(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Wrigley Field was no trailblazer when it came to installing outfield lights — finally — in 1988. The home of the Chicago Cubs is more timely when it comes to switching over to energy-saving LEDs.
On Monday, the ball club began replacing Wrigley’s existing light fixtures with LED components, a project that is expected to take five weeks. The LED light fixtures are expected to produce higher-quality illumination while reducing the ballpark’s electrical footprint.
Baseball fans of a certain age will remember the Cubs were latecomers to Major League Baseball night games.
Lights were not installed at Wrigley until summer 1988.
The Cubs actually made tentative plans to install lights at Wrigley in the early 1940s, but they were sidelined because of World War II. It wasn’t until the Tribune Company bought the Cubs from the Wrigley family in 1981 that the push for lights was renewed — over the objections of some Wrigleyville residents who feared night games would ruin the neighborhood.
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