Chicago Cubs

Cubs Countdown: 11 Days to Opening Day

11 wins equals a World Series, and that's what the Cubs did last fall against the Indians

While it may not feel like baseball season in the Windy City yet, Opening Day is rapidly approaching for the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs, as we are just 11 days away from the first game of their title defense.

With just two weeks to go until the regular season begins, we figured it would be fun to start off a countdown of sorts to help fans get pumped up for the coming year.

11 in Cubs History

For younger Cubs fans, the number “11” hasn’t provided many good memories, as a parade of players have worn the digits. George Bell (who was traded for Sammy Sosa) wore it, as did Rey Sanchez, Todd Dunwoody, Mark Grudzielanek, and Jacque Jones, but none of them had a ton of success with those digits on their backs.

The most successful number 11 in Cubs history would almost certainly be Don Kessinger, who wore it for 12 seasons in the 1960’s and 70’s. Kessinger was part of the infamous 1969 team that blew a nine-game lead in the National League, losing the division title to the New York Mets as the “black cat” became the stuff of Cubs lore during that time.

Aside from player numbers, there are actually a significant number of factoids involving the number 11 in Cubs history. The Cubs have totaled 11 MVP awards during their history, with Ernie Banks winning a pair and players like Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, Rogers Hornsby, and Kris Bryant all bringing home the hardware as members of the team.

The Cubs record for most All-Star Game appearances is also 11, and that mark is held by a legend as well as Banks retains that record.

Notable “11’s” for the 2016 Cubs

11 – The most obvious one has to lead off this category, right? The Cubs had to win 11 games to capture the World Series title, and that’s exactly what they did as they won their first championship in over a century.

11 – The Cubs’ top two triples leaders combined for 11 three-baggers, as Dexter Fowler (7) and Anthony Rizzo (4) led the team in that category.

11 – Kris Bryant led the team in total bases during the Cubs’ NLDS triumph over the San Francisco Giants, with two doubles and a home run to his credit in the series.

11 – The number of home runs that Cubs pitchers allowed during the postseason, which was dwarfed in a big way by the 20 home runs that the team hit during the playoffs.

11 – All five Cubs starters won at least 10 games during the 2016 season, and John Lackey was the fifth-highest total as he won 11 contests out of 29 starts for the Cubs.

11 – The number of strikeouts that Kyle Hendricks registered in two NLCS starts, leading the Cubs in that category for the series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

11 – Aroldis Chapman was one of the most highly-worked pitchers on the Cubs’ staff during the World Series, but he still managed to strike out 11 batters in seven and 2/3rds innings, giving him the highest strikeouts-per-nine rate on the team with 12.91 per nine.

11 – Mike Montgomery, who owns the distinction of getting the save in Game 7 of the World Series, appeared in a total of 11 games for the Cubs during the postseason, the second-highest total on their pitching staff as he only trailed Aroldis Chapman in that category.

Did You Know?

Over the last two years, no player has enjoyed spring training quite as much as Addison Russell has. In 34 games for the Cubs, Russell has racked up 11 home runs and 22 RBI for the Cubs as he’s gone into the season on a white-hot note in both campaigns. This season he’s got five long-balls and a double, and his OPS currently stands at 1.216 going into Wednesday’s spring training action.

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