Wrigley Field

Wrigley Field is a sports stadium in Chicago, Illinois which was built in 1914 for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales and which became the home of the Chicago Cubs in 1916. It was also the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League from 1921-1970.

Let there be lights!

Lights were scheduled to be added to Wrigley Field in 1942, but after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, then-owner Philip K. Wrigley (son of the late William) donated the materials, intended for lighting Wrigley Field, to the war effort. Baseball boomed after the war, allowing P.K. Wrigley to procrastinate on the issue. He eventually decided never to install lights, for a variety of publicly stated reasons, so Wrigley Field remained a bastion of totally day baseball until the Chicago Tribune Company acquired the Cubs in 1981.

Related Topics:
1942 - Attack on Pearl Harbor - Philip K. Wrigley - Chicago Tribune - 1981

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The Cubs had been run almost like a hobby by the Wrigleys, but the Tribune Company was interested in the Cubs strictly as a business. The new owners started talking about lights and began stirring debate on the matter. One of P.K.'s stated reasons for not installing lights was that it would upset the neighborhood, and initial reaction to the Trib intentions supported P.K.'s contention.

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This debate continued for several years, especially as the Cubs returned to competitiveness during the 1980s. Lights were finally added to Wrigley Field in 1988 after Cubs management threatened to move the team and Major League Baseball announced that any playoff games would have to be held at Busch Stadium. The first major league night game at Wrigley was attempted on August 8, 1988 against the Philadelphia Phillies and was rained out. The first official night game was achieved the following night, August 9, against the New York Mets ending a streak of 5,687 consecutive home day games. In the 1940s, some AAGPBL night games were played in Wrigley Field using temporary lighting structures.

Related Topics:
1988 - Busch Stadium - August 8 - Philadelphia Phillies - August 9 - New York Mets - AAGPBL

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