A common question in baseball is why are so many day games played on Wednesdays. In most cases, the answer is that the games are more profitable if played at night. However, the recent Giants series ended up with three consecutive night games. As a result, most of the Giants’ traveling party didn’t get home until after 5 a.m. on Friday, and it was a very long night for many of them.
To ensure the best chance for players, teams will schedule double headers during the offseason. Double headers are especially tough on pitching staffs. While it used to be common for teams to play two games back-to-back in the same day, it’s not as profitable for teams. They will schedule double headers at other times to avoid losing money. And fans will likely be grumpy after the double header.
In 1935, Major League Baseball made night games an experiment. President Franklin Roosevelt threw the light switch at the first night game from the White House. In that year, the Cincinnati Reds played seven night games – one against every team in the National League. The game ended in a four-to-3 tie, and the fans were overly enthusiastic during the pre-game fireworks display. In addition to night games, the new format made night baseball an option for fans, and even the Major Leagues started playing at night.
