Today, we
continue with part five of our look at current ballparks that were in use in
the mid-1980s. We are still in the Central Time Zone as we look at #2
#2. Wrigley Field,
Chicago, Illinois
Home of: Chicago Cubs since 1916
Built in: 1914
Baseball Capacity: 41,160
Previous Names: Weeghman Park
(1914-1920)
Cubs Park (1920-1926)
History: Built in 1914, Weeghman Park
was, originally, the home of the Chicago Whales ball club of the Federal
League. After the FL folded, the Cubs moved in for the 1916 season and have
played there ever since. In 1918, chewing gum manufacturer William Wrigley
bought the Cubs and changed the name of the park to Wrigley Field in 1926.
Unfortunately, the Cubs have never won the World Series while playing at this charming
park (their last title was in 1908) and the last time they even played in the
World Series was 1945 when they lost to the Detroit Tigers in seven games.
Famous Cubs who’ve played at Wrigley include Canadian-born Ferguson Jenkins,
Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Ryne Sandberg, Rick Sutcliffe, Kerry Wood, Sammy Sosa,
Mark Grace and Greg Maddux.
Charm: One word: ivy. The outfield walls are covered
in it, making Wrigley unique in this aspect. The park offers a beautiful view
of downtown Chicago and the manually operated scoreboard in centrefield has
been a staple for years. Atop the scoreboard is a flag pole. When the Cubs win,
a white flag with a blue W is raised. When they lose, a blue flag with a white
L hangs there instead. Wrigley is now 100 years old and, thankfully, it doesn’t
look like it’s being replaced anytime soon.
Great Moments:
May 6, 1998: In just his sixth Major
League start, Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood has a pitching performance for the ages.
Still a month away from turning 21 years of age, Wood allows one hit over nine
innings against the Houston Astros. He doesn’t walk a batter and ties Roger
Clemens’s Major League record by striking out 20 batters during the game. Wood
would finish the season with a 13-6 won/loss record and despite missing the
last month with a sore elbow, would win the National League Rookie of the Year
award.
September 28, 1998: In their quest for
a spot in the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, the Cubs would
finish the regular season with a record of 89-73, the same record as the San
Francisco Giants. A tie-breaker game was required in order to determine the
National League’s Wild Card team and the game was hosted at Wrigley Field. The
Cubs scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth and added two more in the
bottom of the sixth. After they added a fifth run in the eighth, it looked like
the Cubs would easily win. But the Giants mounted their only offensive threat
in the top of the ninth. After scoring their first run, they loaded the bases
with none out. Two sacrifice flies later made the score 5-3 Cubs. Closer Rod
Beck was able to get the final out and put the Cubs in the playoffs.
October 2, 1984 : Game 1 of the
National League Championship Series was the Cubs first postseason appearance
since the 1945 World Series. And they didn’t disappoint their fans. They beat
the San Diego Padres 13-0 to take the first game of the series. Rick Sutcliffe
was the starting pitcher for the Cubs and he limited the Padres to just two
hits over his seven innings pitched. Sutcliffe also homered to help the Cubs' offensive charge. The Cubs would win game 2 of the series, but lose all three
games in San Diego and missed their chance to go back to the World Series.
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