Bad weather is forcing changes to the MLB Opening Day schedule, so the Chicago Cubs will officially launch the season with a 2022 Wrigley Field afternoon opener. Here’s what fans can expect this season at the Friendly Confines.
Unlike in recent years, when offseason construction projects brought plenty of changes to the venerable ballpark, the 2022 Wrigley Field experience won’t see a ton of major changes–no bleacher overhauls, no new club spaces. (Indeed, the next major change will take place in 2023, when the long-awaited sportsbook opens.) But, like every other MLB team, the Cubs are unveiling new menu items for the 2022 Wrigley Field experience, as well as making many small changes.
One such small but very meaningful change: A new flag on the exterior rooftop of Wrigley Field honors the first Black coach in MLB history, Buck O’Neil, and his enshrinement into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. O’Neil joins the other 24 Cubs recognized National Baseball Hall of Famers honored with rooftop flags atop Wrigley Field.
One other change in the works, but not yet completed: Wrigley Field will sport a series of new selfie spots outside the ballpark, as a new “Statue Row” is being built along Gallagher Way. Statue Row will be the new home for all Wrigley Field statues, including the Ernie Banks, Fergie Jenkins, Ron Santo and Billy Williams statues. (The Harry Caray statue will remain in its current location, along fans at Murphy’s Bleachers to gaze adoringly at him, as shown above.) Additional construction also will take place on the corner of Addison Street and Sheffield Avenue for the remainder of the 2022 season.
The Cubs and concessionaire Levy are also adding the following menu items:
- The Twisted Tater: crispy spiral potato skewer served with dill pickle dip
- Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich: breaded chicken breast dipped in Nashville hot sauce topped with coleslaw and bread and butter pickles, served on a toasted brioche bun
- Smoked Brisket Sandwich: slow-smoked Lillie’s Q beef brisket dipped into a zesty barbecue au jus and topped with giardiniera, served on a hoagie roll
- Maxwell Street Style Pork Chop Sandwich: seasoned pork cutlet, caramelized onions and mustard on a toasted bun
Also new: Intelligentsia coffee, perfect for those cold April games.
Offerings from Vienna Beef, Hot Doug’s, Home Run Inn Pizza, Garrett Popcorn Shops and Lillie’s Q return.
Finally, one 2022 Wrigley Field addition unlikely to make the cameras, but one with plenty of local meaning: New engraved brick pavers were installed outside of the ballpark along Waveland Avenue, as part of the Wrigley Field Brick Paver Program reintroduced in 2020. Fans who purchased brick pavers will be notified directly with more information on how to locate their brick paver.
RELATED STORIES: Wrigley Field sportsbook plan in place; Best of 2019, #10: Cubs Wrap Up Wrigley Field Renovations; Wrigley Field 1060 Project Ends on a High Note; Prepping for 2022: Target Field, Minnesota Twins; Prepping for 2022: PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pirates; Prepping for 2022: Comerica Park, Detroit Tigers