Let there be light

CINCINNATI, OHIO - The first major league night game took place on this date in 1935. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt flipped a switch from Washington, D.C. creating that now familiar glow emanating from night baseball. The first game under the lights took place at Crosley Field in Cincinnati where the Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 before 20,422 fans.

Night baseball is commonplace today, but it took a while to catch on. A number of charter major league teams were still without lights well into the 1940's (well into the 1980's for the Cubs).

It's a wonder night baseball didn't arrive sooner because it was readily apparent night games brought out the fans. Attendance went up just about everywhere lights went up. According to The Sporting News, September, 1940 issue, the New York Yankees led the majors in total attendance that year with a little over a million fans. That came to about 17,000 fans per game weekdays and weekends at Yankee Stadium which did not have lights. Cleveland, which had lights, averaged 33,000 when it played at night, and their night games were only during the week.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
Attendance throughout the years
The Sporting News, September, 1940
Night baseball

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