The 1984 Cubs won the division going away with the most wins in the National League (96). That 1984 Cubs team was not exactly a home grown product. They had only two players who came up through the Cubs farm system—Lee Smith and Henry Cotto. Sandberg, Bowa, Dernier, Matthews, Moreland, and Ruthven came from the Phillies. Durham and Davis came from the Cardinals. Cey and Lopes came from the Dodgers, Eckersley came from the Red Sox, Suttcliffe came from the Indians, Trout came from the White Sox, and Scott Sanderson came from the Expos. Nevertheless, Chicago embraced these outsiders and came out to Wrigley Field in droves.

With Harry Caray at the microphone, every single game broadcast on a Superstation (WGN), and an entertaining cast of characters, the 1984 Cubs became America's darlings.

They clinched the division on September 24, and won their first two games of the playoffs against the Padres in impressive fashion, 13-0 and 4-2, behind Rick Suttcliffe and Steve Trout.

After those first two wins, syndicated columnist Mike Royko ripped the laid back San Diego fans, which helped incite them to new levels of fandom. They crushed Eckersly in Game 3, winning 7-1. The heartbreak, however, was only beginning.

In game 4, the game was tied 5-5. The Cubs loaded the bases in the 9th but couldn't score. In the bottom of the ninth, with their closer Lee Smith on the mound, Steve Garvey walked up to the plate, and hit a two run walk-off home run to win the game. It was a crushing blow, but there would be even more heartbreak to come.

In Game 5, the Cubs were eight outs away, leading the game 3-2. A ground ball by Tim Flannery went through Leon Durham's legs, and that opened the floodgates. The Padres scored three more times, including two runs on a fluke double that should have been a double-play, but took a weird hop over Ryne Sandbergs head instead. Final score: Padres 6--Cubs 3. Former Cub Craig Lefferts got the win, future Cub Rich Gossage got the save, and a whole new generation of Cubs fans built up scar tissue that remains inside their bodies today.