In honor of the great #23, Ryne Sandberg, here are 23 things you may not know about Wrigley Field:
1. The Chicago Bears are the only Chicago team to win a championship at Wrigley.
2. Wrigley is built on a former seminary and is considered one of baseball’s holiest places.
3. The Cubs are still using the original scoreboard from 1914.
4. No one has ever hit the centerfield scoreboard during a game. Gary Sheffield and Roberto Clemente got really close. Sam Snead hit over it… with a golf ball.
5. Originally called Weeghman Stadium when it was built by Charles Weeghman.
6. It wasn’t built for the Cubs, but the Federals (a.k.a. the Whales.) That’s right – Wrigley Field is 100 years old but the Cubs haven’t played there for 100 years.
7. The Whales dissolved after their Federal League declared war on MLB and tried to expand … and then failed.
8. The Cubs moved into the park in 1920 after Weeghman was allowed to buy the team. He then changed the name to Cubs Park. His business partner Williams Wrigley Jr. bought out Weeghman and renamed the stadium Wrigley Field.
9. Two pitchers threw no-hitters during the same game in 1917. Jim “Hippo” Vaughn and the Reds’ Fred Toney. The legendary Olympian Jim Thorpe got the game winning hit in the 10th to give the Reds the win.
10. Babe Ruth’s mythical “called shot” occurred in the 1932 World Series (but the myth has been debunked).
11. In 1930, 51,556 fans showed up for “Ladies Night” (though it wasn’t a night game). The attendance went past the 40k capacity. Fans were allowed to stand and watch from the warning track.
12. The team raises a “W” for Win or “L” for Loss flag in centerfield after every game.
13. The Cubs have only been playing night games for 36 years.
14. Wrigley Field is the first stadium to feature organ music.
15. The Cubs were the first team to allow fans to keep batted balls that land in the stands in 1916.
16. Before that time, ushers would collect balls that fans caught.
17. The Phillies weren’t happy about the change and asked to be compensated for 8 lost baseballs that were hit into the stands during batting practice.
18. The Cardinals’ Hack Wilson once started a riot at Wrigley when he attacked a heckling fan in 1928. 5,000 fans stormed the field in one of baseball’s ugliest incidents.
19. It is the only major league stadium to have plants in the field of play thanks to the iconic ivy growing on the outfield walls.
20. It was added as part of beautification project.
21. Many have seen the ivy as a metaphor for the game of baseball as it goes from leafless to full bloom and then back as the seasons progresses.
22. Wrigley Field has hosted football (Bears), soccer (Sting), hockey (Blackhawks during a Winter Classic), basketball (Harlem Globetrotters), rodeo, and boxing. And a ski jumping competition back in the 40’s.
23. The goat incident occurred in 1945 when hardcore fan, Billy Sianis, was ejected by owner P.K. Wrigley because of the “unpleasant odor” from the goat. The goat did own a ticket but the Cubs haven’t been back to the World Series since.
Brian Reddoch is a CraveOnline reporter and rabid fan of all teams Seattle. You can follow him on Twitter @ReddReddoch or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
