The times they are a-changing in Chicago as the Cubs will host the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, Sept. 8 ... at night.
Traditionally, Wrigley Field does not open its doors on Friday evenings, instead forcing the team to host day games. The Cubs are limited to hosting a maximum of 47 night games per season.
Chicago Alderman Tom Tunney told Fran Spielman of the Chicago Sun-Times that he and mayor Rahm Emanuel agreed to waive the ban on Friday night games to help the team in its pursuit of winning consecutive World Series championships.
"It’s a compromise," Tunney said. "It’s a favor. Coach Maddon has his philosophy. I don’t plan to have it a regular occurrence. But, it’s something that we’re all trying to work toward to make sure the team gets the proper rest."
The Cubs requested the change to accommodate their travel schedule as they finish a four-game series in Pittsburgh the night before. While Tunney was open to the team's plea, he asserted this is not the dawn of a new era of Friday night baseball at Wrigley Field.
"We all entered into agreements. The Cubs have accepted the limitations with night activities," Tunney said. "As far as I’m concerned, it’s a one-time only exception on the Friday night play, unless it’s playoffs, which does not include that prohibition."
Tunney added that the ordinance is in place to help other local businesses - restaurants, live theater - that could theoretically suffer if there were games going on at the same time.
It is something of an unprecedented move, however, as the Cubs have never hosted a regular-season game on a Friday night, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers.