# 2003 Chicago Cubs season

The 2003 Chicago Cubs season was the 132nd season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 128th in the National League and the 88th at Wrigley Field. The Cubs were managed by Dusty Baker in his first year in Chicago. The Cubs went 88–74 during the 2003 season and won the National League Central for the first time since the division's formation in 1994, and the team's first division title since its 1989 NL East title. In the NLDS, the Cubs defeated the Atlanta Braves three games to two for their first postseason series win since 1908. The Cubs lost to the Florida Marlins four games to three in the NLCS.

## Previous season

The Cubs were coming off of a poor year in 2002, finishing 67–95 in fifth place in the NL Central and costing manager Don Baylor his job. The Cubs hired Dusty Baker, fresh off his World Series appearance with the San Francisco Giants, to replace Baylor.

## Offseason

* December 4, 2002: Todd Hundley and Chad Hermansen were traded by the Cubs to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Mark Grudzielanek and Eric Karros.
* January 13, 2003: Midre Cummings was signed as a free agent with the Cubs.
* January 13, 2003: Aaron Small was signed as a free agent with the Cubs.
* March 4, 2003: Trenidad Hubbard was signed as a free agent with the Cubs.
* March 29, 2003: Aaron Small was released by the Cubs.

## Regular season
### Summary

The team's success can be attributed first and foremost to its starting rotation, which featured Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Carlos Zambrano, and Matt Clement, each of whom won at least 13 games. The pitching staff as a whole led the National League in strikeouts with 1,404, over 100 more than any other team. While not nearly as dominant in hitting, the Cubs' lineup was bolstered by acquisitions at what was a very active trade deadline, including Aramis Ramírez, Randall Simon, and Kenny Lofton.
The team started slow but finished September with a 19–8 record to win the NL Central. As the division winner with the third best record, the Cubs faced the Atlanta Braves who had finished the season in a tie for the best record in the majors in a best of five games format. The Cubs won the first game of the series and the teams alternated wins leading to a game 5 at Turner Field to determine the series winner. The Cubs won the game 5–1.
The series win, their first since 1908, resulted in a matchup against the Florida Marlins for the right to go to the World Series. The Marlins won the first game in Chicago, but the Cubs won the next three to take a three games to one lead. Florida won game five as the series shifted back to Chicago for games six and seven. With Mark Prior on the mound, the Cubs took a 3–1 lead into the 8th inning before a series of errors led to an 8-run inning for the Marlins. The win forced a game seven with Kerry Wood on the mound for the Cubs. In a high-scoring affair that included a Kerry Wood home run, the Marlins shocked the Cubs 9–6 to deny the Cubs a trip to their first World Series since 1945.
The 2003 season brought a great deal of national attention to the Cubs, both positive and negative. On one hand, their surprising regular season run to first place in the NL Central, and the excellent performances of their top three pitchers, all of whom were age 26 or younger, seemed to suggest that the Cubs would be contenders for the foreseeable future. At the same time, however, the Cubs' squandering of the 3–1 series lead in the NLCS, and the manner in which it occurred, seemed to reaffirm the perceptions of the Cubs as "lovable losers" and a cursed franchise.

### Season standings
#### National League Central

vteNL Central :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| Chicago Cubs | 88 | 74 | .543 | — | 44‍–‍37 | 44‍–‍37 |
| Houston Astros | 87 | 75 | .537 | 1 | 48‍–‍33 | 39‍–‍42 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 85 | 77 | .525 | 3 | 48‍–‍33 | 37‍–‍44 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 75 | 87 | .463 | 13 | 39‍–‍42 | 36‍–‍45 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 69 | 93 | .426 | 19 | 35‍–‍46 | 34‍–‍47 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 68 | 94 | .420 | 20 | 31‍–‍50 | 37‍–‍44 |

#### Record vs. opponents

2003 National League recordvte Source: :
| Team | AZ | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LA | MIL | MTL | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | AL |
| Arizona | — | 2–5 | 2–4 | 7–2 | 10–9 | 2–5 | 5–1 | 10–9 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 9–10 | 5–14 | 3–3 | 11–4 |
| Atlanta | 5–2 | — | 4–2 | 3–3 | 6–0 | 9–10 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 12–7 | 11–8 | 9–10 | 7–2 | 6–1 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 10–5 |
| Chicago | 4–2 | 2–4 | — | 10–7 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 9–7 | 2–4 | 10–6 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 1–5 | 10–8 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 8–9 | 9–9 |
| Cincinnati | 2–7 | 3–3 | 7–10 | — | 4–2 | 2–4 | 5–12 | 2–4 | 8–10 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 5–4 | 5–11 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 9–7 | 7–5 |
| Colorado | 9–10 | 0–6 | 3–3 | 2–4 | — | 4–2 | 2–4 | 7–12 | 5–1 | 3–4 | 2–5 | 2–4 | 3–6 | 12–7 | 7–12 | 4–2 | 9–6 |
| Florida | 5–2 | 10–9 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 2–4 | — | 1–5 | 2–5 | 7–2 | 13–6 | 12–7 | 13–6 | 2–4 | 5–1 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 9–6 |
| Houston | 1–5 | 1–5 | 7–9 | 12–5 | 4–2 | 5–1 | — | 4–2 | 9–8 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 10–6 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 11–7 | 11–7 |
| Los Angeles | 9–10 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 12–7 | 5–2 | 2–4 | — | 4–2 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 5–1 | 8–11 | 6–13 | 4–2 | 11–7 |
| Milwaukee | 3–3 | 2–4 | 6–10 | 10–8 | 1–5 | 2–7 | 8–9 | 2–4 | — | 0–6 | 6–3 | 4–2 | 10–7 | 5–1 | 1–5 | 3–13 | 5–7 |
| Montreal | 2–4 | 7–12 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 6–13 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 6–0 | — | 14–5 | 8–11 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 7–0 | 1–5 | 9–9 |
| New York | 2–4 | 8–11 | 1–5 | 4–2 | 5–2 | 7–12 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 3–6 | 5–14 | — | 7–12 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 5–10 |
| Philadelphia | 2–4 | 10–9 | 5–1 | 4–5 | 4–2 | 6–13 | 4–2 | 5–2 | 2–4 | 11–8 | 12–7 | — | 2–4 | 4–3 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 8–7 |
| Pittsburgh | 3–3 | 2–7 | 8–10 | 11–5 | 6–3 | 4–2 | 6–10 | 1–5 | 7–10 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 4–2 | — | 4–2 | 2–4 | 7–10 | 5–7 |
| San Diego | 10–9 | 1–6 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 7–12 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 11–8 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 2–4 | — | 5–14 | 2–4 | 8–10 |
| San Francisco | 14–5 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 12–7 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 13–6 | 5–1 | 0–7 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 14–5 | — | 5–1 | 10–8 |
| St. Louis | 3–3 | 2–4 | 9–8 | 7–9 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 7–11 | 2–4 | 13–3 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 2–4 | 10–7 | 4–2 | 1–5 | — | 10–8 |

### Transactions

* April 21, 2003: Trenidad Hubbard was purchased by the Cubs from Oaxaca (Mexican League).
* May 9, 2003: Alan Benes was sent to the Texas Rangers by the Cubs as part of a conditional deal.
* June 3, 2003: Sam Fuld was drafted by the Cubs in the 24th round of the 2003 amateur draft, but did not sign.
* June 3, 2003: Tim Lincecum was drafted by the Cubs in the 48th round of the 2003 amateur draft, but did not sign.
* June 20, 2003: Mark Bellhorn was traded by the Cubs to the Colorado Rockies for José Hernández.
* July 23, 2003: Kenny Lofton and Aramis Ramírez were traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates with cash to the Cubs for a player to be named later, José Hernández, and Matt Bruback. The Cubs sent Bobby Hill (August 15, 2003) to the Pirates to complete the trade.
* August 17, 2003: Randall Simon was traded by the Pirates to the Cubs for Ray Sadler.

### Game log

2003 Game Log: 88–74 :
March: 1–0
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordBox
1March 31@ Mets15–2Wood (1–0)Glavine (0–1)53,5861–0 :
April: 14–12
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordBox
2April 2@ Mets4–1Leiter (1–0)Clement (0–1)Benítez (1)20,5941–1
3April 3@ Mets6–3Prior (1–0)Trachsel (0–1)17,2442–1
4April 4@ Reds10–9Williamson (1–0)Veres (0–1)29,0482–2
5April 5@ Reds9–7Zambrano (1–0)Haynes (0–2)Borowski (1)28,9083–2
6April 6@ Reds5–4White (1–0)Guthrie (0–1)Williamson (1)24,0233–3
–April 7ExposPostponed (snow) Rescheduled for April 8
7April 8Expos6–1Clement (1–1)Day (1–1)29,1384–3
8April 9Expos3–0Prior (2–0)Vázquez (1–1)29,9665–3
9April 10Expos7–1Armas (2–1)Estes (0–1)30,2255–4
10April 11Pirates3–2D'Amico (1–1)Zambrano (1–1)Williams (5)33,6055–5
11April 12Pirates4–0Wood (2–0)Benson (2–1)Borowski (2)35,2266–5
12April 13Pirates4–3Farnsworth (1–0)Boehringer (0–1)Borowski (3)29,5587–5
13April 14Reds11–3Anderson (1–1)Prior (2–1)Riedling (1)37,5287–6
14April 15Reds11–1Estes (1–1)Graves (0–2)31,6428–6
15April 16Reds10–4Zambrano (2–1)Wilson (0–1)27,3889–6
16April 17Reds16–3Wood (3–0)Haynes (0–4)Benes (1)29,67210–6
17April 18@ Pirates7–2Clement (2–1)Benson (2–2)15,03711–6
18April 19@ Pirates6–1 (10)Prior (3–1)Sauerbeck (0–1)31,51812–6
19April 20@ Pirates8–2Torres (2–0)Estes (1–2)14,85412–7
20April 22Padres7–2Zambrano (3–1)Lawrence (2–2)35,18513–7
21April 23Padres2–0Eaton (1–1)Wood (3–1)Herges (1)35,76813–8
22April 24Padres2–1Pérez (1–2)Clement (2–2)Wright (2)35,67313–9
23April 25@ Rockies11–7Prior (4–1)Cruz (3–1)32,16214–9
24April 26@ Rockies8–5Chacón (4–0)Estes (1–3)Jiménez (5)35,60414–10
25April 27@ Rockies6–3Oliver (1–2)Zambrano (3–2)Jiménez (6)35,07014–11
26April 29@ Giants4–2Wood (4–1)Rueter (2–1)Borowski (4)39,83915–11
27April 30@ Giants5–0Schmidt (3–0)Clement (2–3)40,12415–12 :
May: 14–12
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordBox
28May 1@ Giants5–1 (10)Cruz (1–0)Worrell (1–1)41,52416–12
29May 2Rockies7–4Estes (2–3)Chacón (4–1)Borowski (5)29,23617–12
30May 3Rockies6–4Speier (2–0)Guthrie (0–2)Jiménez (7)38,33217–13
31May 4Rockies5–4 (10)Borowski (1–0)Reed (2–1)37,22318–13
32May 5Brewers5–3Sheets (3–3)Clement (2–4)DeJean (6)35,30418–14
33May 6Brewers9–6Leskanic (2–0)Cruz (1–1)DeJean (7)34,24018–15
34May 7Brewers2–1Estes (3–3)Rusch (1–6)Borowski (6)37,57419–15
35May 9Cardinals6–3Morris (4–2)Zambrano (3–3)Fassero (1)38,53119–16
36May 10Cardinals3–2 (10)Remlinger (1–0)Eldred (2–1)38,10620–16
–May 11CardinalsPostponed (rain) Rescheduled for September 2
37May 12@ Brewers11–5Prior (5–1)Rusch (1–7)19,10621–16
38May 13@ Brewers7–2Estes (4–3)Quevedo (0–1)18,45422–16
39May 14@ Brewers6–1Zambrano (4–3)Kinney (2–3)27,56623–16
40May 15@ Brewers4–2 (17)Farnsworth (2–0)Kieschnick (0–1)Wellemeyer (1)31,62424–16
41May 16@ Cardinals7–4Williams (5–0)Clement (2–5)Eldred (2)42,58924–17
42May 17@ Cardinals2–1Remlinger (2–0)Kline (1–4)Borowski (7)45,38525–17
43May 18@ Cardinals6–3Hermanson (1–1)Cruz (1–2)Eldred (3)45,77325–18
44May 19@ Cardinals2–0Morris (5–3)Zambrano (4–4)46,73425–19
–May 20@ PiratesPostponed (rain) Rescheduled for September 19
45May 21@ Pirates5–2D'Amico (4–4)Wood (4–2)Williams (13)35,08625–20
46May 22@ Pirates3–2Remlinger (3–0)Sauerbeck (0–4)Borowski (8)14,54426–20
47May 23@ Astros7–5Linebrink (1–1)Prior (5–2)Wagner (13)29,66026–21
48May 24@ Astros3–2Estes (5–3)Redding (3–4)Borowski (9)37,83927–21
49May 25@ Astros7–3Zambrano (5–4)Miller (2–6)37,56528–21
50May 26Pirates10–0Fogg (2–2)Wood (4–3)40,22528–22
51May 27Pirates9–4Benson (5–5)Clement (2–6)35,96128–23
52May 28Pirates5–4Prior (6–2)D'Amico (4–5)Borowski (10)32,40629–23
53May 30Astros9–1Miller (3–6)Estes (5–4)36,68729–24
54May 31Astros1–0 (16)Wellemeyer (1–0)Stone (4–1)37,71930–24 :
June: 12–15
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordBox
55June 1Astros9–3Robertson (4–3)Wood (4–4)37,78730–25
56June 3Devil Rays3–2Remlinger (4–0)Levine (2–2)32,21031–25
57June 4Devil Rays5–2Zambrano (2–3)Estes (5–5)33,31731–26
58June 5Devil Rays8–1Clement (3–6)Brazelton (1–5)28,71332–26
59June 6Yankees5–3Wells (8–2)Zambrano (5–5)Rivera (5)39,35932–27
60June 7Yankees5–2Wood (5–4)Clemens (6–4)39,36333–27
61June 8Yankees8–7Prior (7–2)Pettitte (5–6)Borowski (11)39,34134–27
62June 10@ Orioles4–0Estes (6–5)Hentgen (1–4)32,48435–27
63June 11@ Orioles7–6Clement (4–6)Daal (4–7)Borowski (12)28,01336–27
64June 12@ Orioles6–1Helling (4–4)Zambrano (5–6)Driskill (1)30,55736–28
65June 13@ Blue Jays5–1Escobar (4–3)Wood (5–5)23,01836–29
66June 14@ Blue Jays4–2Prior (8–2)Davis (3–4)Borowski (13)33,16737–29
67June 15@ Blue Jays5–4 (10)López (1–1)Guthrie (0–3)34,22137–30
68June 16@ Reds4–3Clement (5–6)Anderson (1–3)Borowski (14)28,66938–30
69June 17@ Reds2–1 (10)Williamson (4–2)Remlinger (4–1)28,99938–31
70June 18@ Reds4–1Wood (6–5)Haynes (1–6)39,05339–31
71June 19@ Reds3–1Wilson (5–4)Prior (8–3)Williamson (17)41,69239–32
72June 20White Sox12–3Garland (5–6)Estes (6–6)39,08039–33
73June 21White Sox7–6Buehrle (4–10)Clement (5–7)Koch (10)38,93839–34
74June 22White Sox2–1Zambrano (6–6)Marte (2–1)Borowski (15)38,22340–34
75June 24Brewers9–1Wood (7–5)Quevedo (1–4)40,38941–34
76June 25Brewers12–6 (10)Vizcaíno (2–3)Wellemeyer (1–1)38,35741–35
77June 26Brewers5–3Estrella (2–0)Borowski (1–1)DeJean (16)39,71141–36
78June 27@ White Sox4–3Koch (3–4)Alfonseca (0–1)45,14741–37
79June 28@ White Sox7–6Koch (4–4)Cruz (1–3)45,44041–38
80June 29@ White Sox5–2Wood (8–5)Loaiza (11–3)44,85842–38
81June 30@ Phillies4–3Padilla (7–7)Estes (6–7)Mesa (18)23,32342–39 :
July: 12–14
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordBox
82July 1@ Phillies4–3Adams (1–2)Remlinger (4–2)25,30742–40
83July 2@ Phillies1–0Farnsworth (3–0)Wendell (1–2)Borowski (16)23,59143–40
84July 3@ Phillies12–2Myers (8–6)Zambrano (6–7)57,32643–41
85July 4Cardinals11–8Tomko (5–5)Wood (8–6)39,75643–42
86July 5Cardinals6–5Remlinger (5–2)Fassero (1–4)38,95344–42
87July 6Cardinals4–1Williams (11–3)Prior (8–4)Isringhausen (3)37,71344–43
88July 7Marlins6–3Clement (6–7)Beckett (3–4)Borowski (17)38,66245–43
89July 8Marlins4–3Bump (2–0)Remlinger (5–3)Looper (16)33,22745–44
90July 9Marlins5–1Wood (9–6)Pavano (6–10)33,05446–44
91July 10Braves13–3Maddux (7–8)Estes (6–8)38,75646–45
92July 11Braves9–5Hampton (5–5)Prior (8–5)39,33446–46
93July 12Braves7–3Clement (7–7)Ramírez (8–3)39,98047–46
94July 13Braves7–2Reynolds (7–4)Zambrano (6–8)39,83247–47
95July 18@ Marlins6–0Redman (8–4)Clement (7–8)26,17447–48
96July 19@ Marlins1–0Wood (10–6)Penny (8–7)30,43248–48
97July 20@ Marlins16–2Zambrano (7–8)Willis (9–2)25,57449–48
98July 21@ Braves15–6Veres (1–1)Reynolds (7–5)39,95050–48
99July 22@ Braves8–4Maddux (9–8)Mitre (0–1)39,22650–49
100July 23Phillies3–0Wolf (11–5)Clement (7–9)40,37750–50
101July 24Phillies14–6Padilla (9–8)Wood (10–7)40,26650–51
102July 25@ Astros5–3Zambrano (8–8)Dotel (6–4)Borowski (18)43,01351–51
103July 26@ Astros3–1Redding (7–9)Cruz (1–4)Wagner (31)42,67951–52
104July 27@ Astros5–3Estes (7–8)Robertson (10–4)Borowski (19)42,42252–52
105July 29Giants3–0Clement (8–9)Moss (9–7)40,22153–52
106July 30Giants6–3Schmidt (11–4)Wood (10–8)39,97353–53
107July 31Giants9–4Zambrano (9–8)Brower (7–3)39,42254–53 :
August: 15–13
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordBox
108August 1D-backs4–3 (14)Alfonseca (1–1)Oropesa (2–2)38,73855–53
109August 2D-backs4–3Villarreal (7–4)Borowski (1–2)Mantei (12)40,30455–54
110August 3D-backs2–1Clement (9–9)Villarreal (7–5)Veres (1)39,47356–54
111August 5@ Padres3–0Prior (9–5)Lawrence (5–14)Borowski (20)30,93257–54
112August 6@ Padres3–2Wood (11–8)Eaton (6–8)Borowski (21)29,26558–54
113August 7@ Padres9–3Zambrano (10–8)Jarvis (4–4)27,67359–54
114August 8@ Dodgers3–1Ashby (3–9)Estes (7–9)Gagné (31)52,91159–55
115August 9@ Dodgers6–1Álvarez (2–1)Clement (9–10)54,18159–56
116August 10@ Dodgers3–1Prior (10–5)Brown (11–6)51,72960–56
117August 11Astros3–1Miller (9–10)Wood (11–9)Wagner (34)39,88960–57
118August 12Astros3–0Zambrano (11–8)Redding (8–10)39,75161–57
119August 13Astros6–4Guthrie (1–3)Robertson (11–6)Borowski (22)39,63162–57
120August 14Astros7–1Clement (10–10)Fernandez (1–2)39,76963–57
121August 15Dodgers2–1Prior (11–5)Kida (0–1)40,18864–57
122August 16Dodgers10–5Pérez (9–9)Remlinger (5–4)40,03264–58
123August 17Dodgers3–0Nomo (14–9)Zambrano (11–9)Gagné (41)40,12464–59
124August 19@ Astros12–8Miceli (2–3)Clement (10–11)32,70764–60
125August 20@ Astros6–0Prior (12–5)Fernandez (1–3)32,81065–60
126August 21@ Astros9–3Villone (5–2)Wood (11–10)29,55565–60
127August 22@ D-backs4–1Zambrano (12–9)Schilling (7–7)39,61266–61
128August 23@ D-backs13–2Batista (8–7)Estes (7–10)40,82066–62
129August 24@ D-backs5–3Clement (11–11)Randolph (7–1)Borowski (23)40,12967–62
130August 26@ Cardinals7–4Prior (13–5)Stephenson (7–13)36,56368–62
131August 27@ Cardinals4–2Kline (5–5)Farnsworth (3–1)Isringhausen (15)32,66768–63
132August 28@ Cardinals3–2DeJean (5–7)Remlinger (5–5)37,37068–64
133August 29Brewers4–2Clement (12–11)Sheets (10–11)38,21569–64
134August 30Brewers9–5Kinney (10–9)Estes (7–11)39,80569–65
135August 31Brewers2–0Davis (6–6)Cruz (1–5)Kolb (14)38,94669–66 :
September: 19–8
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordBox
136September 1Cardinals7–0Prior (14–5)Williams (14–7)38,41070–66
137September 2Cardinals4–2 (15)Guthrie (2–3)Fassero (1–7)31,99071–66
138September 2Cardinals2–0Morris (9–6)Wood (11–11)Isringhausen (17)39,29071–67
139September 3Cardinals8–7Borowski (2–2)Williams (14–8)32,71072–67
140September 4Cardinals7–6Remlinger (6–5)DeJean (5–8)Borowski (24)35,12973–67
141September 5@ Brewers4–2Cruz (2–5)Sheets (10–12)Borowski (25)42,90974–67
142September 6@ Brewers8–4Prior (15–5)Kinney (10–10)46,21875–67
143September 7@ Brewers9–2Wood (12–11)Davis (6–7)42,12776–67
144September 9@ Expos4–3Zambrano (13–9)Day (7–7)Borowski (26)15,63277–67
145September 10@ Expos8–4Ayala (9–3)Farnsworth (3–2)18,00277–68
146September 11@ Expos3–2Ohka (9–12)Prior (15–6)Eischen (1)12,55977–69
147September 12Reds7–6Alfonseca (2–1)Randall (2–2)Borowski (27)38,21978–69
148September 13Reds9–6Alfonseca (3–1)Belisle (1–1)Borowski (28)39,98379–69
149September 14Reds1–0Riedling (2–3)Zambrano (13–10)Reitsma (9)38,82779–70
150September 15Mets4–1Clement (13–11)Griffiths (1–3)Borowski (29)38,69880–70
151September 16Mets3–2Prior (16–6)Seo (8–12)Borowski (30)39,53481–70
152September 17Mets2–0Wood (13–11)Leiter (14–9)38,48282–70
153September 19@ Pirates10–9Veres (2–1)Figueroa (2–1)Borowski (31)83–70
154September 19@ Pirates10–6Torres (6–5)Cruz (2–6)16,24883–71
155September 20@ Pirates8–2Vogelsong (2–1)Clement (13–12)32,86983–72
156September 21@ Pirates4–1Prior (17–6)Pérez (4–10)Borowski (32)21,49784–72
157September 23@ Reds6–0Wood (14–11)Randall (2–4)26,12485–72
158September 24@ Reds8–0Estes (8–11)Hall (0–2)27,02186–72
159September 25@ Reds9–7Van Poppel (3–1)Zambrano (13–11)Reitsma (12)36,96386–73
–September 26PiratesPostponed (rain) Rescheduled for September 27
160September 27Pirates4–2Prior (18–6)Fogg (10–9)Borowski (33)87–73
161September 27Pirates7–2Clement (14–12)Vogelsong (2–2)40,12188–73
162September 28Pirates3–2Wells (10–9)Cruz (2–7)Tavárez (11)39,94088–74 :

## Player stats
### Batting

Source
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; Avg. = Batting average; OBP = On base percentage; SLG = Slugging percentage; SB = Stolen bases
| Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB |
| Moises Alou | 151 | 565 | 83 | 158 | 35 | 1 | 22 | 91 | .280 | .357 | .462 | 3 |
| Paul Bako | 70 | 188 | 19 | 43 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 17 | .229 | .311 | .330 | 0 |
| Mark Bellhorn | 51 | 139 | 15 | 29 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 22 | .209 | .341 | .317 | 3 |
| Alan Benes | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| Hee-Seop Choi | 80 | 202 | 31 | 44 | 17 | 0 | 8 | 28 | .218 | .350 | .421 | 1 |
| Matt Clement | 32 | 62 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .145 | .159 | .177 | 0 |
| Juan Cruz | 25 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .250 | .250 | .417 | 0 |
| Shawn Estes | 30 | 39 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .179 | .214 | .282 | 0 |
| Kyle Farnsworth | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| Doug Glanville | 28 | 51 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .235 | .259 | .294 | 0 |
| Alex Gonzalez | 152 | 536 | 71 | 122 | 37 | 0 | 20 | 59 | .228 | .295 | .406 | 3 |
| Tom Goodwin | 87 | 171 | 26 | 49 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 12 | .287 | .328 | .363 | 19 |
| Mark Grudzielanek | 121 | 481 | 73 | 151 | 38 | 1 | 3 | 38 | .314 | .366 | .416 | 6 |
| Mark Guthrie | 65 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| Lenny Harris | 75 | 131 | 11 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | .183 | .255 | .229 | 1 |
| José Hernández | 23 | 69 | 6 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | .188 | .222 | .348 | 0 |
| Bobby Hill | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .400 | .250 | 0 |
| Trent Hubbard | 10 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .250 | .429 | .313 | 1 |
| Eric Karros | 114 | 336 | 37 | 96 | 16 | 1 | 12 | 40 | .286 | .340 | .446 | 1 |
| David Kelton | 10 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .167 | .167 | .250 | 0 |
| Kenny Lofton | 56 | 208 | 39 | 68 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 20 | .327 | .381 | .471 | 12 |
| Ramón Martínez | 108 | 293 | 30 | 83 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 34 | .283 | .333 | .375 | 0 |
| Damian Miller | 114 | 352 | 34 | 82 | 19 | 1 | 9 | 36 | .233 | .310 | .369 | 1 |
| Sergio Mitre | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | .500 | .500 | 0 |
| Troy O'Leary | 93 | 174 | 18 | 38 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 28 | .218 | .275 | .356 | 3 |
| Augie Ojeda | 12 | 25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .120 | .185 | .120 | 0 |
| Corey Patterson | 83 | 329 | 49 | 98 | 17 | 7 | 13 | 55 | .298 | .329 | .511 | 16 |
| Josh Paul | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| Mark Prior | 32 | 72 | 6 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .250 | .270 | .347 | 0 |
| Aramis Ramírez | 63 | 232 | 31 | 60 | 7 | 1 | 15 | 39 | .259 | .314 | .491 | 1 |
| Mike Remlinger | 73 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| Randall Simon | 33 | 103 | 13 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 21 | .282 | .318 | .485 | 0 |
| Sammy Sosa | 137 | 517 | 99 | 144 | 22 | 0 | 40 | 103 | .279 | .358 | .553 | 0 |
| Todd Wellemeyer | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .500 | .000 | 0 |
| Tony Womack | 21 | 51 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .235 | .250 | .314 | 2 |
| Kerry Wood | 32 | 61 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | .164 | .177 | .279 | 0 |
| Carlos Zambrano | 32 | 75 | 9 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 6 | .240 | .250 | .387 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 162 | 5519 | 724 | 1431 | 302 | 24 | 172 | 691 | .259 | .323 | .416 | 73 |

### Pitching

Source
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts
| Player | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
| Antonio Alfonseca | 3 | 1 | 5.83 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 66.1 | 76 | 43 | 43 | 27 | 51 |
| Alan Benes | 0 | 0 | 2.16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8.1 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| Joe Borowski | 2 | 2 | 2.63 | 68 | 0 | 33 | 68.1 | 53 | 23 | 20 | 19 | 66 |
| Matt Clement | 14 | 12 | 4.11 | 32 | 32 | 0 | 201.2 | 169 | 100 | 92 | 79 | 171 |
| Juan Cruz | 2 | 7 | 6.05 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 61.0 | 66 | 44 | 41 | 28 | 65 |
| Shawn Estes | 8 | 11 | 5.73 | 29 | 28 | 0 | 152.1 | 182 | 113 | 97 | 83 | 103 |
| Kyle Farnsworth | 3 | 2 | 3.30 | 77 | 0 | 0 | 76.1 | 53 | 31 | 28 | 36 | 92 |
| Mark Guthrie | 2 | 3 | 2.74 | 65 | 0 | 0 | 42.2 | 40 | 14 | 13 | 22 | 24 |
| Sergio Mitre | 0 | 1 | 8.31 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8.2 | 15 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 3 |
| Phil Norton | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Mark Prior | 18 | 6 | 2.43 | 30 | 30 | 0 | 211.1 | 183 | 67 | 57 | 50 | 245 |
| Mike Remlinger | 6 | 5 | 3.65 | 73 | 0 | 0 | 69.0 | 54 | 30 | 28 | 39 | 83 |
| Félix Sánchez | 0 | 0 | 10.80 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Dave Veres | 2 | 1 | 4.68 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 32.2 | 36 | 17 | 17 | 5 | 26 |
| Todd Wellemeyer | 1 | 1 | 6.51 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 27.2 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 30 |
| Kerry Wood | 14 | 11 | 3.20 | 32 | 32 | 0 | 211.0 | 152 | 77 | 75 | 100 | 266 |
| Carlos Zambrano | 13 | 11 | 3.11 | 32 | 32 | 0 | 214.0 | 188 | 88 | 74 | 94 | 168 |
| Team Totals | 88 | 74 | 3.83 | 162 | 162 | 36 | 1456.1 | 1304 | 683 | 619 | 617 | 1404 |

## Postseason
### 2003 NLDS

Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs

#### Game 5 – Chicago 5, Atlanta 1

| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Chicago | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 0 |
| Atlanta | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| WP: Kerry Wood (2–0) LP: Mike Hampton (0–1) Home runs: CHC: Alex S. Gonzalez (1), Aramis Ramírez (1) ATL: None |||||||||||||
For the first time since October 14. 1908, the Cubs had won a postseason series, doing so at Turner Field in Atlanta.

### 2003 NLCS
#### Game 1

October 7: Wrigley Field, Chicago
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | R | H | E |
| Florida | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 14 | 1 |
| Chicago | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 1 |
| WP: Ugueth Urbina (1-0) LP: Mark Guthrie (0-1) Sv: Braden Looper (1) Home runs: Fla: I. Rodríguez (1), M. Cabrera (1), J. Encarnación (1), M. Lowell (1) ChC: M. Alou (1), A. Gonzalez (1), S. Sosa (1) |||||||||||||||

#### Game 2

October 8: Wrigley Field, Chicago
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Florida | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| Chicago | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 12 | 16 | 1 |
| WP: Mark Prior (1-0) LP: Brad Penny (0-1) Home runs: Fla: D. Lee (1), M. Cabrera (2) ChC: S. Sosa (2), A. Ramírez (1), A. Gonzalez 2 (3) |||||||||||||

#### Game 3

October 10: Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | R | H | E |
| Chicago | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 0 |
| Florida | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
| WP: Joe Borowski (1-0) LP: Michael Tejera (0-1) Sv: Mike Remlinger (1) Home runs: ChC: Randall Simon (1) Fla: None |||||||||||||||

#### Game 4

October 11: Pro Player Stadium, Miami
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Chicago | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Florida | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| WP: Matt Clement (1-0) LP: Dontrelle Willis (0-1) Home runs: ChC: Aramis Ramírez (2) Fla: None |||||||||||||

#### Game 5

October 12: Pro Player Stadium, Miami
With the Marlins facing elimination, Josh Beckett kept them alive by dominating the Cubs, holding them to just two hits and one walk as part of his standout 2003 postseason. The game was scoreless until the sixth inning when Mike Lowell hit a two-run homer. Iván Rodríguez and Jeff Conine homered in the seventh and eighth innings respectively. Even with the loss, the Cubs looked good going back home with their two aces, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood ready to start Games 6 and 7.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Chicago | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Florida | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | X | 4 | 8 | 0 |
| WP: Josh Beckett (1-0) LP: Carlos Zambrano (0-1) Home runs: ChC: None Fla: Mike Lowell (2), Iván Rodríguez (2), Jeff Conine (1) |||||||||||||

#### Game 6

October 14: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
The Cubs held a 3–0 lead going into the top of the eighth inning in Game 6 and, after Mike Mordecai hit a high pop fly to left field for the first out of the inning, had only two outs left in the inning—leaving the team a mere 5 outs away from their first World Series berth since 1945.
Prior had retired the last eight hitters and had allowed only three hits up to that point. Center fielder Juan Pierre (who was later traded to the Cubs) then hit a double off Prior.
On the eighth pitch of his at bat, Luis Castillo hit a high foul ball toward the left field wall. Cubs left fielder Moisés Alou headed toward the stands to catch the ball for the potential second out. As Alou reached for the ball, Cubs fan Steve Bartman, along with others near the area, did the same. The ball bounced off Bartman's hand and into the stands. Though the Cubs pleaded for a call of fan interference, the umpire ruled that the ball had left the field of play and was therefore up for grabs. Alou initially said that he would not have made the catch, though he later denied making the statement, saying that if he had, it was only to make Bartman feel better.
As a result, Castillo remained an active batter at home plate. On the next pitch, Prior walked Castillo on a wild pitch that got away from catcher Paul Bako, also allowing Pierre to advance to third base.
Next, Iván Rodríguez hit an 0-2 pitch hard into left field, singling and scoring Pierre. Miguel Cabrera then hit a ground ball toward Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez that could have ended the inning on a double play. Gonzalez, who led all NL shortstops in fielding percentage, closed his glove a little too early and the ball landed in the dirt, allowing Cabrera to get on base, loading the bases. On the next pitch, Derrek Lee (a future Cubs' All-Star) drilled a double into left field, scoring Castillo and Rodríguez to tie the game at 3-3.
Prior was then taken out of the game and replaced by Kyle Farnsworth, who intentionally walked Mike Lowell to load the bases. Jeff Conine then hit a sacrifice fly to right field for the second out of the inning, allowing Cabrera to score from third and the other runners to each advance one base. This gave the Marlins their first lead of the night. Farnsworth intentionally walked Todd Hollandsworth (another future Cub) to once again load the bases.
The Marlins now having batted around the order, Farnsworth faced Mike Mordecai, who was looking to make up for his earlier out. This time, Mordecai prevailed, hitting a bases-clearing double to left-center field, allowing Lee, Lowell and Hollandsworth to score and making it a 7-3 Marlins lead.
Farnsworth was then taken out of the game and replaced by Mike Remlinger, who gave up a single to Pierre to score Mordecai from second base. Finally, Luis Castillo hit a high pop fly ball to shallow right field for the third out.
The Marlins' lead held, forcing a final Game 7.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Florida | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 0 |
| Chicago | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 2 |
| WP: Chad Fox (1-0) LP: Mark Prior (1-1) |||||||||||||

#### Game 7

October 15: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
The Marlins got off to a quick 3–0 lead in the first inning against Cubs pitching ace Kerry Wood, who hadn't lost at Wrigley Field in nearly six weeks. The Cubs responded by tying the ball game 3–3 in the second inning, which featured a two-run home run by Wood. Moisés Alou's two-run home run the following inning put Chicago up 5–3, but the lead wouldn't last. In the fifth inning, Florida capitalized on a pair of walks and scored three runs to go on top 6–5, a lead they would not relinquish. The Marlins added a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh to expand their lead to 9–5. Cubs pinch-hitter Troy O'Leary hit a home run the bottom of the seventh, making the score 9–6. After the Cubs were retired in order in the eighth inning, Florida closer Ugueth Urbina hit Aramis Ramírez with a pitch to lead off the ninth inning and proceeded to retire the following three batters, giving the Marlins their second National League pennant in their eleven-year existence.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Florida | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 0 |
| Chicago | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| WP: Brad Penny (1-1) LP: Kerry Wood (0-1) Sv: Ugueth Urbina (1) Home runs: Fla: Miguel Cabrera (3) ChC: Kerry Wood (1), Moisés Alou (2), Troy O'Leary (1) |||||||||||||

## Farm system

| Level | Team | League | Manager |
| AAA | Iowa Cubs | Pacific Coast League | Mike Quade |
| AA | West Tenn Diamond Jaxx | Southern League | Bobby Dickerson |
| A | Daytona Cubs | Florida State League | Rick Kranitz |
| A | Lansing Lugnuts | Midwest League | Julio Garcia |
| A-Short Season | Boise Hawks | Northwest League | Steve McFarland |
| Rookie | AZL Cubs | Arizona League | Carmelo Martínez |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Lansing