User:The C of E/wfi

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The ivy surrounding the 400 sign in centerfield which indicates the distance (in feet) from home plate to the wall.

The Wrigley Field ivy is the ivy that covers the outfield walls of the playing field of Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It was installed in 1937 at the behest of Chicago Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley based upon the ivy on the walls at Perry Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

History[edit]

Wrigley Field was opened in 1914. In 1937, it was renovated and P. K. Wrigley discussed with the Chicago Cubs President Bill Veeck how to beautify the stadium. Veeck suggested planting ivy on the outfield walls, similar to Perry Stadium, which was done.[1] The ivy was originally English ivy but was later changed to Parthenocissus tricuspidata.[2] Cuttings from the ivy were sold by local vendors. The Chicago Cubs attempted to grow the ivy on the outside of Wrigley Field as well, but the plantings were often stolen so the Cubs abandoned the plans.[3]

Following a later change in Major League Baseball (MLB) rules which requires all outfield walls to be padded, Wrigley Field has been grandfathered into the rules, meaning it is the only MLB stadium without padded walls because of the ivy.[1] In 2004, the ivy was specifically included in Wrigley Field's Landmark Designation by the Chicago City Council.[4]

In 2012 and 2013, a number of people were arrested after breaking into the stadium and attempting to steal parts of the ivy.[5][6]

Description[edit]

Ivy covering the walls under the leftfield bleachers. The 355 sign marks the distance (in feet) from home plate to the left field corner.

At the start of the baseball season in April, the ivy is brown. Around the middle of May, it turns to green, before turning red in October.[7] It is maintained by the Wrigley Field grounds crew using hand shears.[3] The grounds crew has to do little maintenance, besides pruning and replacing parts of it that get pulled down or have beer spilled on it by fans during games, because of the hardiness of the ivy.[8] In 2009, the History Channel documentary Life After People stated that without pruning, the ivy would cover the stands within five years.[9]

Owing to the ivy covering the outfield walls, the Chicago Cubs can't display advertising on the outfield walls as other MLB ballparks do.[10] In 2007, the Cubs made a deal with Under Armour to place advertising on access doors in the walls amidst the ivy.[11]

In 2014, the Chicago Cubs had plans to renovate Wrigley Field and move their bullpens from inside foul ground to under the stands. This would have necessitated removal of some of the ivy. However, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks refused consent for the plans because of the proposed "significant removal of ivy and bricks".[12]

Ground rules[edit]

Under the ground rules of Wrigley Field, if a baseball gets into the ivy and gets stuck, the fielder is entitled to raise his arms to signify that the ball is unplayable (even if he can see it in the vines), and the batter is awarded a ground rule double by the umpires; runners can only move up on forces.[13] However, if the ball becomes dislodged or the fielder reaches into the vines to try and get the ball, it is considered in play and the runners can advance.[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Ivy at Wrigley Field? It was snatched from Indy". Indy Star. 2016-10-27. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  2. ^ "What Kind of ivy Grows at Wrigley Field?". Chicago Now. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  3. ^ a b Tim Newcomb (2014-07-25). "Ballpark Quirks: Wrigley Field's historic brick-and-ivy outfield walls". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  4. ^ "Wrigley Field owners pursue federal landmark status for tax breaks". Chicago Tribune. 2013-04-18. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  5. ^ January 03, 2012 (2012-01-03). "Man arrested in theft of Wrigley Field ivy". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2017-02-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "Two men arrested for trespassing at Wrigley Field, attempting to steal ivy, according to reports". ESPN. 2013-09-02. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  7. ^ "Turning of Wrigley ivy adds another shade to Cubs' World Series quest". Chicago Tribune. 2015-10-20. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  8. ^ "The ivy and the infield: What it takes to keep Wrigley Field beautiful". Chicago Tribune. 2016-04-10. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  9. ^ "Life After People: The Series". TVSA. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  10. ^ "Wrigley's ivy is choking the life out of the field". ESPN. 2013-03-15. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  11. ^ "An ad among the ivy". Los Angeles Times. 2007-02-17. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  12. ^ "Wrigley Field ivy foils Cubs plans — for now". Chicago Tribune. 2014-06-07. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  13. ^ "Ballpark quirks at their best". ESPN. 2004-05-03. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  14. ^ "Wrigley Field ivy has an appetite for baseballs". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
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