Could Sox's Championship Chances Be Doomed By 'Ex-Cubs Factor'?

CHICAGO — White Sox relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel's struggles on the mound after being traded from the Cubs this year could loom large but might not be the only thing that might bode poorly for a White Sox playoff run — depending on how superstitious you are, that is.

Kimbrel, who was a lights-out closer with the crosstown Cubs, ranks among the worst deadline deals this season.

But it could be his North Side pedigree that spells D-O-O-M for the Sox, if you're a believer in the "Ex-Cubs Factor" — a theory developed years ago by Chicago writer Ron Berler and made famous by the now-late Tribune columnist Mike Royko.

Royko introduced Berler’s theories in 1989, after Berler discovered that since 1946, 12 teams had reached the World Series with three or more Cubs players on their roster. Of the 12, only one won the Fall Classic. That led Berler to surmise that having been a Cub, players possess a "Cubness virus” that is spread around the clubhouse, Royko wrote for the Chicago Tribune.

That brings us back to Kimbrel, who boasted a 0.49 ERA with the Cubs before he was traded. Since his arrival at the Sox, Kimbrel is sporting a 5.68 ERA and has surrendered twice as many runs (12) in 20 appearances as he did in 39 games with the Cubs. He has also blown three save opportunities. For you non-baseball readers, that's not exactly what the Sox were expecting to get in return.

Manager Tony La Russa — who played part of a season with the Cubs in 1973, by the way — has used Kimbrel in more of a set-up role for closer Liam Hendricks. But Kimbrel, who was expected to be one of the key pieces for an eventual World Series championship run, has clearly not been the same and has led many Sox loyalists to wonder out loud why the Sox front office chose to bring him the South Side.

Could Berler’s “Cubness virus” theories again be coming to life? It's way too early to tell.

The Sox are on the brink of clinching their first American League Central Division title since 2008. But if the “Ex-Cub Factor” superstition has legs, maybe it should be considered a public service to remind South Siders that there are three ex-Cubs on the roster, including La Russa, the 76-year-old skipper. And pitcher Ryan Tepera, who is expected to return to the mound next week after a finger injury, played for the Cubs earlier this year.

During La Russa's brief North Side stay, he appeared in only one game, according to MLB.com, but scored the winning run opening day against the Expos after entering the game as a pinch runner. Still, it's worth considering.

Berler’s beliefs may well be a cock-and-bull tale of epic proportions, and may not hold a candle to the Sox's star power. But before we completely dismiss the black cat in the room, let’s remember that history has already been unkind to one of Chicago’s baseball teams that, in turn, has been jinxing championship dreams for generations.