Wrigley Field: Ivy Walls and Sunshine

A whale of a new ballpark, single-decked and seating 14,000 opened at Clark and Addison Streets on April 23, 1914 for Chicago’s Federal League franchise. Called Weeghman Park in honor of club owner Charles Weeghman, the new steel and concrete stadium was designed by Zachary Taylor Davis, the architect who conceived Comiskey Park four years earlier. The cost of the project was roughly $250,000.

The Federal League died after two years and by 1916 the park’s new residents were the Cubs, who had been purchased by Weeghman and several partners, and relocated from the West Side. On April 20, 1916 the Cubs played their first game at Wrigley Field, edging the Reds, 7-6, in 11 innings. First baseman Vic Saier drove in the winning run with a single. Barely a year later — on May 2, 1917 — Weeghman Park became the scene of the only double no-hitter in major league history. Jim Vaughn of the Cubs and Fred Toney of the Reds held their opponents hitless for nine innings before Cincinnati eked out two safeties in the 10th to win, 1-0.

By 1919 William Wrigley Jr. had become majority stockholder and the arena was first re-christened Cubs Park, then changed to Wrigley Field in 1926. As attendance swelled in the booming 1920s, the park grew as well. The grandstand was enlarged during the winter of 1922-23, increasing the seating capacity to 20,000. Four years later the park was double-decked to bring immediate dividends. In 1927 the Cubs were the first National League team to draw a million in attendance, as 1,163,347 paying patrons passed through the turnstiles.

The Cubs were a prosperous team in those days as Wrigley Field became the National League World Series host in 1929, ’32, ’35, ’38, and ’45. On June 27, 1930 the largest crowd in Wrigley Field history — 51,556 — sardined its way through the gates to see the Cubs top Brooklyn, 7-5. However, there were 30,476 Ladies Day guests and 1,332 free passholders, so the paid attendance was only 19,748. It was here also that on October 1, 1932 Babe Ruth belted his alleged “called” home run off Charlie Root as the Yanks went on to sweep the Cubs in four straight.

During the late 1930s the basic contour of present day Wrigley Field finally evolved. In 1937 and early ’38 the bleachers were completely rebuilt and elevated above ground level, thereby putting an end to the time-honored tradition of field crowds. The scoreboard was placed atop the center field bleachers and since that time no one has been able to hit it, although the Cubs’ Bill Nicholson and the Pirates’ Roberto Clemente both came close. In April of 1938 Bill Veeck Jr. supervised the planting of the vines. It was a perfect setting for Gabby Hartnett’s fabled “homer in the gloamin’” off the Pirates’ Mace Brown in sunset skies on September 28, 1938. That bottom-of-the-ninth, 6-5 victory shattered Pittsburgh’s pennant dreams, propelling the Cubs to a championship a few days later.

After 1938 the changes in Wrigley Field itself were relatively minor. The bleachers were adorned with potted plants for a brief period but the experiment was abandoned in the early 1940s because the wind kept blowing them over. During the winter of 1950-51 the grandstand seats in the right field corner were rebuilt to give the fans a better view of home plate, while the center field bleachers were closed off permanently in 1953.

As time went on, the Wrigley Field legacy continued to grow in its richness, even though the Cubs went into hibernation for 20 years following World War II. On April 20, 1946 — 30 years to a day after they played their first game at Wrigley Field — the Cubs made their television debut on WBKB-TV for the home opener. However, the Cardinals put the damper on the affair by beating the Cubs, 2-0. Two years later the largest paid crowd at Wrigley Field was seen as 46,965 jammed their way in to see the Cubs split a double-header with the Pirates on May 31, 1948. The Cubs’ first black player, a skinny and gangling Ernie Banks, made his Cub and Wrigley Field debut on September 17, 1953.

History was made again at Wrigley Field on May 12, 1955, when Sam Jones of the Cubs became the first black pitcher in the majors to hurl a no-hit game. In one of the most nail-biting finishes ever recorded, Jones walked the bases loaded in the top of the ninth before fanning the next three Pirates to save a 4-0 gem.

Five years later came another Wrigley Field “one and only.” Just obtained from the Phillies, Don Cardwell became the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter in his first start after being traded from another team. The date was May 15, 1960, as Cardwell made birdseed out of the Cardinals, 4-0. Outfielders George Altman and Moose Moryn contributed game-saving catches in the top of the ninth.

By the College of Coaches era (1961-65), Wrigley Field attendance had fallen to its lowest ebb since the early 1940’s. However, with the Durocher revival of the late 1960’s, the situation quickly reversed itself. After two decades of dormancy, the Cubs crashed out of the second division in 1967 and the following year drew more than a million fans at home for the first time since 1952.

In 1969, when the Cubs challenged for the number one slot, they broke their 40-year-old club attendance record as 1,674,993 fans paid their way into Wrigley Field. Most colorful (or obnoxious, depending on one’s point of view) were the yellow-helmeted Bleacher Bums, with Cub pitcher Dick Selma leading the charge. In the meantime the upper deck was rebuilt in phases between 1968 and 1972, while in 1970 a wire mesh basket was installed along the bleacher wall to prevent publicity seekers from lowering themselves onto the field, and possibly to keep some of the Bleacher Burns from smoking the vine leaves.

Although known as a hitter’s park, Wrigley Field was home to three no-hitters during this period. Ken Holtzman scalped the Braves, 3-0, on August 19, 1969 and Burt Hooton turned the trick on the Phillies on April 16, 1972. Finally, on September 2, 1972 Milt Pappas came within one strike of every pitcher’s dream — a perfect game. Having retired the first 26 Padres, Pappas walked Larry Stahl on a full count, then got Gary Jestadt to pop up, preserving an 8-0 no-hitter.

A general mediocrity returned to the Cubs for the remainder of the 1970s but Wrigley Field retained its popularity and sense of history. In the 1976 opener, 19th century Cub hero Cap Anson’s last surviving daughter threw out the first ball in celebration of the team’s centennial. On April 14, 1978 a record opening day crowd of 45,777 saw the Cubs edge the Pirates, 5-4, on Larry Biittner’s homer in the bottom of the ninth. It was also around this time the management began replacing the traditional wooden, folding seats with the plastic models in use today.

Following the Chicago Tribune Corporation’s acquisition of the Cubs in June of 1981, there were some concessions to modern times that were met with mixed emotions. By the next season, message boards had been added to the Wrigley Field marquee and scoreboard, along with advertising. Welcome additions to the concourse were the Cubs’ Hall of Fame and Gift Shop in 1982, and the Stadium Club and Friendly Confines Cafe the following year.

In 1984 the Cubs surprised even their most loyal fans as they captured the National League East Division championship. Chicago was delirious as a phenomenal 2,101,665 fans swarmed into the ancient, hallowed shrine that could allow only day baseball, thanks to the whims of a self-righteous but well-organized clique of “neighbors.” For the first time in 39 years, post-season baseball returned to Wrigley Field on October 2, 1984 when the Cubs set a scoring record for a divisional playoff game by crushing the Padres, 13-0. The Cubs won again the following day before the play-offs moved to San Diego, where the Padres took three straight to capture the pennant.

Despite the disappointing season in 1985, the Cubs again set a club-paid attendance record with 2,161,534. At this point it appears uncertain as to how long Wrigley Field will remain the home of the Cubs, but in any case, may 1986 be a happy 70th anniversary!