In 1989 the Chicago Cubs were led by fiery manager Don Zimmer. Zimmer was beloved by his players as well as the fans. Win or lose, you knew that "Popeye" (as he was called) was going to have his team ready to play with passion.
Andre Dawson didn't have nearly the year like he did in 1987 when he hit 49 home runs, but his mere presence in the lineup brought fear into opposing pitchers. If "the hawk" didn't have such bad knees he would have been a first ballot hall of famer with no questions asked. Andre Dawson retired with 2774 hits, 438 home runs, 314 Stolen Bases, and 1591 RBI. Not to mention a career .507 slugging percentage. What would his numbers been if he wasn't hobbled with bad knees the latter half of his career?
Ryne Sandberg and Andre Dawson were the quiet leaders on the 1989 Cubs. They led with their on the field talents rather than being vocal clubhouse cheerleaders. They did it the right way, and the team followed in their footsteps.
Mark Grace was never at a loss for words however. You would often see him laughing, smiling, and laughing with opposing team players at first base. Mark Grace was a lifetime .300 line drive hitter that rarely ever struck out. His defense was superb and was one of the surest fielding first baseman of that era. Mark Grace went on to win 4 gold gloves. Grace had an incredible .383 lifetime on base percentage. He was one of the toughest out in baseball for over a decade! Chicago Cub Jerseys
The Cubs fell short in the playoffs losing to the San Francisco Giants 4 games to 1. What really stood out in this series was the performances by Will Clark and Mark Grace. Mark Grace did everything possible to "will" the Cubs to victory by hitting a robust .647/.682/1.118 -- Thats right, a 1.118 SLUGGING percentage. Somehow Will Clark was able to match his numbers and even surpass them (.650/.682/1.200)
When it was all said and done, I remember 1989 as such an entertaining season. I didn't quite feel the heartbreak as I did during the 1984 and 2003 seasons. I think they took their season as far as they could. Zimmer's boys of summer just ran out of gas.
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