Overview
- The Joliet Slammers hosted the Big House Ballgame inside Old Joliet Prison on Thursday, opening their season with an exhibition against the St. Louis Gateway Grizzlies.
- The event drew 5,500 fans in a sellout, with co-owner Bill Murray attending as the team’s self-styled Director of Fun.
- The Gateway Grizzlies won 14-3 in a game played on a short-field setup with quirky ground rules and dimensions as tight as 230 feet to left.
- The showcase doubled as one of five coordinated kickoffs for the Route 66 centennial, with Illinois celebrations running through November 11, 2026.
- Organizers said the game helps reclaim the 1858 prison as a community space, building on inmate baseball traditions dating to 1913 and expanding tours and local league play on the grounds.