FROM THE FRIENDLY CONFINES - WRIGLEY FIELD
Opened: April 23, 1914
First Cubs game: April 20, 1916
First night game: August 8, 1988 (scheduled), August 9, 1988 (official).
Wrigley Field was built as Weeghman Field in 1914 by Charles Weeghman, owner of the Federal League's Chicago Whales, and when he assumed control of the Cubs in 1916, he immediately moved the club there. By 1927, the park had assumed its current name in honor of new owner William Wrigley, and a second deck had been added, doubling the capacity to near 40,000.
Since then, it has been modernized periodically, but has changed little in appearance or scope. Aside from its lack of lights, Wrigley Field's most distinctive feature has been its winds. Usually strong, when they are blowing out, the tiny park is a pitcher's nightmare, but when they are blowing in, home runs are virtually non-existent. The foul lines are surprisingly deep, but the fences do not curve away from the
plate as is the norm. Rather, the power alleys are only 10'-15' deeper, and home runs frequently leave the park completely, landing on either Waveland or Sheffield Avenue behind the tiny bleachers. There is little foul territory, and the field, of course, is natural grass.
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