Being a Diehard Cubs Fan on a Brutal, Challenging, Miserable, and Glorious Day at Wrigley Field
Updated: Dec 28, 2025
I have, in addition to being a more-or-less lifelong fan of the Detroit Tigers, been a longtime Cubs fan. I started regularly watching the Cubs play on WGN and rooting for the team back in the early 1980s. And as of the 2016 World Series which the Cubs won, it had been 108 years since the Cubs had last won a World Series. So you can hardly accuse me of being a fair-weather fan.
April 14, 2018 was a brutal, miserable day for baseball in Chicago. It was cold. It was wet. It was windy. Being a longtime Cubs fan that was planning to attend an early-season game at Wrigley Field, I knew that the weather could be unpredictable and occasionally miserable. I was about to find out just how bad it could get.
I had on clothing that I hoped would help me fight the elements and be somewhat comfortable. I had on a pair of boxer briefs, a t-shirt (long sleeve, I believe), a thermal bottom, a pair of socks, blue jeans, a sweatshirt, a hoodie, a windbreaker with a hood, and a baseball cap. It would not be enough.
The Braves jumped out to an early lead and the game looked like it would be a blowout. As the game progressed, it looked less and less likely that the Cubs would make the game interesting, much less come back and win in exciting, unbelievable fashion. You could excuse Cubs fans for going to their homes, their hotel and motel rooms, or to a restaurant or a bar to get warm, get dry, and shake off the damp, miserable cold and a forgettable Cubs performance. I certainly considered leaving before the final out was recorded. I’m glad that I didn’t.
The Cubs’ comeback was a wild, raccous, jubilant, and unbelievable affair. And a relative few fans remained to witness it live and in person, as was pointed out by the Cubs fan that writes for Bleed Cubbie Blue that was also in attendance that day (see quote below).
And that’s when the Cubs took control of this game, helped out by some very poor play by the Braves. By this time, it’s past 4:30 and maybe 1,000 people are left in the ballpark.
The writer for Bleed Cubbie Blue does an outstanding job of telling the story of that April afternoon in Chicago and what we witnessed. So I have shared it via a link below. In addition, I have included links to articles and videos that relate the improbable game account.
I was chilled to the bone and visibly shaking by the time that the game ended with a Cubs victory. Had it continued much longer, I suspect that I might have required treatment for hypothermia. I warmed up a bit before leaving Wrigley Field in one of the blissfully warm, heated restrooms. But I didn’t stop shivering until I got to the nearby Dunkin’ Donuts and had a donut (or two) and an extra-large hot coffee.
That victory allowed the Cubs to tie the Milwaukee Brewers in the division and necessitated a one-game tiebreaker to decide who would be the winner of the National League’s Central Division. Sadly, the Cubs lost that tiebreaker. They were then eliminated from the playoffs in the 2018 National League Wild Card Game at Wrigley Field by the Colorado Rockies.
It was an exciting, unforgettable season. It just didn’t have a storybook ending for Cubs fans. If you want to relive that cold, wet, windy day in April 2018 from the warmth of your home or office, check out the articles and videos via the links below. 🐻 ⚾️😃
“Cubs come back with nine-run 8th inning”
“Cubs Rally From Eight Runs Down, Stun Braves With Nine-Run Eighth Inning”
“Cubs 14, Braves 10: The wet, the cold and the incredible comeback win”
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/4/14/17238756/cubs-braves-recap-javier-baez-ben-zobrist-mlb-sco
Chicago Cubs Facebook post (January 30, 2019)
“DYK: Facts, figures from Cubs' epic comeback
Chicago scores 12 unanswered, including 9-run eighth inning, to shock Atlanta”
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