ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have done it again. For the first time in 90 years, they’ve posted two separate 10-game winning streaks in a single season. Ian Happ extended his on-base streak to 29 games, Michael Busch drove in three runs with a double, and the Cubs secured their second 10-game winning streak of the year with a 7-1 victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday night.
This marks the first time since 1935 that Chicago has recorded two 10-game winning streaks in one season. The only season in which the Cubs had more was 1906, when they achieved four such streaks.
“That means you’re doing something that’s pretty rare, and I think we realize that,” manager Craig Counsell said.
According to Sportradar, the last major league team to have two 10-game winning streaks within the first 39 games of a season was the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, who accomplished it within their first 24 games.
“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,” Chicago second baseman Nico Hoerner said. “We’re just going to keep it rolling.”
The Cubs have also achieved this milestone quickly, with both streaks happening by May 8. “That’s a crazy sentence,” Hoerner added.
The Milwaukee Brewers had two winning streaks of at least 10 games last season on their way to winning the NL Central title, finishing five games ahead of Chicago.
The Cubs (27-12) have won 20 of their last 23 games, with a three-game losing streak separating the two long win streaks.
“If you break it down into 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 game for sure, with some pressure in a bunch of innings,” Counsell said. “It’s been the recipe for a lot of wins.”
When the Cubs had multiple 10-game winning streaks in 1935, Hall of Fame catcher Gabby Hartnett earned NL MVP honors and Charlie Grimm managed the 100-win team. The only other time they have achieved this since was during their 2016 World Series championship season, when they won 103 regular-season games.
“Two double-digit winning streaks in a season, that sounds pretty wild to me,” said Ben Brown, who threw four hitless innings in his first start of the season after 12 relief appearances. “That’s kudos to all the guys in the clubhouse, all the coaches, all the trainers, the sports staff. 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.”
