Which MLB stadium hosted the first night game?

Crosley Field hosted the first night game in Major League Baseball history. On May 24, 1935, the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 2–1 under newly installed lights.

Reds general manager Larry MacPhail was the driving force behind the experiment. At 8:30 p.m., President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a telegraph key at the White House, sending a signal roughly 500 miles to Cincinnati; MacPhail then switched on the park’s lighting system.

The installation used 632 Mazda lamps and attracted 20,422 fans. Night baseball offered working people a chance to attend games after the workday, while also helping clubs draw larger crowds and improve revenue during the Depression.

Crosley Field’s distinction applies to the American and National Leagues. Night baseball had already been played in the Negro leagues and minor leagues, so the landmark was not the first baseball game ever played after dark. The Reds’ opponent also matters: Philadelphia was the visiting team in the historic contest.