Look, everyone remembers the rain delay. They remember Rajai Davis hitting that soul-crushing home run off Aroldis Chapman and the absolute madness of Game 7. But if you really want to understand how that curse actually broke, you have to look at the 162-game grind that preceded it. The 2016 Chicago Cubs baseball schedule wasn't just a list of dates and flight times; it was a carefully orchestrated march toward a destiny that felt, for a long time, like it was never going to happen.
It started in Anaheim. April 4th.
Most people forget that the Cubs actually opened on the road against the Angels. They didn't just win; they dismantled them 9-0. Jake Arrieta, coming off that historic 2015 Cy Young run, looked untouchable. It set a tone. This wasn't the "Loveable Losers" anymore. This was a juggernaut.
The early season blitz
The first month of the 2016 Chicago Cubs baseball schedule was basically a fever dream for North Side fans. They went 17-5 in April. Think about that for a second. Most teams are just trying to figure out their bullpen roles in April, but Joe Maddon had this squad playing like it was mid-September.
They weren't just winning; they were embarrassing people. They swept the Reds in a four-game series where they outscored them 28-10. Then they went to Pittsburgh and took two out of three. By the time they hit May, the run differential was so absurd it looked like a typo on Baseball-Reference.
The schedule makers did them a favor with a long homestand in early May, and they capitalized. They swept the Nationals in four games at Wrigley. That was the series where Bryce Harper got walked thirteen times. Literally. Maddon basically dared anyone else on the roster to beat them, and they couldn't. It was psychological warfare.
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That weird June swoon nobody talks about
If you look back at the 2016 Chicago Cubs baseball schedule, there is a glaring, ugly stretch in late June and early July. Honestly, it was the only time all year that people actually panicked.
Between June 20 and July 9, the Cubs went 6-15.
They got swept by the Cardinals at home. They lost three of four to the Marlins. They even dropped a series to the Mets, which felt like a nasty hangover from the 2015 NLCS. People started doing that thing Chicago fans do—waiting for the other shoe to drop. The "Curse of the Billy Goat" talk started creeping back into the sports talk radio segments.
The schedule was brutal during this stretch. Lots of travel, few off-days, and a pitching staff that finally looked human. Jon Lester had a couple of rough outings. John Lackey was screaming at umpires. It was messy. But looking back, that dip in the schedule was probably the best thing that happened to them. It killed the complacency.
The August heatwave
Coming out of the All-Star break, the Cubs were refreshed. But August was where the 2016 Chicago Cubs baseball schedule really showcased the depth of that roster.
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They went 22-6 in August.
It was ridiculous. They had an eleven-game winning streak. They played the Giants, the Marlins, the Athletics, the Angels... and they just kept winning. This was the month of Kris Bryant’s MVP campaign truly taking flight. He was playing third, he was playing left, he was hitting homers in his sleep.
One game stands out: August 1st against the Mariners. The "Mervis" game. Or rather, the Travis Wood game. Joe Maddon ran out of players and ended up putting a relief pitcher (Wood) in left field, who then proceeded to make a spectacular catch against the wall. That game went extras and ended with a squeeze bunt by Jon Lester. Yes, Jon Lester. It was the kind of win that makes you think a team is actually charmed.
Breaking down the divisional grind
You can't talk about the 2016 Chicago Cubs baseball schedule without mentioning the NL Central. Back then, the division was actually tough. The Cardinals were still the Cardinals, and the Pirates were coming off a 98-win season.
The Cubs finished 15-4 against the Reds. They dominated the Brewers. But the real battle was with St. Louis. The Cubs went 10-9 against the Cards. It wasn't a blowout, but they won the games that mattered. They clinched the division on September 15th, despite actually losing to the Brewers that night, because the Giants beat the Cardinals.
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They finished with 103 wins. The next closest team in the division was 17.5 games back.
The Postseason gauntlet
Once the regular season ended, the 2016 Chicago Cubs baseball schedule shifted into the "don't screw this up" phase.
- NLDS vs Giants: Everyone remembers the Game 4 comeback in San Francisco. Down 5-2 in the ninth. The Cubs scored four runs to silence AT&T Park. It was the largest blown lead in a clinching game in postseason history at the time.
- NLCS vs Dodgers: This was the Clayton Kershaw hurdle. The Cubs went down 2-1 in the series after getting shut out twice. Everyone thought the offense had died. Then they exploded for 23 runs over the next three games to win the pennant.
- World Series vs Indians: We all know how this ended. But the schedule was weird here too. Starting on the road in Cleveland, coming back to Chicago for three games (and losing two of them), then heading back to Cleveland for the miracle.
Why this schedule matters now
The 2016 season changed the math for the Cubs. It wasn't just about winning a title; it was about how they did it. They led the league in ERA (3.15). They had a team OBP of .343. They were elite in every single phase of the game.
When you look at the 2016 Chicago Cubs baseball schedule, you see a team that was built for the long haul. They didn't rely on one ace or one slugger. They had a rotation where even their "number four" guy, Kyle Hendricks, ended up leading the league in ERA.
If you’re trying to replicate this in your own sports history deep dives or even for fantasy research, pay attention to the "interleague" chunks of that schedule. The Cubs went 13-7 against the AL West and AL East. That flexibility—being able to play in DH parks without losing a beat—was a massive advantage for Maddon’s "super-utility" roster construction.
Your 2016 Cubs deep-dive checklist
If you want to relive the magic or verify the stats, here is exactly how you should approach it. Don't just watch the highlights; look at the box scores of the mundane games.
- Check the "Sunday Night Baseball" frequency. The Cubs were on national TV constantly in 2016. It affected their travel and sleep cycles more than people realize.
- Verify the Arrieta No-Hitter. April 21st at Cincinnati. It’s the peak of his powers. If you want to see what dominance looked like in 2016, that’s the tape.
- Look at the defensive shifts. The Cubs were pioneers in positioning that year. Watch a random game from May and see where Ben Zobrist is standing. It changed the game.
- Study the "Leadoff" spot. Dexter Fowler was the "you go, we go" guy. When he was on the DL in June, the team struggled. When he returned, they became elite again. His health was the hidden variable of the entire schedule.
The 2016 season remains the gold standard for how a rebuild is supposed to conclude. It wasn't a fluke; it was a 162-game statement of intent.