Baseball changed dramatically in 1935 with the introduction of Major League Baseball under the lights. President Franklin Roosevelt threw the light switch to the historic first Major League night game from the White House six hundred miles away from Crosley Field. The Reds went on to play exactly seven night games in 1935, which included one game at night against every National League team.
"It's a beautiful day for a night game." - Frankie Frisch in Bird Hunting In Brooklyn: Ebbets Field, The Dodgers & The 1949 National League Pennant Race (Mack, Bob. Lulu Publishing. 29 February 2008. Page 83.)
First Night Games by Each Team in Major League BaseballEvery MLB Team's First Night Game Appears in Chronological Order |
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Team | LG | Date | Box | Match-Up |
Cincinnati Reds | NL | 05-24-1935 | Cincinnati 2 vs. Philadelphia1 |
Brooklyn Dodgers | NL | 06-15-1938 | Brooklyn 0 vs. Cincinnati 6 |
Philadelphia Athletics | AL | 05-16-1939 | Philadelphia 3 vs. Cleveland 8 |
Philadelphia Phillies | NL | 06-01-1939 | Philadelphia 2 vs. Pittsburgh 5 |
Cleveland Indians | AL | 06-27-1939 | Cleveland 5 vs. Detroit 0 |
Chicago White Sox | AL | 08-14-1939 | Chicago 5 vs. St. Louis 2 |
New York Giants | NL | 05-24-1940 | New York 8 vs. Boston 1 |
St. Louis Browns | AL | 05-24-1940 | St. Louis 2 vs. Cleveland 3 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | NL | 06-04-1940 | Pittsburgh 14 vs. Boston 2 |
St. Louis Cardinals | NL | 06-04-1940 | St. Louis 1 vs. Brooklyn 10 |
Washington Senators (Twins) | AL | 05-28-1941 | Washington 5 vs. New York 6 |
Boston Braves | NL | 05-11-1946 | Boston 1 vs. New York 5 |
New York Yankees | AL | 05-28-1946 | New York 1 vs. Washington 2 |
Boston Red Sox | AL | 06-13-1947 | Boston 5 vs. Chicago 3 |
Detroit Tigers | AL | 06-15-1948 | Detroit 4 vs. Philadelphia 1 |
Milwaukee Braves | NL | 05-08-1953 | Milwaukee 2 vs. Chicago 0 |
Baltimore Orioles | AL | 04-21-1954 | Baltimore 1 vs. Cleveland 2 |
Kansas City Athletics | AL | 04-18-1955 | Kansas City 9 vs. Cleveland 11 |
San Francisco Giants | NL | 04-16-1958 | San Francisco 1 vs. Los Angeles 13 |
Los Angeles Dodgers | NL | 04-22-1958 | Los Angeles 4 vs. Chicago 2 |
Washington Senators (Rangers) | AL | 04-14-1961 | Washington 3 vs. Cleveland 2 |
Los Angeles Angels | AL | 04-28-1961 | Los Angeles 6 vs. Minnesota 5 |
Minnesota Twins | AL | 05-18-1961 | Minnesota 3 vs. Kansas City 4 |
Houston Colt .45s | NL | 04-11-1962 | Houston 2 vs. Chicago 0 |
New York Mets | NL | 04-29-1962 | New York 2 vs. Philadelphia 10 |
Atlanta Braves | NL | 04-12-1966 | Atlanta 2 vs. Pittsburgh 3 |
Oakland Athletics | AL | 04-17-1968 | Oakland 1 vs. Baltimore 4 |
San Diego Padres | NL | 04-08-1969 | San Diego 2 vs. Houston 1 |
Kansas City Royals | AL | 04-09-1969 | Kansas City 9 vs. Minnesota 3 |
Seattle Pilots | AL | 04-12-1969 | Seattle 5 vs. Chicago 1 |
Montreal Expos | NL | 04-30-1969 | Montreal 1 vs. New York 2 |
Milwaukee Brewers | AL | 05-05-1970 | Milwaukee 0 vs. Boston 6 |
Texas Rangers | AL | 04-21-1972 | Texas 7 vs. California 6 |
Seattle Mariners | AL | 04-06-1977 | Seattle 0 vs. California 7 |
Toronto Blue Jays | AL | 05-02-1977 | Toronto 1 vs. Milwaukee 3 |
Chicago Cubs | NL | 08-09-1988 | Chicago 6 vs. New York 4 |
Florida Marlins | NL | 04-06-1993 | Florida 2 vs. Los Angeles 4 |
Colorado Rockies | NL | 04-13-1993 | Colorado 4 vs. New York 8 |
Tampa Bay Devil Rays | AL | 03-31-1998 | Tampa Bay 6 vs. Detroit 11 |
Arizona Diamondbacks | NL | 03-31-1998 | Arizona 2 vs. Colorado 9 |
Milwaukee Brewers | NL | 04-09-1998 | Milwaukee 5 vs. Montreal 6 |
Washington Nationals | NL | 04-14-2005 | Washington 5 vs. Arizona 3 |
Tampa Bay Rays | AL | 04-08-2008 | Tampa Bay 5 vs. Seattle 6 |
Miami Marlins | NL | 04-04-2012 | Miami 1 vs. St. Louis 4 |
Houston Astros | AL | 03-31-2013 | Houston 8 vs. Texas 2 |
Team | LG | Date | Box | Match-Up |
First Night Games in MLB History | Research by Baseball Almanac |
Did you know that on July 31, 1935, the first ever extra inning (ten innings / Crosley Field) night game was played? The Cincinnati Reds lost 4-to-3, to the St. Louis Cardinals, in a game best remembered for the over-enthusiastic fans who remained on the field during a pre-game fireworks show.
April 18, 1950: the date of the first Opening Day night game in the National League; St. Louis Cardinals, playing at home, defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2.
The first Opening Day night game in the history of the American League took place on April 17, 1951. The Philadelphia Athletics, playing at home in Shibe Park, defeated the Washington Senators 6-1.