Chicago Cubs history unpacked — October 23

October 23, 2026

October 23 marks several notable milestones in baseball history. In 1935, Gabby Hartnett secured the National League MVP title, while Rick Sutcliffe earned a unanimous Cy Young Award in 1984 following his mid-season move to Chicago.

Earlier, in 1910, Jack Coombs led the Philadelphia Athletics to a World Series championship over the Cubs with a 7-2 victory. Additionally, 1945 saw the Brooklyn Dodgers organization sign Jackie Robinson and John Wright to their Triple-A affiliate.

The Cubs later parted ways with Billy Williams in 1974, trading him to the Oakland Athletics for Manny Trillo, Darold Knowles, and Bob Locker.

Memorable World Series moments also define this date. In 1993, Joe Carter delivered a walk-off home run to clinch the title for Toronto against the Philadelphia Phillies, with Paul Molitor earning MVP honors.

The 1996 Yankees staged a massive comeback against the Atlanta Braves, capped by a Jim Leyritz home run and a decisive walk drawn by Wade Boggs. Finally, in 2005, the Chicago White Sox took a two-game lead over the Houston Astros behind a grand slam from Paul Konerko and a game-winning blast by Scott Podsednik off Brad Lidge.