Today In History

On May 24, 1935 the Cincinnati Reds played the Philadelphia Phillies at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, Ohio in the first ever night game in major league baseball history. Prior to the game, President Franklin Roosevelt ceremoniously switched on the lights from the White House. Though the Reds averaged only 6,000 fans per game that season, more than 20,000 fans were in attendance for this historic occasion. The Reds won the game 2-1, and despite concerns prior to the game about the players’ ability to see the ball, there were no errors made in the game. Night baseball soon caught on as the wave of the future and gradually became the norm among most major league teams. The last major league team to host a night baseball game was the Chicago Cubs, who held out until 1988.