With baseball season now in full swing, Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood is buzzing with excitement. Cubs fans are anxious to see if the team can outdo their great season last year to reach the World Series. Yesterday’s no-hitter by pitcher Jake Arrieta added to the enthusiasm.
Wrigley Field has been a popular landmark in Chicago since it opened in 1914. Many of Wirtz Residential’s apartment homes are near the storied ball field. Below are seven facts you may not know about Wrigley Field.
Some of the most popular Cubs players earn the records for most runs, hits and home runs at Wrigley Field. Ryan Sandberg has the most runs with 725. Ernie Banks holds the record for most hits with 1,372, and Sammy Sosa has the most home runs with 293.
Only Boston’s Fenway Park is older than Wrigley Field. It was built in 1912, just two years before Wrigley.
The first night game at Wrigley Field was on August 8, 1988. The game was against the Philadelphia Phillies and was rained out after 3 1/2 innings.
Babe Ruth’s famous “called shot”, where he pointed to the outfield bleachers before hitting a home run, was on October 1, 1932, at Wrigley Field.
The original vines for the outfield fences at Wrigley were purchased and planted by Bill Veeck in September 1937.
On October 6, 1945, local bartender Billy Sianis tried to bring a goat into Wrigley Field for game four of the World Series. He was denied entry. The Cubs lost the game and series to the Detroit Tigers and the “Curse of the Billy Goat” was born. The Cubs have not been to a World Series since.
The Cubs have only won nine postseason games at Wrigley Field. Their first series-clinching postseason win was last season on October 13, 2015.
Find more Wrigleyville facts at ESPN.com
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