Happy 100th!

On This Day In History
1988: Lights go on at Wrigley

Quote Of The Day
"If Coors Field is the flashy youngster, Wrigley is a wise and weathered, tattered, beat up old man, but rich in charisma and character."
(Gabe Kepler)

Ten years after Wrigley Stadium was opened in 1914, Koshien Stadium was opened on August 1st, 1924. The stadium celebrated its 100th birthday last week. Unlike Wrigley, Koshien Stadium acquired floodlights in 1956. Also, unlike Wrigley, Koshien Stadium is not a "beat up old man." Extensive renovation was completed in 2010 so the stadium looks absolutely stunning. When the renovation was completed, Koshien Stadium had lost the feature which made it so iconic and beloved; the ivy covering its walls. Thankfully, over the last fourteen years, the ivy has grown back and so, once more, like Wrigley, Koshien Stadium is "rich in charisma and character."

Koshien Stadium is currently playing host to the twice-annual Japanese High School Baseball Tournament. That is why all those flags are on display at the entrance to the stadium; they are the flags of all the competing high school baseball teams.

In recent years there has been a lot of quite understandable controversy around the summer tournament, with many players succumbing to heat stroke as temperates push 40 degrees celsius. This year, there are no afternoon games scheduled; games now start at 08:00. If the second game extends beyond 13:30 it will be suspended and continued at 16:00. Otherwise, the third game of the day starts at 16:00, with the fourth and final game being a nighter.

KOSHIEN Japan's Field Of Dreams Trailer