The important thing to remember about that year’s team is that going into 1963, the Cubs had posted 16 straight seasons without finishing over .500, getting to that mark just once in that span (77-77 in 1952). They were coming off a club-record 103 losses in 1962 and had spent that year and the one previous under the “leadership” of the College of Coaches, acknowledged by almost everyone as a disaster. The franchise appeared in total disarray.
And then, in ‘63, they started winning, led by young sluggers Ron Santo and Billy Williams and the outstanding pitching of lefthander Dick Ellsworth.