2003 Chicago Cubs season
| 2003 Chicago Cubs | |
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| National League Central Champions | |
| Major League affiliations | |
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| Location | |
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| Results | |
| Record | 88–74 (.543) |
| Divisional place | 1st |
| Other information | |
| Owner(s) | Tribune Company |
| General manager(s) | Jim Hendry |
| Manager(s) | Dusty Baker |
| Local television |
FSN Chicago Superstation WGN WCIU-TV (Chip Caray, Steve Stone) |
| Local radio |
WGN (Pat Hughes, Ron Santo) |
| Stats |
ESPN.com BB-reference |
| < Previous season Next season > | |
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 Division 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 National League Division Series, 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 National League Championship Series.
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.
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.
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