Building History: Caterpillar and the World Series

October 28, 2016

What do Caterpillar, the World Series and this year’s teams have in common? They curiously have all had major milestones at the same time.

The Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians have had long droughts between World Series wins – 176 years combined in fact.

Think about this: When the first World Series was played in 1903, Caterpillar wasn’t even Caterpillar yet. Our predecessor company, Holt Manufacturing, was making steam tractors back then.

Five years later, when the Cubs won their (gulp) last World Series, Daniel Best, the father of Caterpillar’s first Chairman, C.L. Best, retired and sold off the Best Manufacturing Co.

Of the two teams participating in this year’s Fall Classic, the Indians have the edge on being the most recent champion. That came back in 1948, or the same year Caterpillar first introduced hydraulic controls.

So forget about the goat, Bartman and the Cleveland sports curse. The Cavs even won a title this year, and maybe someday the Browns (and Bears) will find their quarterback. All of that’s to say, one of these teams is winning a title this year, something that their respective cities and their fans at Caterpillar can be proud of.