The 2003 Chicago Cubs season was the 132nd season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 128th in the National League and the 88th at Wrigley Field. The Cubs were managed by Dusty Baker in his first year in Chicago. The Cubs went 88–74 during the 2003 season and won the National League Central for the first time since the division's formation in 1994, and the team's first division title since its 1989 NL East title. In the NLDS, the Cubs defeated the Atlanta Braves three games to two for their first postseason series win since 1908. The Cubs lost to the Florida Marlins four games to three in the NLCS.
Previous season The Cubs were coming off of a poor year in 2002, finishing 67–95 in fifth place in the NL Central and costing manager Don Baylor his job. The Cubs hired Dusty Baker, fresh off his World Series appearance with the San Francisco Giants, to replace Baylor.
Offseason December 4, 2002: Todd Hundley and Chad Hermansen were traded by the Cubs to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Mark Grudzielanek and Eric Karros. January 13, 2003: Midre Cummings was signed as a free agent with the Cubs. January 13, 2003: Aaron Small was signed as a free agent with the Cubs. March 4, 2003: Trenidad Hubbard was signed as a free agent with the Cubs. March 29, 2003: Aaron Small was released by the Cubs.
Regular season
Summary The team's success can be attributed first and foremost to its starting rotation, which featured Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Carlos Zambrano, and Matt Clement, each of whom won at least 13 games. The pitching staff as a whole led the National League in strikeouts with 1,404, over 100 more than any other team. While not nearly as dominant in hitting, the Cubs' lineup was bolstered by acquisitions at what was a very active trade deadline, including Aramis Ramírez, Randall Simon, and Kenny Lofton.
The team started slow but finished September with a 19–8 record to win the NL Central. As the division winner with the third best record, the Cubs faced the Atlanta Braves who had finished the season in a tie for the best record in the majors in a best of five games format. The Cubs won the first game of the series and the teams alternated wins leading to a game 5 at Turner Field to determine the series winner. The Cubs won the game 5–1.
The series win, their first since 1908, resulted in a matchup against the Florida Marlins for the right to go to the World Series. The Marlins won the first game in Chicago, but the Cubs won the next three to take a three games to one lead. Florida won game five as the series shifted back to Chicago for games six and seven. With Mark Prior on the mound, the Cubs took a 3–1 lead into the 8th inning before a series of errors led to an 8-run inning for the Marlins. The win forced a game seven with Kerry Wood on the mound for the Cubs. In a high-scoring affair that included a Kerry Wood home run, the Marlins shocked the Cubs 9–6 to deny the Cubs a trip to their first World Series since 1945.
The 2003 season brought a great deal of national attention to the Cubs, both positive and negative. On one hand, their surprising regular season run to first place in the NL Central, and the excellent performances of their top three pitchers, all of whom were age 26 or younger, seemed to suggest that the Cubs would be contenders for the foreseeable future. At the same time, however, the Cubs' squandering of the 3–1 series lead in the NLCS, and the manner in which it occurred, seemed to reaffirm the perceptions of the Cubs as "lovable losers" and a cursed franchise.
Season standings
National League Central
Record vs. opponents
Transactions April 21, 2003: Trenidad Hubbard was purchased by the Cubs from Oaxaca (Mexican League). May 9, 2003: Alan Benes was sent to the Texas Rangers by the Cubs as part of a conditional deal. June 3, 2003: Sam Fuld was drafted by the Cubs in the 24th round of the 2003 amateur draft, but did not sign. June 3, 2003: Tim Lincecum was drafted by the Cubs in the 48th round of the 2003 amateur draft, but did not sign. June 20, 2003: Mark Bellhorn was traded by the Cubs to the Colorado Rockies for José Hernández. July 23, 2003: Kenny Lofton and Aramis Ramírez were traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates with cash to the Cubs for a player to be named later, José Hernández, and Matt Bruback. The Cubs sent Bobby Hill (August 15, 2003) to the Pirates to complete the trade. August 17, 2003: Randall Simon was traded by the Pirates to the Cubs for Ray Sadler.
Roster 2003 Chicago Cubs Roster Pitchers Catchers
Infielders Outfielders Manager
Coaches (first base) (special asst) (third base) (bullpen) (hitting) (bench) (pitching)
Game log
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 1 || March 31 || @ Mets || 15–2 || Wood (1–0) || Glavine (0–1) || || 53,586 || 1–0 ||
|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 2 || April 2 || @ Mets || 4–1 || Leiter (1–0) || Clement (0–1) || Benítez (1) || 20,594 || 1–1 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 3 || April 3 || @ Mets || 6–3 || Prior (1–0) || Trachsel (0–1) || || 17,244 || 2–1 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 4 || April 4 || @ Reds || 10–9 || Williamson (1–0) || Veres (0–1) || || 29,048 || 2–2 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 5 || April 5 || @ Reds || 9–7 || Zambrano (1–0) || Haynes (0–2) || Borowski (1) || 28,908 || 3–2 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 6 || April 6 || @ Reds || 5–4 || White (1–0) || Guthrie (0–1) || Williamson (1) || 24,023 || 3–3 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbbbbb" | – || April 7 || Expos || colspan=7|Postponed (snow) Rescheduled for April 8 |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 7 || April 8 || Expos || 6–1 || Clement (1–1) || Day (1–1) || || 29,138 || 4–3 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 8 || April 9 || Expos || 3–0 || Prior (2–0) || Vázquez (1–1) || || 29,966 || 5–3 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 9 || April 10 || Expos || 7–1 || Armas (2–1) || Estes (0–1) || || 30,225 || 5–4 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 10 || April 11 || Pirates || 3–2 || D'Amico (1–1) || Zambrano (1–1) || Williams (5) || 33,605 || 5–5 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 11 || April 12 || Pirates || 4–0 || Wood (2–0) || Benson (2–1) || Borowski (2) || 35,226 || 6–5 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 12 || April 13 || Pirates || 4–3 || Farnsworth (1–0) || Boehringer (0–1) || Borowski (3) || 29,558 || 7–5 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 13 || April 14 || Reds || 11–3 || Anderson (1–1) || Prior (2–1) || Riedling (1) || 37,528 || 7–6 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 14 || April 15 || Reds || 11–1 || Estes (1–1) || Graves (0–2) || || 31,642 || 8–6 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 15 || April 16 || Reds || 10–4 || Zambrano (2–1) || Wilson (0–1) || || 27,388 || 9–6 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 16 || April 17 || Reds || 16–3 || Wood (3–0) || Haynes (0–4) || Benes (1) || 29,672 || 10–6 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 17 || April 18 || @ Pirates || 7–2 || Clement (2–1) || Benson (2–2) || || 15,037 || 11–6 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 18 || April 19 || @ Pirates || 6–1 (10) || Prior (3–1) || Sauerbeck (0–1) || || 31,518 || 12–6 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 19 || April 20 || @ Pirates || 8–2 || Torres (2–0) || Estes (1–2) || || 14,854 || 12–7 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 20 || April 22 || Padres || 7–2 || Zambrano (3–1) || Lawrence (2–2) || || 35,185 || 13–7 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 21 || April 23 || Padres || 2–0 || Eaton (1–1) || Wood (3–1) || Herges (1) || 35,768 || 13–8 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 22 || April 24 || Padres || 2–1 || Pérez (1–2) || Clement (2–2) || Wright (2) || 35,673 || 13–9 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 23 || April 25 || @ Rockies || 11–7 || Prior (4–1) || Cruz (3–1) || || 32,162 || 14–9 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 24 || April 26 || @ Rockies || 8–5 || Chacón (4–0) || Estes (1–3) || Jiménez (5) || 35,604 || 14–10 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 25 || April 27 || @ Rockies || 6–3 || Oliver (1–2) || Zambrano (3–2) || Jiménez (6) || 35,070 || 14–11 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 26 || April 29 || @ Giants || 4–2 || Wood (4–1) || Rueter (2–1) || Borowski (4) || 39,839 || 15–11 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 27 || April 30 || @ Giants || 5–0 || Schmidt (3–0) || Clement (2–3) || || 40,124 || 15–12 ||
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 28 || May 1 || @ Giants || 5–1 (10) || Cruz (1–0) || Worrell (1–1) || || 41,524 || 16–12 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 29 || May 2 || Rockies || 7–4 || Estes (2–3) || Chacón (4–1) || Borowski (5) || 29,236 || 17–12 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 30 || May 3 || Rockies || 6–4 || Speier (2–0) || Guthrie (0–2) || Jiménez (7) || 38,332 || 17–13 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 31 || May 4 || Rockies || 5–4 (10)|| Borowski (1–0) || Reed (2–1) || || 37,223 || 18–13 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 32 || May 5 || Brewers || 5–3 || Sheets (3–3) || Clement (2–4) || DeJean (6) || 35,304 || 18–14 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 33 || May 6 || Brewers || 9–6 || Leskanic (2–0) || Cruz (1–1) || DeJean (7) || 34,240 || 18–15 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 34 || May 7 || Brewers || 2–1 || Estes (3–3) || Rusch (1–6) || Borowski (6) || 37,574 || 19–15 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 35 || May 9 || Cardinals || 6–3 || Morris (4–2) || Zambrano (3–3) || Fassero (1) || 38,531 || 19–16 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 36 || May 10 || Cardinals || 3–2 (10) || Remlinger (1–0) || Eldred (2–1) || || 38,106 || 20–16 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbbbbb" | – || May 11 || Cardinals || colspan=7|Postponed (rain) Rescheduled for September 2 |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 37 || May 12 || @ Brewers || 11–5 || Prior (5–1) || Rusch (1–7) || || 19,106 || 21–16 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 38 || May 13 || @ Brewers || 7–2 || Estes (4–3) || Quevedo (0–1) || || 18,454 || 22–16 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 39 || May 14 || @ Brewers || 6–1 || Zambrano (4–3) || Kinney (2–3) || || 27,566 || 23–16 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 40 || May 15 || @ Brewers || 4–2 (17) || Farnsworth (2–0) || Kieschnick (0–1) || Wellemeyer (1) || 31,624 || 24–16 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 41 || May 16 || @ Cardinals || 7–4 || Williams (5–0) || Clement (2–5) || Eldred (2) || 42,589 || 24–17 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 42 || May 17 || @ Cardinals || 2–1 || Remlinger (2–0) || Kline (1–4) || Borowski (7) || 45,385 || 25–17 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 43 || May 18 || @ Cardinals || 6–3 || Hermanson (1–1) || Cruz (1–2) || Eldred (3) || 45,773 || 25–18 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 44 || May 19 || @ Cardinals || 2–0 || Morris (5–3) || Zambrano (4–4) || || 46,734 || 25–19 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbbbbb" | – || May 20 || @ Pirates || colspan=7|Postponed (rain) Rescheduled for September 19 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 45 || May 21 || @ Pirates || 5–2 || D'Amico (4–4) || Wood (4–2) || Williams (13) || 35,086 || 25–20 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 46 || May 22 || @ Pirates || 3–2 || Remlinger (3–0) || Sauerbeck (0–4) || Borowski (8) || 14,544 || 26–20 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 47 || May 23 || @ Astros || 7–5 || Linebrink (1–1) || Prior (5–2) || Wagner (13) || 29,660 || 26–21 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 48 || May 24 || @ Astros || 3–2 || Estes (5–3) || Redding (3–4) || Borowski (9) || 37,839 || 27–21 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 49 || May 25 || @ Astros || 7–3 || Zambrano (5–4) || Miller (2–6) || || 37,565 || 28–21 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 50 || May 26 || Pirates || 10–0 || Fogg (2–2) || Wood (4–3) || || 40,225 || 28–22 || |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 51 || May 27 || Pirates || 9–4 || Benson (5–5) || Clement (2–6) || || 35,961 || 28–23 || |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"