In one of the more unusual exhibitions we’ve seen in a while, the Joliet Slammers (independent; Frontier League) will be locked in the gates of the Old Joliet Prison for a one-of-a-kind exhibition game, the Big House Ballgame, on April 30.
The exhibition game will adopt the name “The Big House Ballgame” to represent the long history of organized baseball played at the prison. The first game was introduced in 1914 by Warden Edmund Allen as a way to improve morale and encourage good behavior. Baseball remained a constant at the Joliet Prison for nearly a century until the facility closed in 2002. The site is now open for tours and maintained as a historic site.
“‘The Big House Ballgame’ is exactly the kind of big idea event that gets us fired up as a team,” said Joliet Slammers team owner/executive vice president Night Train Veeck. “We love being a part of these special moments that bring people together, surprise them a little, and give them a memory they’ll be talking about for a long time. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the Route 66 Centennial, Joliet’s storied history and Slammers Opening Week.”