1990 - Back to Earth

The 1989 NLCS was a disappointment, but Cubs fans had hope for the future coming into 1990. The Cubs had the top two vote-getters in the 1989 Rookie of the Year voting in centerfielder Jerome Walton and rightfielder Dwight Smith. They had a 26 year-old first baseman coming off a .314 season and a 24 year-old staff ace coming off a 19-win season. They had an effective closer coming off a 36-save season. They seemed to be in a good position to become consistent contenders.

There were a few changes. Third baseman Vance Law, who had been outstanding in 1988, but a disappointment in 1989, was released in January. The third base job was given to Luis Salazar, a 34 year-old journeyman who had had a great September after coming over from the Padres late in the 1989 season. Mike Harkey, a 23 year-old right-handed starting pitcher and 1987 first-round draft pick out of Cal State Fullerton, was added to the rotation. Other than that, the team seemed to need few adjustments.

1990 Opening Day Lineup
Walton, cf
Sandberg, 2b
McClendon, lf
Grace, 1b
Salazar, 3b
Smith, rf
Dunston, ss
Girardi, c
Bielecki, p

For the second year in a row, the Cubs beat the Phillies in their opening game. On April 18, they were 6-3 and in first place by a game. Then, the bottom fell out. They lost their next six games; they would never again see the good side of .500 in 1990. The fourth of those losses dropped them to fourth-place in the NL East and they would never rise above that level again, finishing in fourth with a 77-85 record. It was exactly the same record they had in 1988, before the 1989 revival.

Most of the players who had broken through in 1989 came back to earth in 1990. Jerome Walton, after a .293 performance in 1989, saw his batting average drop 30 points. Dwight Smith was down from .324 in '89 to .262 in '90. Mike Bielecki, who was 18-7 with a 3.14 ERA in 212 innings in 1989, could manage only only 8-11 with a 4.93 ERA in 168 innings. Rick Sutcliffe was shut down for almost the entire season because of arm injuries; he appeared in only five games. Les Lancaster's ERA rose from 1.36 to 4.62 and Mitch Williams' went from 2.76 to 3.93. He saved only 16 games.

There was some good news. Mark Grace proved he was for real, hitting .309 with more walks (59) than strikeouts (54) in 157 games. After a disappointing 1989, Andre Dawson came back strong, with a .310 batting average, 27 homers, and 100 RBIs. Mike Harkey had an outstanding rookie campaign, pitching 174 innings with a 3.26 ERA and finishing 12-6. Greg Maddux was good, with a 3.46 ERA in 237 innings, though bad luck limited his record to 15-15.

But as far as the Cubs were concerned, 1990 belonged to Ryne Sandberg. The second baseman reclaimed superstar status, slugging 40 home runs to lead the NL. He was the first second baseman to hit 40 round-trippers in a season since 1973 and only the third ever to do it. Sandberg also led the league in runs scored with 116 and matched Dawson by driving in 100, while hitting .306.

Despite three superior offensive stars in the lineup, the Cubs offense was mediocre, finishing in the middle of the pack in the NL in runs scored. The pitching, especially the bullpen, was terrible, with a 4.34 ERA that ranked 11th out of 12 NL teams. Once again, the Cubs had regressed after one good year. Something had to give.

1990 Cubs Batting Leaders: R - Ryne Sandberg, 116; H - Sandberg, 188; HR - Sandberg, 40; RBI - Sandberg & Andre Dawson, 100; BA - Dawson, .310; OBP - Mark Grace, .372; SP - Sandberg, .559

1990 Cubs Pitching Leaders: G - Paul Assenmacher, 74; IP - Greg Maddux, 237; W - Maddux, 15; SO - Maddux, 144; ERA - Mike Harkey, 3.26; SV - Mitch Williams, 16