Joliet To Host Greatest Baseball Game Ever Played? 'We Knew This Would Be A Special Day'

JOLIET, IL — In less than 10 days, more than 5,000 people will descend upon the Old Joliet Prison for the largest event in the prison's history, which dates back to 1858. On the afternoon of April 30, the umpire will yell "Play ball," as the Joliet Slammers host the Gateway Grizzlies of St. Louis in what's being called "The Bighouse Ballgame."

It's all part of the official Route 66 Centennial Kickoff celebration.

“The response to ‘The Big House Ballgame’ has been unlike anything we could have imagined—we've already received more than 25,000 ticket requests,” said Night Train Veeck, owner of the Joliet Slammers. "We knew this would be a special day, but seeing the level of excitement from fans across Joliet and beyond has been incredibly encouraging. People want to be part of something historic. We wish we could welcome everyone, but the fact is, we’re building a
temporary stadium inside a prison, so our capacity is very limited."

Set against the unmistakable limestone walls and guard towers of Old Joliet Prison, which was built before the Civil War, “"he Big House Ballgame" revives a storied tradition, the Joliet Slammers announced.

Organized baseball was first introduced at the prison in 1914 by Warden Edmund Allen as a way to build morale among the inmates and promote good behavior. The pastime continued as a tradition for nearly a century until the prison’s closure in 2002 and remains one of the most enduring pieces of its cultural legacy. The Joliet Slammers and Gateway Grizzlies of St. Louis will be facing off within the prison walls for a one-of-a-kind Frontier League exhibition game, welcoming baseball into the prison yard diamond for the first time in more than two decades."