What Is Five O'Clock Lightning?

In the Thirties, baseball games were played in the afternoon. The Yankee lineup was so fierce-some, even if they were behind people knew a rally wasn’t far off. Those rallies often took place in the 8th or 9th inning, just when people in nearby factories were getting off work and the 5 o’clock whistle would blow. In other words, 5 p.m. arrived and so did the singles and doubles and walks and stolen bases and home runs that invariably added up to another Yankee victory. The whistle blew and while that meant everybody else was getting off of work, it meant the Yankees were just getting started. In short, five o’clock lighting.