With the Cubs disappointing early end to the season, this possibility was on the horizon. And now Chicago is saying goodbye to another coach that brought so much happiness and success.
It was announced earlier today that the Cubs have let go of Joe Maddon as their manager. Maddon had 471 wins as Cubs manager, four consecutive playoff appearances, and one pennant. The most important thing he did for this Chicago Cubs was lead that magical 2016 team to a World Series win, the first for the franchise in 108 years.
| Rk | Year | Age | Tm | Lg | W | L | W-L% | T | G | Finish | Wpost | Lpost | W-L%post | Challenges | Overturned | Overturn% | Ejections | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 2015 | 61 | Chicago Cubs | NL | 97 | 65 | .599 | 0 | 162 | 3 | 4 | 5 | .444 | 48 | 28 | 58.3% | 5 | ||
| 13 | 2016 | 62 | Chicago Cubs | NL | 103 | 58 | .640 | 1 | 162 | 1 | 11 | 6 | .647 | 42 | 21 | 50.0% | 3 | WS Champs | |
| 14 | 2017 | 63 | Chicago Cubs | NL | 92 | 70 | .568 | 0 | 162 | 1 | 4 | 6 | .400 | 53 | 28 | 52.8% | 2 | ||
| 15 | 2018 | 64 | Chicago Cubs | NL | 95 | 68 | .583 | 0 | 163 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 43 | 27 | 62.8% | 3 | ||
| 16 | 2019 | 65 | Chicago Cubs | NL | 84 | 77 | .522 | 0 | 161 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 16 | 50.0% | 3 | |||
| Chicago Cubs | 5 years | 471 | 338 | .582 | 1 | 810 | 2.0 | 19 | 18 | .514 | 218 | 120 | 55.0%% | 16 | 1 Pennant and 1 World Series Title | ||||
| 16 years | 1252 | 1067 | .540 | 1 | 2320 | 2.8 | 32 | 35 | .478 | 267 | 141 | 52.8%% | 52 | 2 Pennants and 1 World Series Title |
As a lifelong Cubs fan, I have to thank you, Joe Maddon.
He shaped the future generations of the Chicago Cubs, including players like Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Wilson Contreras, Jake Arrieta, and so many more (we can be here all day). He constructed a kickass attitude on the North Side with his relaxed nature.
Build him a statue outside Wrigley already.
Maddon was a players guy, he’d fight tooth and nail for his boys. He gave love to those who needed it when they were down. In what was possibly Ben Zobrist‘s last game in a Cubs uniform, Maddon let Zo hop on the mound and strike out Yadier Molina. Zobrist was able to pick up one of his last “firsts” – a strikeout in the MLB.
You can see it from players just how much Joe meant to them.
Even though I saw this one coming, it still stings to see Maddon go. He’s been the dad behind the bench for this Chicago team and they won’t be the same without the “Try Not To Suck” attitude in the dugout.
Now if you excuse me, I’m going to go rewatch Game 7 and remember all that I’m thankful for.
Thank you once again, Joe Maddon, we’ll see you at the statue dedication ceremony. (Spin mooooove)
Featured Image: Here
