We here at The Popcorn Factory are proud to be from Chicago. What’s not to love? It’s such a powerhouse city that not one, but two grand-slammin’ MLB teams call it home. The electrifying crosstown rivalry between the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox has been sending shocks of high-voltage excitement through fans’ blood for ages. So grab a Cubs or Sox 3-Flavor Baseball Popcorn Tin and join in on the action: We’ve got all the fun facts you need to know about the Windy City’s most exhilarating teams!
Chicago Cubs Trivia
Today, the Cubs are one of the top five grossing teams in the MLB.
The Chicago Cubs are one of four major league baseball teams that do not have mascots.
The Cubs’ logo has been changed so many times over the years that no one really knows who designed it.
Before they were known as the Cubs, the team was also called the Chicago White Stockings, the Colts, the Black Stockings, the Orphans, the Rainmakers and the Cowboys. They didn’t get their modern-day name until 1902, when a newspaper reporter used the nickname “Cubs” to refer to the team in an article.
Every time the Cubs win a game at Wrigley Field, a flag printed with the letter “W” for “Win” is hoisted high above the scoreboard.
Only four Cubs uniform numbers have been retired: 14 (Ernie Banks), 10 (Ron Santos), 26 (Billy Williams) and 23 (Ryne Sandberg).
The Cubs were the first team ever to win two back-to-back World Series championships. They won their first series in 1907 and claimed victory again in 1908. However, they haven’t won a championship since then, though they did win National League titles in 2007 and 2008.
The Cubs didn’t start playing at Wrigley Field until 1916. They called five different parks home before they settled at Wrigley: 23rd Street Grounds, Lakefront Park, West Side Park, South Side Park, and West Side Grounds.
The first baseball game to ever be covered on the radio was aired on October 1, 1924, when the Cubs defeated the White Sox 10-7.
There are 42,157 seats in Wrigley Field, including standing room tickets.
On July 27, 1930, Wrigley Field hosted its biggest crowd ever: 51,556 fans. There were so many people that, in order to make everyone fit, visitors were allowed to stand along the outfield’s warning track.
Lights weren’t installed in Wrigley Field until after 1942, when the initial fixtures were donated to the war effort after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
In Game 4 of the 1945 World Series against the Detroit Tigers, the Cubs didn’t allow William Sianis—owner of the Billy Goat Tavern—to bring his lucky goat into Wrigley Field. Sianis angrily declared that the Cubs would never win a World Series again. So far, what’s known as “The Curse of the Billy Goat” has come true: The Cubs lost the series that year and every year after that.
The first regular season Cubs game to be broadcast on television was aired on April 20, 1946.
Sammy Sosa hit 33 home runs in his first season with the Cubs. Before he played with the Cubs, he hit 28 runs with the White Sox in fewer than three seasons.
Chicago White Sox Trivia
The fuzzy green Chicago White Sox mascot is called “Southpaw,” a nickname for left-handed pitchers.
When the franchise was first started in 1900, the team was known as the Chicago White Stockings. They took the moniker after the Chicago Cubs—the original White Stockings—changed their team name.
Comiskey Park was home to the White Sox for 80 years (1911-1990) before they started playing at Comiskey Park II. Before then, the team played in Southside Park since 1900.
The White Sox claimed their first win in franchise history on April 22, 1901. They beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-3.
After their 12-4 defeat of the Cleveland Blues, the White Sox clinched their first American League pennant on September 12, 1900.
The White Sox won their first World Series championship in 1906, defeating crosstown rivals Chicago Cubs 4-2. It was the first and only World Series that pitted the two Chicago teams against each other.
The original White Sox logo was designed around 1910-1912, but the designer is unknown.
Charlie Robertson was the first to pitch a perfect game in Chicago White Sox history. He beat the Detroit Tigers 2-0 on April 30, 1922.
Old Comiskey Park was famous for its exploding scoreboard: Back in 1960, a $600,000 scoreboard decked out with fireworks and lighted pinwheels was constructed. Every time the team scored a home run, a light show would bring the stadium to life.
Disco Demolition Night, one of the most famous events in sports history, took place in Comiskey Park on July 12, 1979. A disgruntled DJ named Steve Dahl organized a night when fans could place disco records in a crate in the middle of the field and blow them up. With a turnout of almost 100,000 people, the anti-disco tirade completely shut down the exit ramps on the Dan Ryan Expressway.
The White Sox had the pleasure of playing the longest game in American history. On May 9, 1984, they engaged in what seemed like a never-ending battle with the Milwaukee Brewers: The game lasted two days and 25 innings. Harold Baines finally put the game away at the bottom of the 25th inning with his game-winning home run.
In the 1991 season, the White Sox hit a landmark fan attendance record with 2,934,154 fans.
The last time the White Sox won the World Series was 2005. It was their first championship win in 88 years.
On September 30, 2008, the Sox went head-to-head with the Minnesota Twins in a nail-biting winner take all play-in game. To amp up the drama and anticipation, the entire stadium—including the fans—was shrouded in black. The White Sox stole the show when Jim Thome launched the game-winning home run into centerfield.
DeWayne Wise made what’s known as one of the best defensive plays in White Sox history—and possibly even baseball history. Only three outs away from a perfect game on July 23, 2009, Tampa Bay Rays’ Gabe Kapler hit what could easily have been a home run. But when Wise ran after the hit, launched himself off the wall and still managed to hold on to the ball after tumbling to the ground, he smashed the Rays’ hopes of finishing off their flawless game.
So which sizzling-hot Chicago team will have you sitting on the edge of your seat this baseball season?
