August Of 1988 History Lights Up Chicago

1988 in Chicago seems like yesterday, but it was 36 years ago. Major League Baseball rejoiced, and some sneered about the progress.

The first official night game at Wrigley Field occurred on August 9, 1988, when the Chicago Cubs defeated the New York Mets 6–4.

 91-year-old Cubs fan Harry Grossman was given the honor of ceremonially turning on the lights, and Rick Sutcliffe started the game for the Cubs. 

The Chicago Cubs' Wrigley Field first turned on its lights on August 8, 1988, but the scheduled night game against Philadelphia was rained out after 3.5 innings due to a severe thunderstorm.

Maybe the baseball gods weren't ready to change a long-time tradition of no lights.

The decision to add lights to Wrigley Field was not easy, as many people opposed the idea, even though other teams in the league had been playing night games for decades. Some shareholders claimed that Wrigley's decision was harming the team's revenue. At the same time, Wrigley ( William Wrigley Jr.,) the club's owner in 1926) believed that baseball was a daytime sport and that the lights would negatively impact the neighborhood. However, the court ruled in Wrigley's favor, deciding that his business judgment was within the law. 

In 1948, The Detroit Tigers finally flipped the switch and turned the light on at Tiger Stadium ( Known then as Briggs Stadium.) Back then, they spent $400,000 on a field lighting system in 1948, making it the last American League team to do so. The first night game was held on June 15, 1948.

Inner League play as The Tigers head to Chicago to take on the Cubs for 2-night games Aug 20-21 and one day game on the 22nd at Wrigley Field.

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