Chicago Cubs Make Baseball History with Running Ability Early in 2025

The Cubs are out to a 9-6 start on the season and the stolen base has been a big key for them to generate offense.

San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth (9) can’t make the play as Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) steals second base during the sixth inning at Wrigley Field on April 5. / Matt Marton-Imagn Images

After adding Kyle Tucker in the offseason, the Chicago Cubs are out to a 9-6 start in 2025. That's good enough for first place, entering a weekend series with the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

In addition to Tucker's power, the Cubs have been driven by their ability to run the bases, where they are making history in the early going.

Per @JayHayKid of Underdog Fantasy:

The Cubs are the first team in modern baseball history (since at least 1901) to record 25+ SB with no more than 1 caught stealing through the first 15 games of a season.

The Cubs are the first team in modern baseball history (since at least 1901) to record 25+ SB with no more than 1 caught stealing through the first 15 games of a season.

— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) April 11, 2025

So far, eight different players have stolen bags for Chicago, with Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner leading the way with six. Chicago is coming off a second-place finish in the National League Central last year and they are looking to get to the playoffs for the first time under manager Craig Counsell.

The NL Central figures to be one of the more interesting divisions in baseball this season given that there's so much uncertainty. The Reds have a lot of talent but have struggled early on while the Brewers are already dealing with a ton of inuries to the starting rotation. The Pirates need help offensively and the Cardinals are in a bit of a "step-back" year.

The Cubs will take on the Dodgers on Friday night with first coming at 10:10 p.m. ET.

Left-hander Matthew Boyd will pitch against Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Boyd is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA, and Yamamoto is 1-1 with a 1.69.

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