On Sunday, August 20, we visited Wrigley Field. While Wrigley does offer game day tours, the tours on non-game-days are more comprehensive. So, we returned on the 21st to take the tour. This post will cover both visits.
New Friends!
One of the fun things about this trip is that we’ve met others who are doing the same thing, who want to do the same thing, or who are pursuing 30 stadiums at a different pace. Ryan manages our Instagram account, and he connected with the Bollman Family. They’ve been touring all thirty stadiums and a lot of national parks over the summer as a family. We’ve been following one another over the past few weeks, and we finally met them in person on Chicago! We will be at the Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, and LA Angels games at the same time they are.
The Game Recap: 2 Home Runs for Housing
We almost always root for the home team on our trip. The only exceptions have been teams that threaten our beloved Mariners’ position ranking in the wild card or division. So, during our visit to Wrigley Field, we were Cubs fans!
The game started out with a run for the Royals in the top of the first. Then, the Cubs came back and scored two in the bottom of the second. The score held until the bottom of the fifth, when Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki hit a single home run to advance the Cubs to a 3 to 1 lead over Kansas City.
In the bottom of the 8th, rookie catcher Miguel Amaya hit a second single home run into left field. Despite some amazing plays by the Royals, including a sliding catch by Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and a dramatic diving catch by left fielder MJ Melendez, the Cubs looked poised for a 4 to 1 win in the top of the 9th.
Then, the Royals made a comeback. They scored two runs in the final inning of the game, narrowing the Cubs lead to 1 run. Fortunately for our “home team of the day,” the Cubs, they threw the final batter out at first, ending the inning and the game.
The Cubs beat the Royals 4 to 3. The Cubs’ 2 Home Runs for Housing added $668 to our fundraising total. Thanks to our generous donors, we have now raised $24,665 for employees in the United States who are struggling to make ends meet.
The Wrigley Field Tour
We have taken a few tours on our trip, but the Wrigley tour stands out as the best to date. Our guide, Roger, was knowledgeable, we spent enough time in each place to really enjoy it, and the park, itself, is full of history.
Wrigley was built in 1914 by Charles Weeghman, who owned the Chicago Whales. Weeghman had been unsuccessful in his attempts to purchase major league teams, so he acquired a minor league team, built the stadium, and went out of business a year later. Weeghman Field was acquired by the owners of the Cubs, and the name was changed to Wrigley Field in 1926.
The original scoreboard, built in 1937, is still in use. When the Cubs win, they hoist a flag with a W up the flagpole and keep it there for 24 hours. If they lose, the hoist a flag with an L up the pole and keep it there for two hours! This tradition originated in an era before mass communications to alert riders of the nearby trains to the outcomes of games.
The ivy on the batter’s eye, planted in 1937, is a mix of two different varieties. Behind the ivy is an unpadded brick wall. Roger told us it is not uncommon to see players from opposing teams pacing off the distance between the outfield grass and the wall so that they don’t run into it!
Wrigley intended for the Field to be a leader in lighting and acquired equipment in 1941. However, when the US joined World War II, the Wrigleys donated the materials to the war effort. Wrigley finally received its lights in 1988!
Many baseball traditions have their roots at Wrigley Field, including the singing of the national anthem and the tradition of allowing fans to keep foul balls.
Our Impressions of Wrigley Field
The most common question we are asked is which field is our favorite so far. We now have a new favorite: Wrigley Field!
Our Seats: We splurged for good seats at Wrigley, and were in the front row of section 214, in seats 12 through 14. Generally, these were great seats. The only drawback is that there is an aisle with a steady stream of fans directly in front of them. While the seats are raised, the height was clearly designed with shorter fans in mind!
The Food: I am not a big fan of hot dogs, but I had to have a traditional dog at Wrigley Field. I ordered a Chicago Dog “dragged through the garden,” a beef hotdog topped with sauerkraut, relish, onions, tomatoes, and mustard. It was tasty! Brad and Ryan had pizza.
While the food at Wrigley didn’t generally stand out, there was one dish that did. Wrigley Field is the first in the MLB to offer a vegan ice cream as its official soft serve. When we brought Ryan his cup, he commented that it tasted different. At first, he thought it was vanilla bean. He never guessed that it was made of oat milk!
Non-Alcoholic Beer Review: Wrigley serves Bud Zero. But only in one spot. You need to go to the Wintrust bar to order a non-alcoholic beer.
Up Next:
On Monday, August 21, we visited the other Chicago team: the White Sox. This game was one where we rooted for the opposing team, since the White Sox were playing the Mariners!
