GUIDE to the HISTORY OF NIGHT BASEBALL National Baseball Hall of Fame Library Manuscript Archives National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum 25 Main Street Cooperstown, NY 13326 www.baseballhall.org Claudette Scrafford December 2015
Collection Number BA MSS 248 BL-772.2015 Title History of Night Baseball Inclusive Dates 1883-1959 Extent.41 linear feet (1 archival box) Repository National Baseball Hall of Fame Library 25 Main Street Cooperstown, NY 13326 Abstract Collection of correspondence, telegrams, bulletins, and newspaper clippings related to night baseball. Preferred Citation History of Night Baseball, BA MSS 248, National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, NY Access Available by appointment; please e-mail research@baseballhall.org or call 1-607-547-0330. Property Rights Property rights are owned by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. History The first night game was in 1880 and it would be a long wait, 1935, before the first Major League night game would take place. In 1909, George F. Cahill had invented a portable lighting system and saw the potential for night baseball. On August 27, 1910, Cahill managed to get a game played under the lights at Comiskey Park between two amateur teams. Despite the fact that about 20,000 fans showed up, nothing came of it. It was the Minor League teams who soon realized that night games could triple their attendance, and by 1934, most Minor League parks had lights. In December 1934, Larry McPhail, Cincinnati Reds, requested to play night games in 1935, and he was granted permission to play seven, the first was May 24, 1935. By 1939, both leagues were seeing the benefits of night games.
Scope and Content Correspondence between team executives, the Commissioner, and various electric companies. Topics of discussion include the scheduling of night games and rules that accompany them, attendance compared to day games, and types of lighting available. Certain issues arise due to night games, such as flash photography blinding the batter, therefore a new resolution of no flash photographs was passed. The great fire of September 1950, which caused afternoon games to play with lights on, in Cleveland and Cincinnati. Controlled Access Terms These records are indexed under the following terms in the National Baseball Hall of Fame s Library catalog. Corporate Names American League of Professional Baseball Clubs National League of Professional Baseball Clubs Westinghouse Electric Company General Electric Cahill Brothers Giant Manufacturing Company Personal Names Landis, Kenesaw Mountain 1866-1944 Harridge, William 1883-1971 Chandler, Albert B. 1898-1991 Frick, Ford C. 1894-1971 Berry, Charles 1902-1972 Hubbard, Cal 1900-1977 Subject Headings Correspondence Telegrams Newspaper clippings Electric lighting, history Night baseball, history Content List Box 1 Folder 1 Miscellaneous information, 1883 1954 First night game 1883 Schedule and attendance 1939 First night games played in the American League Number of night games by team, average attendance National League night game regulation, not dated Games that could have been finished under lights
Day and night games finished under lights Folder 2 Correspondence, clippings, 1930-1931 Giant Manufacturing Company General Electric Crouse-Hinds Company Electric Service Supplies Company Folder 3 Correspondence with Giant Manufacturing Co., Cahill Brothers, 1935 Re: their lighting products Folder 4 Correspondence, 1939-1940 Folder 5 Correspondence, Memos, Bulletins, 1941-1960 Folder 6 Correspondence, Resolutions, Minutes, 1939-1959 Folder 7 Correspondence between AL, NL, Commissioner s office, 1939 1956 Folder 8 Westinghouse Electric Company press releases, July 1939 Comiskey Park lighting would light a 70 mile long state street Big League night games pay in box-office till Folder 9 Correspondence with AL umpires, 1939-40, 1945, 1950-1952 Handwritten accounts of times lights were on and off AL record on balls used in games, with notes on back Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sept 25, 1950 Canadian forest fire smoke clouds darken Ohio (fire in northern Alberta) Folder 10 Press release, Gabe Paul, NL, Jan 1938 Details of lighting system to be installed, Brooklyn, 1938 Comparing it to the Cincinnati plant Press release, Westinghouse, Nov 14, 1939 Giants purchase lighting system for Polo Grounds Folder 11 Correspondence, Boston Red Sox, 1939 1957 Folder 12 Correspondence, Chicago White Sox, 1939 1957 Comiskey Park has brightest lighting system in baseball Edison Round Table, pages 3, 6, Sept 1939 Folder 13 Correspondence, Cleveland Indians, 1939 1954 Program/scorecard, Jun 27, 1939, first night game Belonged to Wm Harridge SEE - BA MSS 209, Box 3/13 for a scored card of first night game Folder 14 Correspondence, Detroit Tigers, 1935 1959 Folder 15 Correspondence, NY Yankees, 1939-1956
Folder 16 Correspondence, Philadelphia Athletics, 1939 1957 Scorecard, Jun 27, 1939, first night game Folder 17 Correspondence, Wm Benswanger to Wm Harridge, 1940 Inviting him to Pirates first night game Correspondence, Pittsburgh Pirates, 1942 Folder 18 Correspondence, St. Louis Browns, 1939 1953 World s best lighted baseball field, Sportsman s Park Union Electric Magazine, pages 3-5, Aug 1940 Folder 19 Correspondence, Washington Senators, 1939 1954 Ledger page attendance by day, night, and Sunday games Folder 20 Correspondence, Baltimore Orioles, 1953 1957 Folder 21 Newspaper clippings, 1934-1958