- Game results
- References
- External links
The Midnight Sun Game is an amateur 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, Jason Giambi, and Bill "Spaceman" Lee. After Noel Wien's arrival in 1924, he noted, "The baseball team played on weekends, and on June 21 and July 4 they always started a game at midnight sharp, just to indicate that this was the farthest city in the country."[1] 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. The opposing team may be another ABL team, but frequently an NCAA or other collegiate summer team from another league is invited to play. Game resultsThrough 1959, the Midnight Sun Game featured various teams from the Fairbanks area. In 1960, the game became exclusively hosted by the Alaska Goldpanners.[2] 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.[2] | Date | Winning team | Losing team | Notes | | 1960|6|21}} | Pan-Alaska Goldpanners | 11 | Fairbanks Pioneers | 0 | | 1961|6|21}} | Pan-Alaska Goldpanners | 10 | North of the Range Military All-Stars | 4 | | 1962|6|22}} | Pan-Alaska Goldpanners | 8 | North of the Range Military All-Stars | 3 | | 1963|6|21}} | Wichita Rapid Transit Dreamliners | 3 | Alaska Goldpanners | 1 | | 1964|6|21}} | Grand Junction Eagles | 10 | Alaska Goldpanners | 5 | | 1965|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 4 | USC Trojans | 3 | | 1966|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 8 | Oregon State Beavers | 3 | | 1967|6|21}} | Kumagai Gumi | 10 | Alaska Goldpanners | 3 | | 1968|6|22}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 7 | Santa Clara Broncos | 0 | | 1969|6|21}} | Boulder Baseline Collegians | 5 | Alaska Goldpanners | 2 | | 1970|6|20}} | Arizona Wildcats | 4 | Alaska Goldpanners | 3 | | 1971|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 12 | Stanford Indians | 3 | | 1972|6|21}} | Ponchatoula Athletics | 5 | Alaska Goldpanners | 4 | | 1973|6|21}} | BYU Cougars | 8 | Alaska Goldpanners | 5 | | 1974|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 7 | Washington State Cougars | 6 | | 1975|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 4 | Vanderbilt Commodores | 3 | | 1976|6|20}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 6 | Westwood Bruins | 4 | | 1977|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 12 | Red Deer M&K Generals | 11 | | 1978|6|21}} | Wichita El Dorado Coors | 10 | Alaska Goldpanners | 1 | | 1979|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 8 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 2 | | 1980|6|20}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 16 | Wisconsin Badgers | 5 | | 1981|6|20}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 11 | Intermountain Badgers | 4 | | 1982|6|20}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 9 | San Francisco Senators | 3 | | 1983|6|19}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 7 | Anchorage Bucs | 2 | | 1984|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 9 | Chinese Taipei | 0 | {{small|Forfeit.}} | | 1985|6|22}} | Moraga Marauders | 12 | Alaska Goldpanners | 11 | {{small|11 innings.}} | | 1986|6|20}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 8 | San Francisco Senators | 1 | | 1987|6|20}} | Mat-Su Miners | 2 | Alaska Goldpanners | 1 | | 1988|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 6 | Hawaii Island Movers | 5 | | 1989|6|20}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 7 | San Diego SeaWorld Killer Whales | 3 | | 1990|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 12 | San Bernardino Tribe | 3 | | 1991|6|22}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 9 | South Lake Tahoe Stars | 8 | | 1992|6|21}} | Victor Valley Mets | 2 | Alaska Goldpanners | 1 | | 1993|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 10 | South Lake Tahoe Stars | 4 | | 1994|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 15 | San Diego Stars | 6 | | 1995|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 10 | San Francisco Seals | 4 | | 1996|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 5 | Anchorage Bucs | 3 | | 1997|6|20}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 12 | Kelowna Grizzlies | 0 | | 1998|6|20}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 14 | Kelowna Grizzlies | 7 | | 1999|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 7 | Oceanside Waves | 1 | | 2000|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 3 | Santa Barbara Foresters | 2 | | 2001|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 2 | Oceanside Waves | 1 | | 2002|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 2 | California Dons | 1 | | 2003|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 3 | California Dons | 1 | | 2004|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 9 | Peninsula Oilers | 1 | | 2005|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 3 | Omaha Strike Zone | 1 | | 2006|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 2 | Beatrice Bruins | 1 | | 2007|6|21}} | Oceanside Waves | 5 | Alaska Goldpanners | 1 | | 2008|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 10 | Southern California Running Birds | 6 | | 2009|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 6 | Lake Erie Monarchs | 3 | | 2010|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 4 | Heroes of the Diamond | 3 | {{small|15 innings.}} | | 2011|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 2 | Oceanside Waves | 1 | | 2012|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 7 | Everett Merchants | 5 | | 2013|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 4 | San Francisco Seals | 1 | | 2014|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 13 | Lake Erie Monarchs | 6 | | 2015|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 7 | Seattle Studs | 4 | | 2016|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 9 | Kenai Peninsula Oilers | 2 | | 2017|6|21}} | San Diego Waves | 4 | Alaska Goldpanners | 2 | | 2018|6|21}} | Alaska Goldpanners | 6 | Orange County Surf | 4 | |
References1. ^{{cite book |last1=Harkey |first1=Ira |title=Pioneer Bush Pilot |date=1991 |publisher=Bantam Books |isbn=0553289195 |page=103}}
2. ^1 {{cite web |title=All Time Midnight Sun Baseball Game Results |url=http://www.goldpanners.com/MidnightSunGame/all-time_msg-results.html |publisher=Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks |accessdate=September 9, 2011}}
External links- {{Official website|http://midnightsungame.com}}
{{coord|64|50|27|N|147|45|32|W|display=title}} 4 : 1906 establishments in Alaska|Annual events in Alaska|Baseball in Alaska|Sports in Fairbanks, Alaska |