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 six days away from the first game of their title defense.

With just under a week 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.

6 in Cubs History

Unlike many other single digit numbers in Cubs history, this number actually had some solid players don it over the years. The most solid of the bunch was player and manager Stan Hack, who wore it for 11 seasons as a player and for three more as the leader of the team.

In more recent times, the number 6 has bounced around, with players like Glenallen Hill, Ron Coomer, Micah Hoffpauir, and Bryan LaHair all wearing the jersey for brief periods of time.

In terms of Cubs history, there are some very interesting factoids surrounding the number. Over the course of the team’s existence, they have played in six different ballparks, including their current home at Wrigley Field. They also played at a variety of locations all over the city, including West Side Park, which was located near the corner of West Taylor St. and South Damen Ave.

In addition to that, the Cubs have retired the numbers of six different players, as Ron Santo, Ernie Banks, Ryne Sandberg, Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins, and Greg Maddux have all had their jerseys retired by the team. For those who want to point out that only five numbers have been retired by the team, Jackie Robinson’s number 42 can be included for good measure.

Finally, the team has won six division titles in its history, including the National League East in 1984 and 1989 and the Central Division title in 2003, 2007, 2008, and 2016.

Notable “6’s” for the 2016 Cubs

6 – The number of hits that Javier Baez and Kris Bryant each had to lead the Cubs during their series win over the San Francisco Giants in the NLDS.

6 – Dexter Fowler had a strong regular season for the Cubs, but he struggled a bit as the playoffs opened as he struck out six times in 16 at-bats during the NLDS.

6 – Fowler made up for his NLDS struggles in the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, scoring six runs to lead the Cubs in that category.

6 – The Cubs’ pitchers showed some pinpoint control in the NLDS, walking only six Giants batters in the four-game victory.

6 – The number of quality starts (starts of six or more innings and three or fewer earned runs allowed) that Cubs pitchers registered in the postseason. Kyle Hendricks and Jake Arrieta each had one, and Jon Lester made quality starts in four of his five times that he took the ball to start a game.

Did You Know?

When the 2016 World Series began, the Cubs not only had one of the youngest teams to ever suit up for the Fall Classic, but they also set a record thanks to Joe Maddon’s starting lineup.

When the series got underway, the Cubs’ starting lineup consisted of six players that were age 25 years or younger, which set a new record in that category. The young lineup, which featured players like Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant, and Addison Russell made some big time contributions in the series as the Cubs ended a 108-year championship drought.