It was July 2, 1967.  The Chicago Cubs hosted the Cincinnati Reds before a throng of more than 36,000 fans at the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field.  Just another mid-summer game between two old foes? Not that day.  Ferguson Jenkins, who would win 20 games in 1967 to start a string of six consecutive 20-game seasons for the same club, defeated Cincinnati, 4-1 , to tie for the National League lead with the St. Louis Cardinals.

It had been years since the Cubs could fly the W flag and display the Chicago team flag above the others atop the manual scoreboard and have it mean something.  It was different than past years where the familiar white W on a blue field (or vice versa) would fly for maybe a few days for a perennial loser.  The 1967 Cubs had been on a roll leading up to this exciting day and would post the franchise’s first winning record in 20 years by season’s end.  Manager Leo Durocher had backed up the truck and discarded aging veterans and never-wases for a younger, energetic group that would contend for the league title for the next six seasons.

Jenkins tossed his fastball, curve, slider and change of pace to battery-mate Randy Hundley, who handled pitchers, gunned down base-stealers, socked homers and showed excellent running speed for an everyday catcher.  The slugging trio of Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Ernie Banks – Hall of Famers all – provided much of the scoring punch while shortstop Don Kessinger and second baseman Glenn Beckert formed a nifty double play combo that stayed together for nine seasons.

Another key player almost forgotten today was center fielder Adolfo Phillips, who became a folk hero  when the Panamanian Flash hit four home runs, three in the second game, in a June 11 doubleheader sweep of the New York Mets at Wrigley Field.  His dazzling catches in he outfield drew calls of “Olè!” from appreciative fans.

Unfortunately, the Cubs lost seven of their next eight games after Jenkins’ mastery of the Reds and never reached the top again that season. On July 24, WGN-TV Channel Nine actually televised a road game from St. Louis’ Busch Memorial Stadium where the Cubs’ Ray Culp beat the front-running Redbirds, 3-1.  Sadly, it was Culp’s 8th and final win of the season. It was Wait ‘Til Next Year once again.

I recall the excitement of that season because it was my first as a Cubs fan, now that the Braves left Milwaukee, never to return. WMTV in Madison carried 30 Cubs games throughout the spring and summer and I learned that “Hey!Hey!” meant a home run and “Ohh, brother!” (another Jack Brickhouse exclamation) meant bad news.

More than 50 years later, the day the W flew for the 1967 Cubs and the team flag was hoisted above all the other teams was unforgettable for me and many longtime Cub fans.