National League Pennant (1918)
The last NL crown before the long, agonizing wait began.
The 1918 National League Pennant stands as a pivotal, bittersweet chapter in Chicago Cubs history, marking the franchise's last championship appearance until the modern era. Led by a roster blending aging veterans and emerging talent under manager Fred Mitchell, this team navigated the tumultuous final year of World War I to secure the league title. While the season culminated in a heartbreaking loss to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, winning the NL flag remains one of only two pennants the Cubs have captured since 1907.
- League
- National League
- Manager
- Fred Mitchell
- Key Player
- Grover Cleveland Alexander
- Series Outcome
- Lost World Series to Boston Red Sox (4-2)
- Regular Season Record
- 84-45
- Final Standing
- 1st Place
Lore & Background
The pennant race was a grueling sprint through the final months of World War I, where the Cubs edged out the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals in a season truncated by the 'Work or Fight' order that stripped rosters of their stars. The World Series became a stark clash of eras: on one side, Grover Cleveland Alexander, the human immovable object; on the other, a young Boston Red Sox team featuring Babe Ruth as both a feared slugger and a formidable left-handed pitcher. Though Alexander won two games in the series, the Cubs fell short, securing only two victories against Boston's six. This defeat didn't immediately spawn the 'Curse of the Billy Goat'—that folklore would not take root until 1945—but it did signal the closing of a golden age. For the next eighty-eight years, this 1918 flag would stand as the final time Chicago held the National League title before the drought that defined a generation.
In Their Own Story
The wind off Lake Michigan cut through the wool flannel at Weeghman Park (not yet Wrigley), chilling the patchwork roster left behind after the draft took so many of their peers. On the mound, Grover Cleveland Alexander stood with a preternatural calmness that seemed to mute the roar of the crowd, his gaze locking onto the batter as if time had stopped. The dugouts were hollowed out by the war, filled now with substitutes and veterans clinging to the game's rhythm. When the final out was recorded in the pennant-clinching game, a collective breath held in the stands before exploding into a chaotic mix of tears and cheers. Yet, amidst the celebration of the National League crown, a quiet dread lingered among the faithful; they had won the battle for the flag, but the long war against fate was only just beginning.
Reader's Guide
The 1918 National League Pennant marks the Chicago Cubs' final championship appearance until the historic 2016 World Series victory. Played during a season severely disrupted by World War I, the schedule was shortened, ending in early September with rosters depleted across the league. Under manager Fred Mitchell, the team finished first in the National League with an impressive 84-45 record.
The heart of this squad was Grover Cleveland Alexander, who delivered a season for the ages: 22 wins against just four losses and a staggering 1.75 ERA, effectively carrying the pitching staff single-handedly through a turbulent year.
Historically, this pennant serves as a sharp dividing line in franchise lore. For nearly a century, Cubs fans would look back to 1918 (along with the titles of 1907 and 1908) with a sense of haunting longing, wondering what might have been had they secured that World Series victory against Boston. It stands as a testament to the team's resilience amidst global turmoil, representing the last time the franchise wore the National League champion banner before an eighty-eight-year drought.
Did You Know?
- The 1918 season was shortened by World War I, ending in early September rather than October.
- Grover Cleveland Alexander won 22 games and lost only 4 during this pennant-winning season.
- This was the last time a Cubs pitcher led the league in both wins and ERA until 2015.
- The World Series against Boston featured a matchup between Grover Alexander and Babe Ruth, who pitched for the Red Sox.