The1959 Chicago Cubs season was the 88th season of theChicago Cubs franchise, the 84th in theNational League and the 44th atWrigley Field. The Cubs tied theCincinnati Reds for fifth in the National League with a record of 74–80, thirteen games behind the NL andWorld Series championLos Angeles Dodgers.

• January 23, 1959:Jim Bolger andJohn Briggs were traded by the Cubs to theCleveland Indians forEarl Averill andMorrie Martin.^[1]
• March 9, 1959:Chuck Tanner was traded by the Cubs to theBoston Red Sox forBob Smith.^[2]
• Prior to 1959 season:Dick Burwell was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cubs.^[3]

Ernie Banks became the firstshortstop in the history of the NL to win the MVP award in back to back seasons.^[4]

One of baseball history's weirdest plays took place on June 30, 1959, when theSt. Louis Cardinals played the Cubs atWrigley Field.Stan Musial was at the plate facingBob Anderson with a count of 3–1. Anderson's next pitch was errant, the ball evaded catcherSammy Taylor and rolled all the way to the backstop. UmpireVic Delmore called "ball four", but Anderson and Taylor contended that Musialfoul tipped the ball. Because the ball was still in play and Delmore was embroiled in an argument with Anderson and Taylor, Musial tried to run for second base. Seeing that Musial was running to second, third basemanAlvin Dark ran to the backstop to retrieve the ball. The ball wound up in the hands of field announcerPat Pieper, but Dark ended up getting it back anyway. Absentmindedly, however, Delmore pulled out a new baseball and gave it to Taylor. When Anderson noticed that Musial was trying for second, he took the new ball from Sammy Taylor and threw it towardsTony Taylor covering second base, and the ball went over Taylor's head into the outfield. At the same time that Anderson threw the new ball towards second baseman Taylor, Dark threw the original ball to shortstopErnie Banks. Musial did not see the throw and he was declared out when the tag was made.^[5]

• May 4, 1959: Bob Smith was traded by the Cubs to theCleveland Indians forRandy Jackson.^[6]

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

• Ernie Banks, National League MVP

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Morristown

• Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997).The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America.ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.
• 1959 Chicago Cubs season at Baseball Reference

• Chicago Cubs seasons
• 1959 Major League Baseball season
• 1959 in sports in Illinois

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