| 1998 Chicago Cubs | ||
|---|---|---|
| National League Wild Card Winners | ||
 | ||
| League | National League | |
| Division | Central | |
| Ballpark | Wrigley Field | |
| City | Chicago | |
| Record | 90–73 (.552) | |
| Divisional place | 2nd | |
| Owners | Tribune Company | |
| General managers | Ed Lynch | |
| Managers | Jim Riggleman | |
| Television | WGN-TV/Superstation WGN/Chicagoland TV (Chip Caray, Steve Stone) | |
| Radio | WGN (Pat Hughes, Ron Santo) | |
| Stats | ESPN.com Baseball Reference | |
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The 1998 Chicago Cubs season was the 127th season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 123rd in the National League and the 83rd at Wrigley Field. The Cubs finished second in the National League Central with a record of 90–73.
The season was a significant one for the team for several reasons. Firstly, it saw the Cubs reach the playoffs for the first time since 1989 by way of a Wild Card berth, which they clinched after winning a one-game playoff against the San Francisco Giants. The Cubs, however, would lose the NLDS in a 3–0 sweep by the Atlanta Braves. The season also saw Sammy Sosa, along with Mark McGwire, surpass the existing single-season home run record of 61. Sosa would hold the home run lead at several points over the course of the season, eventually finishing four homers behind McGwire (66 and 70 respectively). The 1998 season also saw the debut of Kerry Wood, who drew immediate national attention because of a 20-strikeout performance in his fifth career start, a 13-6 record over 26 starts, and more than 12 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.