WRIGLEYVILLE — Whether the team is at home or on the road, a winning crowd is often a raucous one.
That proved true during the Cubs' postseason — on average, nights when the teams won had twice as many arrests near Wrigley Field as losing nights, according to police data released Tuesday.
On both Oct. 7 and Oct. 12 — when the Cubs won the one-game Wild Card series and, later, Game 3 of the National League Division Series — police arrested 10 people around Wrigley Field after 5 p.m.
Interestingly, it didn't matter that the Oct. 7 game against the Pirates was played in Pittsburgh — crowds were equally boisterous as during the first postseason home game five days later.
And when the Cubs clinched the National League Division Series on Oct. 13, there were only three arrests. The game started at 3:37 p.m. — the earliest in the postseason — and was the first when police cordoned off the Clark and Addison intersection, preventing fans exiting Wrigley Field from reaching the Clark Street bars.
But as the Cubs' chances of a World Series fell, so did fans' spirits.
During the four consecutive losses to the New York Mets during the National League Championship Series, crowds were more subdued. There were three or fewer arrests on each night except for Game 3 when the Cubs returned home after two games in New York — that night there were seven.
The arrests, however, are not specific to Cubs-related incidents, but rather reflect all incidents within three police beats between Irving Park Road, Southport Avenue, Belmont Avenue and the lakefront after 5 p.m.
Of the 39 arrested over the nine postseason games, 12 were for battery, akin to throwing a punch or making "insulting or provoking" physical contact. Ten were arrested for disorderly conduct.
Six were arrested for theft, and three people each were charged for drug violations or miscellaneous crimes.
One person was arrested for aggravated battery and one for criminal sexual abuse. Two people were arrested on warrants, and one was arrested for a weapons-related offense.
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