Chicago Cubs show off new LED lights on Monday night

Cubs held their first night game of the 2023 season on Monday evening in their dramatic 10-inning 3-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners. This game was particularly interesting because people got to see how the field looked under the new LED lights that were installed at Wrigley Field during the off-season. The old 1988 installed lights required a lot of maintenance over the years and the new LED lights were installed to provide better and more energy-efficient lighting.

The new lights definitely made a difference, and it was noticeable on television when the lights took full effect after the sun went down. The field was much brighter and more evenly lit, outside some shadow areas by the foul poles, where the light is blocked by the grandstand corner wall.

In years past the lighting at night at The Friendly Confines was dimmer compared to other parks. Part of the reason was that the lights only shined from the grandstand, none were built in the outfield. While the Cubs did not add more towers, they installed the new LED lights on the existing ones, the new lights helped tremendously. In fact, Marquee posted a graphic during the game saying there are 350 total LED lamps on the towers compared to the 556 old lamps last year. Quality over quantity one might say.

Brighter lighting was not the only new feature of the new lamps. After the win, the lights would blink on and off in a rave-like pattern during "Go Cubs Go". The lights shined in a "W" pattern at one point. This has become a bit of a trend in baseball, so the Cubs are not exactly the first ones to do this sort of thing, but they have hopped on the bandwagon.

Hopefully, the future of the team is as bright as the new LED lights.