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The midnight sun game alaska baseball league
The Midnight Sun Game is a baseball game played every summer solstice at Growden Memorial Park in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. Because the sun is out for almost 24 hours a day, the game starts at about 10:30 at night and completes around 1:30 the next morning. However, because Fairbanks's summer time zone differs by about 2 hours from local solar time, the game may not actually last until solar midnight, at about 1:53. Famous players who have appeared in the game include Tom Seaver, Dave Winfield, Terry Francona, Harold Reynolds, and Jason Giambi.
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The first game was in 1906. Artificial light has never been used. The sun does dip below the horizon for about an hour. Since 1960, the game has been hosted by the Alaska Baseball League's Fairbanks-based Alaska Goldpanners.
Starting the game in 2008 was Bill "Spaceman" Lee. He last pitched in the game in 1967, and avenged a loss to the Japanese national champions that year by beating the Southern California Running Birds, 10-6.
Game results
Through 1959, the Midnight Sun Game featured various teams from the Fairbanks area. In 1960, the game became exclusively hosted by the Alaska Goldpanners.
The Goldpanners have a record of 45 wins, 12 losses in the Midnight Sun Games they have hosted. Although the Midnight Sun Game has been played since 1906, only games hosted by the Goldpanners are listed.