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Midnight Sun Game

{{Short description|Baseball game in Fairbanks, Alaska}}

File:MSG 2022.jpg

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 an hour from local solar time, coupled with the state's observance of daylight saving 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."{{cite book |last1=Harkey |first1=Ira |title=Pioneer Bush Pilot |date=1991 |publisher=Bantam Books |isbn=0553289195 |page=103}}

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 Goldpanners, a collegiate summer baseball team based in Fairbanks. As the Goldpanners have been without a league since leaving the Alaska Baseball League in 2015,{{cite news |last1=Bragg |first1=Beth |title=Goldpanners won't play in ABL next summer |url=https://www.adn.com/sports/article/goldpanners-wont-play-abl-next-summer/2015/09/30/ |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=Anchorage Daily News |date=September 30, 2015 |language=en}} the opponent has typically been picked from other collegiate summer teams from anywhere in the United States.

In 2020 the Goldpanners pulled out of the contest due to the coronavirus pandemic and local amateur squads played the game instead, with a local American Legion Baseball squad facing the local town team baseball squad. The game has never been rained out; the game narrowly avoided a rainout in 2020 after heavy downpours flooded the field earlier in the day, but the two competing teams were unwilling not to let the game go forward and cleared the field to the best of their ability to allow the game to go on.

For 2021, the game expanded into a Midnight Sun Tournament, with a doubleheader consisting of the final of the American Legion Baseball tournament leading into the Goldpanners' Midnight Sun Game.{{Cite web|url=https://www.frontiersman.com/sports/road-warriors-win-fairbanks-tourney-pioneers-sweep-dimond/article_b92c1c64-d338-11eb-93cd-93a97d2c0e4c.html|title = Road Warriors win Fairbanks tourney; Pioneers sweep Dimond}}

Game results

Through 1959, the Midnight Sun Game featured various teams from the Fairbanks area. In 1960, the game became exclusively hosted by the Alaska Goldpanners.{{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 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828004231/http://www.goldpanners.com/MidnightSunGame/all-time_msg-results.html |archive-date=August 28, 2011 |url-status=dead }}. The Goldpanners are 49-15 all-time in Midnight Sun Games.

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%;"

! Date

colspan="2" | Winning teamcolspan="2" | Losing teamclass="unsortable"|Notes
 {{dts|1951|6|21}} 

|align=left|Military All-Stars

4

|align=left|Civilian All-Stars

0
 {{dts|1952|6|21}} 

|align=left|Civilian All-Stars

x

|align=left|Military All-Stars

xNo score available
 {{dts|1953|6|21}} 

|align=left|Civilian All-Stars

6

|align=left|Military All-Stars

2
 {{dts|1954|6|21}} 

|align=left|Civilian All-Stars

5

|align=left|Military All-Stars

0
 {{dts|1955|6|21}} 

|align=left|Civilian All-Stars

12

|align=left|Military All-Stars

8
 {{dts|1956|6|21}} 

|align=left|Civilian All-Stars

x

|align=left|Military All-Stars

xNo score available
 {{dts|1957|6|21}} 

|align=left|Sportland

6

|align=left|Air Force All-Stars

0
 {{dts|1958|6|21}} 

|align=left|Sportland Bees

5

|align=left|Ladd Special Units

3
 {{dts|1959|6|21}} 

|align=left|Alaska Sales and Service

16

|align=left|Fairbanks

6
 {{dts|1960|6|21}} 

|align=left|Pan-Alaska Goldpanners

11

|align=left|Fairbanks Pioneers

0
{{dts|1961|6|21}}

|align=left|Pan-Alaska Goldpanners

10

|align=left|North of the Range Military All-Stars

4
{{dts|1962|6|22}}

|align=left|Pan-Alaska Goldpanners

8

|align=left|North of the Range Military All-Stars

3
{{dts|1963|6|21}}

|align=left|Wichita Rapid Transit Dreamliners

3

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

1
{{dts|1964|6|21}}

|align=left|Grand Junction Eagles

10

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

5
{{dts|1965|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

4

|align=left|USC Trojans

3
{{dts|1966|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

8

|align=left|Oregon State Beavers

3
{{dts|1967|6|21}}

|align=left|Kumagai Gumi

10

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

3
{{dts|1968|6|22}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

7

|align=left|Santa Clara Broncos

0
{{dts|1969|6|21}}

|align=left|Boulder Baseline Collegians

5

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

2
{{dts|1970|6|20}}

|align=left|Arizona Wildcats

4

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

3
{{dts|1971|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

12

|align=left|Stanford Indians

3
{{dts|1972|6|21}}

|align=left|Ponchatoula Athletics

5

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

4
{{dts|1973|6|21}}

|align=left|BYU Cougars

8

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

5
{{dts|1974|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

7

|align=left|Washington State Cougars

6
{{dts|1975|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

4

|align=left|Vanderbilt Commodores

3
{{dts|1976|6|20}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

6

|align=left|Westwood Bruins

4
{{dts|1977|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

12

|align=left|Red Deer M&K Generals

11
{{dts|1978|6|21}}

|align=left|Wichita El Dorado Coors

10

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

1
{{dts|1979|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

8

|align=left|North Carolina Tar Heels

2
{{dts|1980|6|20}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

16

|align=left|Wisconsin Badgers

5
{{dts|1981|6|20}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

11

|align=left|Intermountain Badgers

4
{{dts|1982|6|20}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

9

|align=left|San Francisco Senators

3
{{dts|1983|6|19}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

7

|align=left|Anchorage Bucs

2
{{dts|1984|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

9

|align=left|Chinese Taipei

0

|align=left|{{small|Forfeit}}

{{dts|1985|6|22}}

|align=left|Moraga Marauders

12

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

11

|align=left|{{small|11 innings}}

{{dts|1986|6|20}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

8

|align=left|San Francisco Senators

1
{{dts|1987|6|20}}

|align=left|Mat-Su Miners

2

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

1
{{dts|1988|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

6

|align=left|Hawaii Island Movers

5
{{dts|1989|6|20}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

7

|align=left|San Diego SeaWorld Killer Whales

3
{{dts|1990|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

12

|align=left|San Bernardino Tribe

3
{{dts|1991|6|22}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

9

|align=left|South Lake Tahoe Stars

8
{{dts|1992|6|21}}

|align=left|Victor Valley Mets

2

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

1
{{dts|1993|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

10

|align=left|South Lake Tahoe Stars

4
{{dts|1994|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

15

|align=left|San Diego Stars

6
{{dts|1995|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

10

|align=left|San Francisco Seals

4
{{dts|1996|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

5

|align=left|Anchorage Bucs

3
{{dts|1997|6|20}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

12

|align=left|Kelowna Grizzlies

0
{{dts|1998|6|20}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

14

|align=left|Kelowna Grizzlies

7
{{dts|1999|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

7

|align=left|Oceanside Waves

1
{{dts|2000|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

3

|align=left|Santa Barbara Foresters

2
{{dts|2001|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

2

|align=left|Oceanside Waves

1
{{dts|2002|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

2

|align=left|California Dons

1
{{dts|2003|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

3

|align=left|California Dons

1
{{dts|2004|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

9

|align=left|Peninsula Oilers

1
{{dts|2005|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

3

|align=left|Omaha Strike Zone

1
{{dts|2006|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

2

|align=left|Beatrice Bruins

1
{{dts|2007|6|21}}

|align=left|Oceanside Waves

5

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

1
{{dts|2008|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

10

|align=left|Southern California Running Birds

6
{{dts|2009|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

6

|align=left|Lake Erie Monarchs

3
{{dts|2010|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

4

|align=left|Heroes of the Diamond

3

|align=left|{{small|15 innings}}

{{dts|2011|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

2

|align=left|Oceanside Waves

1
{{dts|2012|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

7

|align=left|Everett Merchants

5
{{dts|2013|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

4

|align=left|San Francisco Seals

1
{{dts|2014|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

13

|align=left|Lake Erie Monarchs

6
{{dts|2015|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

7

|align=left|Seattle Studs

4
{{dts|2016|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

9

|align=left|Kenai Peninsula Oilers

2
{{dts|2017|6|21}}

|align=left|San Diego Waves

4

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

2
{{dts|2018|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

6

|align=left|Orange County Surf

4
{{dts|2019|6|21}}

|align=left|Seattle Studs

5

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

4

|align=left|{{small|11 innings}}

{{dts|2020|6|21}}

|align=left|Eielson Brewers
{{small|Alaska Legion}}

15

|align=left|Black Spruce Pirates
{{small|Fairbanks Adult Amateur Baseball League}}

13

|align=left|{{small|Contested only by local teams due to COVID-19 pandemic}}

{{dts|2021|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners

3

|align=left|Everett Merchants

0

|align=left|{{small

}

|-

|{{dts|2022|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners || 10

|align=left|San Diego Waves || 9

|align=left|{{small|10 innings}}

|-

|{{dts|2023|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners || 5

|align=left|Michigan Monarchs || 1 ||

|-

|{{dts|2024|6|21}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners || 10

|align=left|Seattle Studs|| 4 ||

|-

|{{dts|2025|6|20}}

|align=left|Alaska Goldpanners ||

|align=left|Anchorage Glacier Pilots|| ||

|}

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • {{Official website|http://midnightsungame.com}}

{{coord|64|50|27|N|147|45|32|W|display=title}}

Category:1906 establishments in Alaska

Category:1906 in baseball

Category:Annual events in Alaska

Category:Baseball in Alaska

Category:Culture of Fairbanks, Alaska

Category:June in sports

Category:Sports in Fairbanks, Alaska