Wrigley Field (Los Angeles)

Coordinates: 34°0′27″N 118°15′58″W / 34.00750°N 118.26611°W / 34.00750; -118.26611
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Wrigley Field
NCAA) (1948)
Los Angeles Angels (MLB
) (1961)

Wrigley Field was a

Home Run Derby, jazz festivals, beauty contests, and civil rights rallies.[4]

History

Called Wrigley's "Million Dollar Palace", Wrigley Field was built in South Los Angeles in 1925, and was named after William Wrigley Jr., the chewing gum magnate.[3] Wrigley owned the first tenants, the original Los Angeles Angels, a Pacific Coast League team, and their parent club, the Chicago Cubs. In 1925, the Angels moved to Wrigley Field from their former home at Washington Park, which was also known as Chutes Park. Wrigley's Major League stadium (originally "Weeghman Park," then "Cubs Park") on the north side of Chicago was renamed "Wrigley Field" one year later, in 1926.

Wrigley Field in Los Angeles was built to resemble

Santa Catalina Island, and the Cubs conducted spring training in that island's city of Avalon
(whose ball field was located on Avalon Canyon Road and also informally known as "Wrigley Field").

Wrigley Field in the early 1930s

The playing field was aligned northeast (home plate to center field) at an elevation of 185 feet (55 m) above sea level. The boundary street in right field (east) was Avalon Boulevard, with a small parking lot. The other boundaries of the block were 41st Place (north, left field), 42nd Place (south, first base line), and San Pedro Street (west, third base line and a larger parking lot). Not only did L.A. Wrigley get its name first, it had more on-site parking than the Chicago version did (or does now).

Lights were added to the park in 1930. Chicago's Wrigley Field did not get lights until 1988, when night games were added to the Cubs' home schedule for the first time.[3]

Baseball

Dimensions

The ballpark's dimensions were cozy but symmetrical, giving a nearly equal chance to right and left-handed batters in the Home Run Derby series. The only difference was that the height of the left field wall was 14.5 feet, whereas the right field fence was only nine feet high.

Minor League Baseball 1925–1957

For 33 seasons, 1925 to 1957, the park was home to the Angels, who were a farm team of the Chicago Cubs. For 11 seasons, (1926–1935, 1938) the park was also the home of another PCL team, the

Pan Pacific Auditorium. Angel players of note included future Dodgers Manager and Hall of Fame member Tommy Lasorda, future Phillies, Expos, Twins and Angels Manager Gene Mauch, actor Chuck Connors, Gene Baker, and Andy Pafko. The parent club, Chicago Cubs were the first major league team to play at Wrigley, when they played the Angels in a spring training game in 1926.[3] Years later, on March 20, 1949, the major league Cubs played the defending world champion Cleveland Indians in a spring training game before 24,517.[3]

The PCL Angels at Wrigley Field, 1952.

On February 21, 1957, the Dodgers bought Wrigley Field, the Angels franchise and their territorial rights for $3 million (as well as a team in Fort Worth, Texas).[3] L.A. Wrigley's minor league baseball days then ended when the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League transferred to Los Angeles in 1958. The Pacific Coast League Angels franchise were forced to relocate, ending up in Spokane, Washington,[5] as the Indians, with a brand-new stadium.

The use of Wrigley, and enlarging it, was studied by the Dodgers,

foul line in left field) while awaiting construction of the baseball-only Dodger Stadium, which has a seat capacity of 56,000.[9][10] The decision to play at the Coliseum was vindicated when the Dodgers won the 1959 World Series over the Chicago White Sox
, with all three games played at the Coliseum attracting over 92,000 fans including the World Series single game attendance record of 92,706 for game 5 of the series.

Major League Baseball: Los Angeles Angels

In October 1960, Major League Baseball added two teams, expanding the American League from 8 to 10 teams. Teams were awarded to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. (with the latter team a replacement for the one that had relocated to Minneapolis–Saint Paul at the same time). The L.A. franchise was awarded to Gene Autry and Bob Reynolds, and was again called the Los Angeles Angels.[3] In 1961, the major league Angels began play and, by agreement, took residence at Wrigley for its inaugural season.[citation needed]

The agreement had been criticized, with the Dodgers playing the 1961 season at the nearby Coliseum. Wrigley Field had been considered an "abandoned minor league stadium" in a "declining neighborhood" with "terrible parking."[11]

The home opener on April 27 was a 4–2 loss to the Minnesota Twins before a crowd of only 11,931.[3][12] Vice President Richard Nixon and Casey Stengel were in attendance, along with Ford Frick, Joe Cronin, and Ty Cobb.[3]

The last major league game at Wrigley was on October 1, 1961, and Cleveland beat the Angels 8–5 before 9,868 fans. Steve Bilko hit the last home run in Wrigley.[13]

The Angels set a still-standing first-season expansion-team record with 71

wins finishing 71–91 (.438). Thanks to its cozy power alleys,[14] the park became the setting for a real-life version of Home Run Derby, setting another record by yielding 248 home runs
; that 248 mark stood for over 30 years.

The 1961 Angels were led in hitting by

runs batted in by Ken Hunt with 84. The pitching staff was led by Ken McBride with 12 wins. Future World Series winning manager Chuck Tanner played in 7 games.[15] The team drew 603,510 fans.[16]

In

Anaheim Stadium opened in 1966
, when the team was also rebranded as the California Angels. The new Dodger Stadium also supplanted Wrigley Field as the site of choice for Hollywood filming that required a ballpark setting.

Professional boxing

Wrigley was used frequently for boxing. Six world title boxing bouts were held there, including the 1939 Joe Louis-Jack Roper fight. Sugar Ray Robinson also boxed at Wrigley Field. Robinson won the Middleweight Championship on May 18, 1956, knocking out Carl Olson before 18,000 fans.[3][17] On August 18, 1958, in a Heavyweight Championship fight, Floyd Patterson defeated Roy Harris with 17,000 in attendance.[3]

Football

1938 NFL Pro-Bowl

Several weeks after the completion of the

better source needed][19] Sammy Baugh was among those on the rosters that matched the champion New York Giants against All-Star NFL players.[20][21][22]

Pepperdine University

The Pepperdine Waves college football team played home games at Wrigley Field in 1948.

Soccer

On May 28, 1959, the park hosted a soccer friendly match between England and the United States; England won 8–1 in front of 13,000.[23] On June 1, 1960, Scottish Champions Hearts defeated England's Manchester United 4–0 in front of a crowd of 11,000.[24] The U.S. Men's National Team played a World Cup Qualifier against Mexico on November 6, 1960, drawing 3–3 before 9,500 people.[25]

Movies and television filming

Being closer to

Damn Yankees (1958). When Frank Capra filmed the public rally scene at Wrigley for Meet John Doe in August 1940,[26] massive sprinklers simulated a downpour because the director included one rainy scene in each movie as good luck.[citation needed] The film noir classic Armored Car Robbery
(1950) had its title heist set at Wrigley.

The ballpark later found its way into television, serving as the backdrop for the

To Catch a Rabbit", 1969) were also filmed there. Some closeups were filmed there for insertion into the 1951 film Angels in the Outfield, a film otherwise set at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh
. A 1932 movie short starring Babe Ruth, titled Just Pals, was also filmed at Wrigley Field.

Jazz concerts

Big Joe Turner, the Peters Sisters, Slim & Bam (Slim Gaillard and Bam Brown), and more artists on September 23, 1945, with a crowd of 15,000.[30]

Demolition

Following the Angels' departure after the 1961 season, Wrigley Field had no regular tenants. By then the park was owned by the city, and various events were staged. On May 26, 1963, a large crowd attended a civil rights rally featuring Martin Luther King Jr. By 1966 the park was being used for soccer matches.

In October 1968, the ballpark was renamed

Gilbert Lindsay Community Center as a first step in renovating the site. Demolition was underway by January 1969. The resulting city park has a ball field in the northwest corner of the property, which was once a parking area. The diamond is locally known as "Wrigley Field", and is the home of Wrigley Little League baseball and softball.[31]
The original site of the Wrigley diamond and grandstand is occupied by the Kedren Community Mental Health Center and another parking lot.

References

Notes

  1. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  2. ^
    Pacific Coast Architecture Database
    .
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Gordon, Jim. "Wrigley Field (Los Angeles)". Society for American Baseball Research.
  4. ^ "The First Wrigley Field: More Than Baseball". Peek in the Stacks. California State University, Northridge. April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  5. ^ "Los Angeles Wrigley Field - history, photos and more of the Los Angeles Angels former ballpark". ballparksofbaseball.com.
  6. Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. January 14, 1958. p. 2, part 2.[permanent dead link
    ]
  7. ^ "Wrigley Field Probable New Dodger Home" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. Iowa City, Iowa: University of Iowa. Associated Press. January 14, 1958. p. 5. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  8. ^ "LA Dodgers can perform in Coliseum". Lodi News-Sentinel. United Press. January 18, 1958. p. 6.
  9. ^ "Rose Bowl officials, Dodgers will dicker". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. December 18, 1957. p. 22.
  10. ^ "Dodgers out of Rose Bowl". Sarasota Journal. Associated Press. January 14, 1958. p. 10.
  11. ^ Gordon, Jim. "Los Angeles' Wrigley Field: "The Finest Edifice in the United States"". Society for American Baseball Research.
  12. ^ "1961 Los Angeles Angels Schedule". Baseball-Reference.com.
  13. ^ "Cleveland Indians at Los Angeles Angels Box Score, October 1, 1961". Baseball-Reference.com.
  14. ^ "Angels' Wrigley Field still just good park for minors". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. December 10, 1960. p. 4, part 2.[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ "1961 Los Angeles Angels Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  16. ^ "Los Angeles Angels Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com.
  17. ^
    L.A. Weekly. Archived from the original
    on April 6, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  18. ^ "Giants beat Stars; Ward Cuff is hero". Milwaukee Journal. United Press. January 16, 1939. p. L-7. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  19. ^ "New York's Giants defeat All-Stars". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. January 16, 1939. p. 6.
  20. ^ McLemore, Henry (January 16, 1939). "'Super' pro grid game proves flop on Coast". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press. p. 19.
  21. ^ Guenther, Jack (January 16, 1939). "Giants down professional all-star grids in charity tilt". Youngstown Vindicator. United Press. p. 9.
  22. ^ "1938 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  23. ^ Courtney, Barrie (December 2005). "England - International Results 1950-1959 - Details". RSSSF. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  24. ^ "1960-06-01 Wed Hearts 4 Manchester United 0". LondonHearts.com. London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  25. Newspapers.com
    .
  26. ^ Chapman, John (September 2, 1940). "Looking at Hollywood". Chicago Tribune.
  27. ^ McShane, Larry (July 29, 1989). "'Home Run Derby' is back, back, back on ESPN". Ocala Star-Banner. Associated Press. p. 4D.
  28. ^ O'Connell, Sean J. (2014). Images of America: Los Angeles's Central Avenue. Jazz Arcadia Publishing. pp. 36, 70–71.
  29. ^ Bryant; et al. (1998). Central Avenue Sounds: Jazz in Los Angeles. University of California Press Berkeley. pp. 188–189.
  30. ^ "15,000 Persons at Wrigley Field for 'Jazz Cavalcade'". California Eagle. September 27, 1945.
  31. ^ "Wrigley Little League". eteamz.com. Archived from the original on September 10, 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2021.

Bibliography

External links
Events and tenants
Preceded by
First Ballpark
 Home of the
Los Angeles Angels
1961 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
First Stadium
 Home of the
NFL All-Star Game
1938 		Succeeded by
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