FanPost

Cubs' post-break upswing is among their biggest

The Cubs are 27-25 since the All-Star Game break, a .519 winning percentage.

Before the break, they were 35-57, .380.

That improvement of 139 percentage points is their fourth-biggest since 1933, year of the first All-Star Game -- and their second-biggest when they had a losing record for the season.

...

The Cubs' biggest post-break gain was 176 points, in 1935. They were 40-32, .556, at the break, then 60-22, .732, the rest of the way, to finish 100-54 and win the pennant.

In 2017, the Cubs were 43-45, .489, at the break and 49-25, .662, after it, a 173-point upswing that resulted in a division title.

...

In 1981, they were 15-37, .288, when a strike halted play following games of June 11. The season did not resume until Aug. 10, after which the Cubs went 23-28, .451, a gain of 163 percentage points.

Their biggest gain in a full season when they had a losing record at the break was 121 points, in 1944, from 29-40,. 420, to 46-39, .541.

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TRIPLE-DIGIT IMPROVEMENTS

The Cubs were at least 100 points better in 12 seasons before this year. Here are those years, listed by biggest gain:

176: 1935, from .556 to .732

173: 2017, from .489 to .662

163: 1981, from .288 to .451

127: 2015, from .540 to .667

121: 1944, from .420 to .541

113: 1968, from .464 to .577

108: 1990, from .424 to .532

105: 1966, from .313 to .418

104: 1933, from .506 to .610

103: 1982, from .404 to .507

103: 2003, from .500 to .603

100: 1954, from .367 to .467

In both 1943 and 1953, the Cubs improved by 98 points. They improved by no more than 89 in any other season.

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LOSING TO WINNING

2017 was the most recent of only 8 previous seasons in which the Cubs were below .500 at the break, then won more games than they lost after it.

The earlier years were 1943, 1944, 1968, 1982, 1990, 1992 and 1993.

In 1991, the Cubs were 38-44, .463, before the break, then 39-39, .500 after it. So for 4 straight years, 1990-93, they had more losses than wins going into the break, then won at least as many as they lost after it.

They were exactly .500 following the break in only 1 other season, 1976, at 39-39. They were 36-48 before the break that year.

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2-POINT DIFFERENCE

In all years since 1933, the Cubs' winning percentage is virtually the same before and after the All-Star Game: .485 before and .483 after.

Their average record at the break is 40-43; after it, 36-39.

Those percentages and averages exclude 2020, when there was no All-Star Game.

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WINNING, LOSING RECORDS

The Cubs had a winning record before the break in 37 seasons, were .500 in 4 more and had a losing record in 48.

They have had a winning record after the break in 33 seasons, were .500 in 2 and had a losing record in 54.

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BEST, WORST PERCENTAGES

Their best pre-break percentages were .638 in 1937 (44-25), .622 in 1969 (61-37) and .614 in 1936 (43-27).

Their worst were the .288 in 1981 (15-37), mentioned earlier; .313 in 1966 (26-57) and .361 in 1957 (26-46).

Their best post-break percentages were .732 (60-22) in 1935, mentioned earlier; .685 in 2016 (50-23) and .667 in both 1945 (54-27) and 2015 (50-25).

Their worst were .338 in 1999 (26-51), .348 in 2013 (24-45) and .349 in 1956 (29-54)

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