Best Seat In Baseball Likely To Be Rooftops Outside Wrigley Field

The best seats in baseball could be across the street from Wrigley Field when Major League Baseball returns later this month.

According to the general manager of Murphy’s Rooftop, the city of Chicago has approved the Wrigley rooftops to open at 25 percent capacity.

“We can open our rooftop,” Freddy Fagenholz told the Chicago Tribune on Thursday. “It could be the biggest ticket in town.’’

Given the anticipation for a return of baseball in Chicago, there’s little question that Fagenholz is correct. The Wrigleyville neighborhood has been largely quiet since the COVID-19 lockdown began also bars were busy last weekend, when Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the city allowed them to re-open with limited capacity.

The opening of rooftops wouldn’t just be welcome news for the entrepreneurs like Murphy’s Bleachers. It also means the Cubs will generate some revenue from crowds, as the team’s owners, the Ricketts family, have purchased 11 of the rooftops along Sheffield Street and Waveland Avenue. 

Tom Ricketts, the Cubs’ chairman, has said the team earns 70 percent of its revenue from attendance at the ballpark. That’s an unusually high percentage for teams, who receive large broadcast revenues, but represents the team’s significance to the Lakeview neighborhood. 

The St. Louis Cardinals could benefit from a similar arrangement as the team built a facsimile of the Wrigley rooftops into its Ballpark Village development. There is also across-the-street viewing from atop a bar that lies beyond the left-field fence at Busch Stadium and a massive sports bar in Ballpark Village.

Fagenholz told the Tribune he was informed Wednesday that Murphy’s Rooftops had its license approved contingent on safety restrictions related to COVID-19.

“We are excited, but safety comes first,” he said. 

The Cubs will host 30 regular-season games in the virus-shortened plan. The schedule is expected to be released next week, with Opening Day scheduled for July 23 or 24. MLB has said it expects to play without fans in ballparks although the Texas Rangers, Houston Astros and some others teams have been pushing to allow limited capacity in their stadiums.

Players and coaches are expected to begin working out at Wrigley Field on Friday. The Cubs revealed on Wednesday that pitching coach Tommy Hottovy was hospitalized at one point due to COVID-19 but he has largely regained his health and is expected to participate. 

They will be trying to fill an unexpected opening in their starting rotation. Left-hander Jose Quintana sliced his left thumb washing dishes recently and underwent surgery to repair it, which leaves his availability for the season in doubt.