Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-02-04
Griffs Face Athletics
lin 9 Of First Is TiIts;
Play 66 Night Games
By Burton Howkins

The 1948 Mats may fail to ap-
proach brilliance, but they won't be
accused of failing to electrify the
American League. In Sc games this
season the Mats will be operating
under the glazing beams of light
towers, with SO night games listed
for Griffith Stadium and % more
booked on foreign fields.
An average of three of every seven
Washington games will be played
at night and of the leagues record
1874 night engagements the Mats will
participate in 66-or more than one
third. Only st. Louis, with 40. has
more night games at home than the
Mats, who had 80 home night
games and is road night games
scheduled last season.
The popularity of night baseball
is mirrored with the release of the
American League schedule today,
with a steady increase in night
games booked in recent years. In
1945 the league slated only 10 night
games, but in 1916 they climbed to
122, doomed to 148 last season and
again scared this year.
Detroit Adds Lights.
Instrumental in the boosting of
night baseball has been the addition
of lights at Detroits Briggs Stadi-
um. All eight American League
parks now are equipped for after
dark play, with the Chicago Cubs
of the National League the only
major league club lacking light
towers at home.
New York. Boston and Detroit will
play only IA home night games each
Philadelphia will play % home night
games, doubling last years quota
while Cleveland will play rs night
games and Chicago 81. An average
of about every third game of the
leagues GIG contests will be played
at night.
Washington will open its season
here on April 10, battling the World
Champion New York Yankees in
the opener of a 3-game series. On
the same day Boston will tangle
with Philadelphia in Patroit's Day
double header at Boston. The Mats
will shift to Philadelphia on April
% for the Athletics opener.
In contrast to last season, when
the Mats battled the Red Sox and
Yankees in II of their first Is games
Washington this season will tangle
with Philadelphia in 9 of its first
16 games, otherwise meeting Boston
twice and New York five times.
Mats Close Here Early.
While the season won't end until
October 3, the Mats will play their
final home game on September Il
with the Yankees. The Mats then
will embark on a road trip which
will carry them to every city on the
circuit except New York.
The Mats will play their first
night game here week after the
season opens, turning on the lights
when the Boston Red Sox invade
on April 26. Washington will meet
Chicago eight times in night games
here, while seven after-dark games
are slated here with Cleveland and
st. Louis, six with Philadelphia, four
with Boston and three each with
Detroit and New York.
Washington's night games on the
road will be dominated by the
Browns, who are listed to meet the
Mats nine times at night in a total
of II games at St. Louis. The Mats
otherwise will play five night tits
at Cleveland and Philadelphia, three
at Chicago and two each at Boston,
New York and Detroit.
Eight double-headers here are
scheduled for the Mats who will play
six twin bills on the road, leaving
a residue of so single day games
on the Mats slate of 154 games.
The Mats will play double-headers
here on Decoration Day, July S (July
4 falls on Sunday and Labor Day.
The Mats will have II Sunday dates
at home, while other clubs have
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