The1945 Chicago Cubs season was the 74th season of theChicago Cubs franchise, the 70th in theNational League and the 30th atWrigley Field. The Cubs won the National Leaguepennant with a record of 98–56, 3 games ahead of the second-placeSt. Louis Cardinals. The team went on to theWorld Series, which they lost to theDetroit Tigers in seven games. This was the Cubs last postseason appearance until 1984. It would take 71 years before the Cubs made it to anotherWorld Series.

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

The Curse of the Billy Goat was a curse on the Chicago Cubs that was started in 1945 and ended in 2016. As the story goes,Billy Sianis, a Greek immigrant (from Paleopyrgos, Greece^[1]), who owned a nearby tavern (the now-famousBilly Goat Tavern), had two $7.20 box seat tickets to Game 4 of the 1945 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and theDetroit Tigers, and decided to bring along his pet goat, Murphy (or Sinovia according to some references), which Sianis had restored to health when the goat had fallen off a truck and subsequently limped into his tavern. The goat wore a blanket with a sign pinned to it which read "We got Detroit's goat".^[2] Sianis and the goat were allowed intoWrigley Field and even paraded about on the playing field before the game before ushers intervened and led them off the field. After a heated argument, both Sianis and the goat were permitted to stay in the stadium occupying the box seat for which he had tickets. At this point, Andy Frain (head of Wrigley Field's hired security company at the time), waved the goat's box-seat ticket in the air and proclaimed, "If he eats the ticket that would solve everything."^[2] However, the goat did not. Before the game was over, it started to rain and Sianis and the goat were ejected from the stadium at the command of Cubs ownerPhilip Knight Wrigley due to the objectionable odor of wet goat. Sianis was outraged at the ejection and allegedly placed a curse upon the Cubs that they would never win another pennant or play in a World Series at Wrigley Field again because the Cubs organization had insulted his goat, and subsequently left the U.S. to vacation in his home in Greece. The Cubs lost Game 4 and eventually the1945 World Series, prompting Sianis to write to Wrigley from Greece, saying,"Who stinks now?" The Cubs would eventually break the curse and what would turn out to be a 108-year drought by winning theWorld Series in 2016 over the Cleveland Indians in seven games.

October 3, 1945, atBriggs Stadium inDetroit

October 4, 1945, atBriggs Stadium inDetroit

October 5, 1945, atBriggs Stadium inDetroit

October 6, 1945, atWrigley Field inChicago

October 7, 1945, atWrigley Field inChicago

October 8, 1945, atWrigley Field inChicago

October 10, 1945, atWrigley Field inChicago

• 1945 Chicago Cubs season atBaseball Reference

• Chicago Cubs seasons
• 1945 Major League Baseball season
• National League champion seasons
• 1945 in sports in Illinois

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