CHICAGO — One of the new features at Wrigley Field was on full display on Monday evening for the first time.
This change at the “Friendly Confines” is subtle but is a reason that the way the field looked a little bit different to fans in person or at home.
Wrigley Field’s new LED lights were on for the team’s first night game of the 2023 season on Monday as the Cubs hosted the Seattle Mariners for the first of three games.
The team replaced the fixtures on the roof in November in order to put in the more energy-efficient lights to be used starting with the 2023 season. The higher-quality bulbs also decrease the ballpark’s environmental footprint, which was a major goal of the team’s “1060 Project” that began in 2014.
It was the first major replacement for the lights since they were installed in the summer of 1988 after years of legal debates.
The changes to the lights were obvious when Nico Hoerner got a walk-off single in the 10th inning to give the Cubs a 3-2 victory over Seattle.
As the team celebrated on the field, a light show was synced to “Go, Cubs, Go,” flickering in rhythm to the team’s victory song.
Monday was the first of 37 home games for the Cubs from now until September, including Tuesday night’s second of a three-game series against the Mariners. This season marks the 35th anniversary of night baseball at Wrigley Field, with the team playing for the first time under the lights at the “Friendly Confines” on August 8, 1988.
After that night’s game against the Phillies was postponed due to rain, the first official night game was played at Wrigley Field the next evening against the Mets.
