If it were the first night game played at Wrigley Field, it would have been August 8, 1988, but a raging thunderstorm ruined the game. Instead, the first official night game at Wrigley Field was played the following day, against the New York Mets. It ended 6 to 4.
After the rainout, the Chicago Cubs and the New York Mets held a doubleheader game. Game one was scheduled for 3:05 p.m. and Game two was a makeup of the rainout that day. Game 1 was played on Aug. 8 and featured Randy Johnson, who later became a Hall of Famer. The game was also Johnson’s second major league start. He pitched a complete game, striking out 11 batters.
This was the first night game at Wrigley Field. The Cubs won the game, and Craig Biggio hit the first MLB home run in the night game. But it wasn’t the most exciting night game in Cubs history. The Cubs didn’t sell out, and were down by 2,500 in the fourth inning. The game was later rained out. The rainout was made up in an afternoon game on September 5.
It’s unclear why the Cubs chose that date. The decision was made largely based on Mother Nature, and the date was chosen because it was the longest day of daylight in the year. However, the decision to install night baseball facilities at Wrigley Field was rejected in the early 1940s. The Cubs were invited to re-apply for construction in 1945. The Cubs had to wait until the next season to start playing night games, so they had to settle for a date that didn’t conflict with Mother Nature.
