1. Background
    1997–1998: First meetings  1999–2016: Geographic foes and division races 

2. Since 2017
    2017: Two young squads  2018: Division race and tie-breaker game 

3. See also

4. References

• MIL: 8 (June 6, 2012–August 29, 2012)
• CHC: 9 (July 30, 2015–September 22, 2015)

The Brewers–Cubs rivalry is a Major League Baseball (MLB) rivalry between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. Both clubs are members of MLB's National League (NL) Central division. The rivalry is also sometimes known as the I-94 Rivalry, because the two teams' ballparks are located only {{convert|83.3|mi|km}} from each other off Interstate 94 (I-94). Bob Uecker and Harry Caray have been sportscasters for their respective teams.

The Brewers and Cubs have been playing each other in spring training Cactus League games since the Brewers franchise began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969.^[1] However, this budding rivalry did not begin to grow until {{mlby|1998}}, when the Brewers moved from the American League Central Division to the National League Central. Until then, the Brewers had a rivalry with Chicago's AL team, the White Sox.

Background

1997–1998: First meetings

The Brewers and Cubs met for the first official time on June 13, 1997 in interleague play, a 4–2 Brewers victory in Wrigley Field.^[2] They met for the first time as division rivals on June 15, 1998, a 6–5 Cubs victory also in Wrigley Field.^[3]

1999–2016: Geographic foes and division races

After battling for the NL Central title in both 2007 and 2008, the teams met at Miller Park for the Brewers' home opener. During the second game of the homestand on Saturday April 11, 2009, the Brewers had the highest attendance in Major League Baseball for the rivalry game.^[4]

During games in Milwaukee, it was sometimes common for there to be many Cubs fans in attendance. This has been largely due to the ticket availability at Miller Park; Wrigley Field has routinely sold out in the past, so it has often been easier and cheaper for Cubs fans to watch games at Miller Park. During the 2006 season, the Milwaukee Brewers started the "Take Back Miller Park" campaign to regain home field advantage. Since then, the dominating presence of Cubs fans has somewhat dwindled as the Brewers have become more popular with local fans following the sale of the team from Bud Selig to Mark Attanasio. Through the 2007 and 2008 seasons, the rivalry became more intense with both teams battling for the National League Central crown, a prize the Cubs eventually claimed both seasons.^[5] During 2008, the Brewers had a sellout streak going at the start of a mid-July series at home against the Cubs.^[6]

The rivalry was less prominent in the following seasons, as both teams finished well out of playoff contention in 2010, while in 2011 the Brewers claimed the NL Central title and the Cubs struggled to a 71–91 record.

After the {{mlby|2011}} season ended, former Brewer player, coach and manager Dale Sveum was hired by the Cubs to be their new manager in {{mlby|2012}}. The Brewers in 2012, won 13 of 17 games against the Cubs to take the all-time series at 118–117.

Since 2017

2017: Two young squads

In 2017, a surprisingly competitive Brewers team led by young prospects and resurgent veterans challenged the defending World Series champion Cubs for the division, the two played in a pivotal end of the season series which led to the Cubs clinching their second division crown in a row, finishing the season 92–70, six games ahead of the 86–76 Brewers.

2018: Division race and tie-breaker game

The rivalry reached a pivotal stage in 2018. After narrowly missing the playoffs in 2017, the Brewers made several acquisitions during the off-season. They signed outfielder Lorenzo Cain and acquired Miami Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich in a blockbuster trade.^[7][8] These acquisitions, both occurring on January 25th, 2018, helped the Brewers match the Cubs in terms of offensive prowess.

During the regular season, the Cubs held an 11–8 advantage in head-to-head play. This was mostly due to the Cubs going 8-1 versus the Brewers in the first 9 games of the season series. The Brewers ended up winning the last four series against the Cubs and both teams were tied for first place on the last day of the season. The teams faced off in a tie-breaker game for the division title. Milwaukee won 3–1, winning the division and securing home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs.^[9] The Brewers also enjoyed a large contingent of Brewers fans at Wrigley Field during this game, which marked a turn in a series where Cubs fans normally "took over" Miller Park.^[10] The Cubs would host the Colorado Rockies in the Wild Card game and lost 2-1 while the Brewers went out to beat the Rockies in the NLDS but lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS in 7 games.

See also

Sports rivalries of the same cities/states:

• Bears–Packers rivalry

References

• Lexington History Museum
• Lexington Horsemen
• Lexington House
• Lexington, Il
• Lexington Institute
• Lexington Insurance Company
• Lexington Jr. High
• Lexington Junior High
• Lexington Kentucky
• Lexington, Kentucky, in the American Civil War
• Lexington ky
• Lexington, Le Sueur County, Minnesota
• Lexington Library Company
• Lexington Local School District, Richland County, Ohio
• Lexington, Maine
• Lexington Market Light Rail Stop
• Lexington Market Metro Station
• Lexington Market Metro Subway Station
• Lexington Market station (Light RailLink)
• Lexington Market station (Metro SubwayLink)
• Lexington, Mass
• Lexington Medical Center
• Lexington, mi
• Lexington micropolitan area
• Lexington Micropolitan Statistical Area