Cases For The Ex-Cubs Factor Hypothesis
| World Series where the Ex-Cubs Factor Has been Cited |
||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Winning Team |
Losing Team |
| 1981 | Los Angeles Dodgers (1) |
New York Yankees (5) |
| 1984 | Detroit Tigers (1) |
San Diego Padres (3) |
| 1990 | Cincinnati Reds (1) |
Oakland Athletics (3) |
| 2001 | Arizona Diamondbacks (4) |
New York Yankees (2) |
| 2002 | Los Angeles Angels (1) |
San Francisco Giants (3) |
| 2004 | Boston Red Sox (2) |
St. Louis Cardinals (3) |
| 2008 | Philadelphia Phillies (3) |
Tampa Bay Rays (1) |
| 2009 | New York Yankees (2) |
Philadelphia Phillies (3) |
Since 1945, of the 23 teams to reach the World Series with three or more Cubs players, only 3 have won the World Series (the 1960 Pirates, the 2001 Diamondbacks, and the 2008 Phillies). Since its articulation in 1981, the ex-cubs factor has been used to predict and explain post-season and World Series defeats for many different baseball teams.
During the 1980s, the ex-Cubs factor was used to explain a number of losses by teams. It was used, in a letter to the editor, as a reason for the loss by the San Diego Padres in the 1984 World Series (with three ex-Cubs) and by the collapse of the 1985 Toronto Blue Jays who had added ex-Cub Cliff Johnson on August 28 and then blew a 3-1 lead over the Royals in the 1985 American League Championship Series.
The theory became more prominent in 1990 when it was popularized by Chicago columnist Mike Royko and continued predictions by Ron Berler. On October 16, 1990, Ron Berler again asserted the ex-Cubs factor as the reason that the favored Oakland Athletics (with ex-Cubs Scott Sanderson, Dennis Eckersley, and Ron Hassey) would lose in the 1990 World Series (which they did by getting swept by the Cincinnati Reds). It was again cited by Berler as a reason for the defeat of the league-leading 1991 Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1991 National League Championship Series to the Atlanta Braves. Mike Royko used the ex-Cubs factor to predict the playoff collapse of the 104-win 1993 Atlanta Braves (which did occur in the 1993 National League Championship Series).
The ex-Cubs factor hypothesis was used to predict the San Francisco Giants (with three ex-Cubs Shawon Dunston, Benito Santiago and Tim Worrell) loss to the Anaheim Angels in the 2002 World Series.
The ex-Cubs factor hypothesis has also used to explain the results of the 2004 American League Championship Series (ALCS) and the 2004 World Series, both won by the Boston Red Sox. In the 2004 ALCS, the Yankees (with six ex-Cubs) lost a 3-0 game lead to the Boston Red Sox, the first time in Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox (with only two ex-Cubs) then went on to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals (with three ex-cubs) in the World Series. The 2009 World Series resulted in a win by the New York Yankees (with two ex-Cubs) over the Philadelphia Phillies (with three ex-Cubs).
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