The Chicago Cubs are trying to create history.

Entering play Monday, the Cubs (76-55) were five games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central with 31 games left to play.

The Brewers (82-50) then won Monday night over the Diamondbacks, extending the divisional lead to 5.5 games over the Cubs.

Since divisional play began in MLB in 1969, only 11 teams have come back to win their respective divisions after being five or more games out with 31 or fewer games remaining in the regular season. The most recent team to do so was the Brewers in 2018 … whom Cubs fans might remember as a team that won Game 163 at Wrigley Field and secured the NL Central.

Here are the 11 teams:

1995 Seattle Mariners (9.5 games back) with 31 games remaining2009 Minnesota Twins (7.0 games back) with 26 games remaining2007 Philadelphia Phillies (7.0 games back) with 17 games remaining1978 New York Yankees (6.5 games back) with 30 games remaining1973 New York Mets (6.5 games back) with 30 games remaining2018 Milwaukee Brewers (6.0 games back) with 29 games remaining2006 Minnesota Twins (6.0 games back) with 29 games remaining1974 Baltimore Orioles (6.0 games back) with 31 games remaining2012 Oakland Athletics (5.5 games back) with 26 games remaining2010 San Francisco Giants (5.0 games back) with 30 games remaining1969 New York Mets (5.0 games back) with 29 games remaining

Older generations of Cubs fans might remember the 1969 Mets on this list, as the Cubs were the team that coughed up the first-place lead in the NL East that year.

Now, the Cubs are trying to flip the script and secure their place in MLB history as the chasers.

The Cubs were nine games behind the Brewers entering play on August 19, after Milwaukee took the first matchup of a five-game series. The Brewers were 79-45, and the Cubs were sitting at 70-54.

However, Chicago started to close the gap the next day, with a doubleheader sweep.

In the last seven games, which included four with the Brewers, the Cubs went 6-1. During this stretch, the Cubs averaged 4.86 runs per game and have given up just 2.57 runs. Three times throughout the seven-game stretch, the Cubs have given up two or fewer runs with quality starts from Jameson Taillon, Javier Assad and Cade Horton.

“Our starting pitching has been really good … they’re keeping us in games, giving us a chance to win.”

Craig Counsell tips his cap to the Cubs’ starting rotation. pic.twitter.com/AfSus9wVwD

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 24, 2025

Milwaukee has seen the opposite trend — dropping five of their last seven games through Sunday’s last loss to the Giants.

What has also helped the Cubs in this most recent series sweep against the Los Angeles Angels has been the resurgence of outfielder Kyle Tucker. The Cubs right fielder had been in a slump and was recently benched for three games against the Brewers in last week’s series.

He returned for the final game against Milwaukee and failed to record a hit, reaching base once on a walk. But in the three games against the Angels, Tucker recorded five hits, including three home runs and seven RBI.

Kyle Tucker against the Angels 🔥

.417 AVG
3 HR
7 RBI
1.750 OPS

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 25, 2025

For the Cubs to have any shot of becoming the 12th team in history to win the division after being five games back with 31 games left in the season, they will need Tucker to continue producing at a star level. Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong also need to revert to their play before the All-Star break. And the pitching must continue its dominance.

The Cubs also have a favorable schedule with upcoming series against the Giants, Rockies, Braves and Nationals, all of whom are near the bottom of their respective divisions.

If the Cubs can collectively play their best ball for the remainder of August and into late September, who knows what may happen. But the Cubs have made the race to win the NL Central interesting — something that initially seemed impossible only a week ago.