I visited Wrigley Field, a stadium on the North Side of Chicago, in the summer of 2016. This is the home of the National League’s Chicago Cubs. Chicago has two MLB franchises: the Cubs (National League team) and the White Sox (American League team). The ballpark first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Chicago Whales of the Federal League, which closed after 1915. The Cubs took over the stadium. The first MLB game was against the Cincinnati Reds on April 20, 1916. The Chicago Cubs were bought by William Wrigley Jr, chewing gum CEO, in 1921.
The ballpark was renamed Wrigley Field in 1927. Wrigley Field, the second oldest park in the majors, was named a National Historic Landmark in 2020. What is unique about Wrigley are its ivy-covered brick outfield wall, the hand turned scoreboard, the red marquee sign in front of stadium, and Wrigley rooftops (spectators have views from neighborhood rooftops behind the outfield).
Wrigley Field is situated in the neighborhood, so you prefer not to drive. Parking is very limited. Public transit or walking is the best method to get to the park on game day. The Cubs compete in the National League Central. Founded in 1876, the Cubbies have 17 National League pennants and were declared World Series champions 3 times (1907, 1908, 2016). The championship in 2016 was the end of the longest championship drought (108 yr) in North America.
The current Cubs in 2023 were in the playoff race in early September until they lost their mojo late in the season, being swept by Braves and losses to Brewers. This allowed the upstart Miami Marlins to overtake the Cubs and Diamondbacks in wild card race. By Sep 30th, the Fish clinch the #2 wildcard spot in NL (which means the Marlins play the Phillies in Wild Card series). The Cubs are in the miserable position of being on the outside of postseason contention.
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