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NO STAT IS SAFE. NO ERA IS FORGOTTEN.
VOL. 1, NO. 15 · JUNE 8, 2026 · EVERY MONDAY
ISSUE #015 · INTEGRATION
Ernie Banks — 'Let's Play
Two' And Zero Postseason
Games
📅 THIS DATE IN BASEBALL On May 12, 1970, Ernie Banks hit career home run #500 before just 5,264 fans at Wrigley Field.
THE STAT THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST 01
THE MOST JOYFUL PLAYER IN HISTORY NEVER WON A SINGLE THING.
512 HR. Back-to-Back MVPs. Not One Postseason
Game In 19 Seasons.
512 2 straight 14
ERNIE BANKS HR NL MVP AWARDS ALL-STAR SELECTIONS
CAREER POSTSEASON GAMES CUBS WS CHAMPIONSHIP CAREER WAR
Banks hit 512 HR, won back-to-back NL MVPs (1958-59 — the first player ever), made 14 All-Star teams,
and spent his entire career with Chicago. The Cubs never made the postseason. Not once across his 19
seasons.
THE GAME YOU FORGOT 02
VS Atlanta Braves MAY 12, 1970
2nd Pat Jarvis 5,264 W
HOME RUN # INNING PITCHER ATTENDANCE RESULT
HR 500
500TH HOME RUN BEFORE AN EMPTY WRIGLEY
Banks hit career home run #500 on May 12, 1970, at Wrigley Field before just 5,264 fans — a Tuesday
afternoon near the end of a losing season. No ceremony had been planned. He hit a Pat Jarvis fastball into
the bleachers in the 2nd inning, tipped his cap, and said afterward: 'What a beautiful day. Let's play two.' His
500th home run happened the same way every Banks moment happened — joyfully, in front of a half-empty
park, for a team going nowhere.
ERA VS ERA 03
Greatest Player To Never Reach The Postseason?
ERNIE BANKS OTHER RINGLESS GREATS
CAREER HR TED WILLIAMS
512 1946 WS loss, no return
BACK-TO-BACK MVPS VS BARRY BONDS
1958-59 2002 WS loss in 7
CAREER OPS+ KEN GRIFFEY JR.
122 1995 ALCS, no ring
Banks is unique: he never appeared in a single postseason game in 19 seasons. Williams lost in the 1946 WS.
Bonds reached the 2002 WS. Griffey got to the ALCS. Banks never got close. The Cubs finished above .500
only once in his final 12 seasons.
Greatest ringless player in baseball history?
ERNIE BANKS TED WILLIAMS BARRY BONDS KEN GRIFFEY JR.
THE COLDEST MOMENT 04
1958-59 · BACK-TO-BACK NL MVPS
Won Two MVPs On A 5th-Place Team. Nobody Had
Done That Before.
Banks won NL MVP in 1958 (47 HR, 129 RBI) and 1959 (45 HR, 143 RBI). The Cubs finished 5th
both years. He was the first player in history to win consecutive MVP awards. Voters recognized
individual greatness over team failure — something that almost never happens in MVP voting
then or now. Banks just smiled and said he was glad the team was improving.
The Cubs will shine in '69.
— ERNIE BANKS, BEFORE THE 1969 SEASON (THE CUBS COLLAPSED WITH 8 GAMES LEFT)
THE STAT VAULT 05
CAREER HOME RUNS CAREER POSTSEASON GAMES
All with Chicago. He never once asked for Played 1953-1971. Cubs made the playoffs
a trade to a contender. exactly zero of those years.
BACK-TO-BACK MVPS ALL-STAR SELECTIONS
First player ever. Did it on a team that Named in 14 of 19 seasons despite playing
finished 5th both seasons. for losing clubs.
2016 YEAR THE CUBS FINALLY WON
45 years after Banks retired. He died in January 2015, one year before.
THE FORGOTTEN MAN 06
OVERLOOKED · UNDERRATED · DESERVES MORE
Billy Williams
CHICAGO CUBS · 1959-1976
HOF 1987 · .290 BA · 426 HR · 1,475 RBI
Banks' Teammate 13 Years. 426 HR. Hall of Famer. Nobody Talks About Him.
Billy Williams hit .290 with 426 HR playing alongside Ernie Banks for 13 years on the North Side. Made 6 All-
Star teams. Inducted to HOF in 1987. He's mentioned approximately 1/10 as often as Banks despite playing
next to him for a decade and producing almost as much.
THE CONNECTION:
Williams and Banks hit cleanup for the Cubs through the same 13 losing years. Neither reached the
postseason. Banks gets the statue. Williams gets occasionally remembered.
COMING NEXT MONDAY
Next Monday: Sandy Koufax threw 4 no-hitters in 4 years. Then retired at 30 because his arm was done.
Who's Your Forgotten Man?
Reply with a player from any era who deserves more credit. Best answer gets featured next Monday.
All Eras. All Stats. No Debate.
Every Monday. No exceptions.