“It’s a great day for a baseball game—let’s play two!”

“We got the setting—sunshine, fresh air, the team behind us,” Chicago Cubs baseball star Ernie Banks (1931-2015) said on his induction into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1977. “Let’s play two.”
 
“Let’s play two” was Banks’ signature line. “Let’s play two games today. It’s too nice a day for just one,” Banks was quoted in March 1969. The line is most often used in baseball, but has also been used in other sports.
 
   
Wikipedia: Ernie Banks
Ernest “Ernie” Banks (January 31, 1931 – January 23, 2015), nicknamed “Mr. Cub” and “Mr. Sunshine”, was an American professional baseball player. He was a Major League Baseball (MLB) shortstop and first baseman for 19 seasons, 1953 through 1971. He spent his entire MLB career with the Chicago Cubs. He was a National League (NL) All-Star for 11 seasons, playing in 14 All-Star Games.
 
14 March 1969, Charleston (WV) Daily Mail, “Battling Age With Smile, Quip: Banks Majors’ Happiest Warrior” by Ray Sons (Chicago Daily News Service), pg. 24, col. 3:
And he (Ernie Banks—ed.) hollers to anyone who will listen:
 
“Let’s play two games today. It’s too nice a day for just one.”
 
7 April 1969, Salt Lake Tribune (Salt Lake City, UT), “Sports Mirror” by John Mooney, pg. 25, col. 1:
Yet, he’s (Ernie Banks—ed.) prancing like a rookie, taking one more lap and setting an example as he beams, “Let’s play two games today. It’s too nice a day just for one.”
 
27 August 1969, San Diego (CA) Union, “Cubs’ Vaudeville Act Doesn’t Impress Mets” by Wayne Lockwood, pg. C-3, col. 3:
“Then I’m going to come out of the dugout, run over to Ernie Banks and say, ‘What a wonderful day. Let’s play two today.’”
(New York Mets catcher J. C. Martin.—ed.)
 
12 October 1972, Lowell (MA)

, “The highs and lows of the 1972 N.L. season” by Scott Stewart (Copley News Service), pg. 41, col. 6:
Worst Quote of Year—Chicago’s Ernie Banks: “It’s a great day for baseball. Let’s play two.’
 
Google News Archive
20 January 1977, Sarasota (FL) Herald-Tribune, “Ernie Banks: Too Good To Be True” by Dave Anderson (N.Y. Times News Service), pg. 1D, col. 2:
NEW YORK—In his 19 seasons with the Chicago Cubs, the phrase never changed. “It’s a beautiful day for a ballgame,” Ernie Banks would say. “It’s such a beautiful day, let’s play two.” Or when a doubleheader was scheduled, “let’s play three.” Even on a cold foggy night at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City during a post-season barnstorming tour, he said, “It’s a beautiful night for a ballgame.”
 
Google News Archive
9 August 1977, Spartanburg (SC) Herald, “Banks Joins Five Others Inducted Into Baseball’s Hall Of Fame,” pg. A6, col. 1:
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP)—the sun fittingly came out for Ernie Banks’ enshrinement in baseball’s Hall of Fame Monday.
 
“We got the setting—sunshine, fresh air, the team behind us. Let’s play two,” Banks said after being the 163rd person inducted into the Hall.
   
OCLC WorldCat record
Let’s play two! a chicago cubs story.
Author: Ben Deegan
Publisher: [Place of publication not identified] : Mascot Books Inc, 2013.
Edition/Format:   Book : Fiction : Juvenile audience : English
Database: WorldCat
Summary:
“Ernie is no ordinary mouse. He lives inside Wrigley Field! Ernie and his family prove that there is no such thing as a small Cubs fan. Follow this hopeful mouse as he witnesses another exciting Chicago Cubs season”—Page 4 of cover.
   
FOX Sports
‘Let’s play two!’ Ernie Banks’ words reflected his outlook on life
JAN 24, 2015 12:30a ET
Ernie Banks’ positive attitude was infectious, and it shined through in the wisdom of his words.
 
Banks, who died Friday at the age of 83, was much more than a hero to the city of Chicago and its legion of Cubs fans, much more than a Hall of Famer and baseball legend.
(...)
And, of course:
 
“It’s a great day for a ballgame; let’s play two!”