Sportradar, the last major league team to accomplish two 10-game winning streaks within their first 39 games was the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, who did so in just 24 games. The Cubs’ only better performance came in 1906 when they managed four such streaks.
Second baseman Nico Hoerner reflected on the rarity of the accomplishment: “Baseball is a game of a ridiculous amount of stats and things to look up, so anytime you have to go that far back, it is obviously a good sign, especially on a positive like that. We’re just going to keep it rolling.”
The speed at which Chicago achieved this feat is particularly noteworthy, completing both 10-game streaks by May 8. “That’s a crazy sentence,” Hoerner remarked.
Currently sitting at 27-12, the Cubs have captured 20 victories in their past 23 contests, with only three consecutive defeats separating their two extended winning runs. Last season, Milwaukee accomplished a similar feat with two 10-game streaks en route to claiming the NL Central division title, finishing five games ahead of Chicago.
“If you break it to small things, it’s just come and play a good game today, and we played a really good game today, a really well-rounded, well-pitched for sure, with some pressure a lot in a bunch of innings,” Counsell explained. “It’s been the recipe for a lot of wins.”
The last time the Cubs achieved multiple 10-game winning streaks was during their remarkable 1935 campaign, when Hall of Fame catcher Gabby Hartnett earned NL MVP honors under manager Charlie Grimm as the team won 100 games. The franchise has reached that 100-win mark only once since then, during their historic 2016 World Series championship season with 103 regular season victories.
Pitcher Ben Brown, who tossed four hitless innings in his first start of the season after 12 relief appearances, expressed amazement at the team’s achievement. “Two double-digit winning streaks in a season, that sounds pretty wild to me,” he said.
“That’s kudos to all the guys in the clubhouse, all the coaches, all the trainers, the sports staff,” Brown continued. “That is some goosebumps to think about how talented this team is. It’s special to be a part of, it’s special to witness, it’s special to watch.”
