Cubs' nine-game win streak makes early-season dominance historic

Chicago Cubs right fielder Michael Conforto (20) celebrates the Cubs win against the Cincinnati Reds with left fielder Ian Happ (8) at Wrigley Field. David Banks-Imagn Images

Cubs' nine-game win streak makes early-season dominance historic

By Mike J. Asti | Last updated May 8, 2026 8:06 AM ET

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One big inning was all the Chicago Cubs needed on Thursday to secure to another win, one that clinched a four-game series sweep of the division rival Cincinnati Reds.

The win was also the Cubs' ninth in a row, making the 2026 season already historic in the month of May no matter what happens throughout the summer.

Chicago's nine-game win streak marks their second such streak of the season, becoming the first team to produce multiple nine-game win streaks within their first 38 games since the Brooklyn Dodgers did it in 1955.

And a night after Pete Crow-Armstrong's two-run home run in the ninth saved Wednesday's game, sending it into extras and allowing the Cubs to win in a walk-off, Chicago dominates the Reds to the tune of 8-3.

Cubs didn't need any late-game heroics to complete the sweep

The Cubs scored seven of their eight runs in the fourth as Crow-Armstrong drove another run in and Michael Conforto led the team with three hits and two RBI.

Starter Shota Imanaga threw a gem, allowing only one run off six hits and striking out 10 batters in six innings of work.

Cubs are the first team with multiple 9+ game win streaks in their first 38 games since the 1955 Dodgers

h/t @SlangsOnSports https://t.co/nOMtYVd4UO pic.twitter.com/qrxkK88E45
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) May 7, 2026

With a 26-12 record, the Cubs hold a four-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central and are tied with the Atlanta Braves and the American League's New York Yankees for most wins in the majors.

Cubs are winning despite Alex Bregman's struggles at the plate

Having so much team success even as Alex Bregman, their prized free agent acquisition, continues to struggle — he went 0-for-3 on Thursday and is only hitting .240 with three home runs and 13 RBI on the year — suggests that the Cubs haven't yet come close to reaching their true potential as a team.

More history on deck for the Cubs

While they still have a long way to go for their current win streak to be historic on its own, it's worth noting the most games any Cubs team has ever won in a row is 21 from back in September 1935.

Making Wrigley Field only friendly for the home team, the Cubs' now 15-game home win streak is the franchise's longest since that same 1935 season.

Mike J. Asti

Mike Asti is an experienced media personality and journalist with a vast resume and skillset, most notably from time with TribLIVE Radio and WPXI-TV. Asti now serves as the Managing Editor of WV Sports Now, where he leads the coverage of WVU sports. He has also covered the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates and other teams within the Pittsburgh market

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