Tropicana Field

Tampa Bay Rays, American League

7/10

A relatively staid exterior is souped up with a giant banner of all the Rays' stars.

Behold, the dome in all it's beauty. It looks like it belongs in Japan, but being there, it didn't totally seem out of place for MLB.

Did not leave my seat the entire game here, so this is as good as I did.

I went to my first game at "The Trop" in 2012, having come from Pensacola the night before. I had heard a lot of negative feedback about the dome and I'm here to tell you it's a little overblown. Firstly, yes, the dome is a cave. There is a big white roof that does, thankfully let in some light and it will darken slightly when the sun goes down. There's a lot of white concrete and the backdrop is very boring, even for a domed stadium. That having been said, there was a pretty good downpour outside for about 3 innings, which we completely ignored, even a retractable design may not have been so fortunate. The parking here is actually really well organized too. It may have just seemed that way because of the lower attendance, but it flowed well, with cars coming down a big aisle in the middle to park and leaving via multiple exits onto the street on the opposite side. It was a welcome relief after "carmegaddon" a few nights prior in Atlanta. Still, the park is slightly below average overall.

The surprise here was the food. Pulled pork sandwich that wasn't bad, but there were about 10 kinds of BBQ sauce available, you pick AND self-serve. There seemed to be a lot of options, but the thing was the areas around the concessions were very large and removed from the concourse, to prevent crowding. Not sure how much trouble it saved at a sparsely attended park like this, but was welcome.

The atmosphere here was above average as well, with the Detroit Tigers as the visitors, a fair number of Tiger rooters showed up which barely saved this place from a 6/10. It gets the slightest 7 of all time, but even Tropicana Field manages to be average, in the end.

Update 2021: I have revised this one down to a 6. The atmosphere from the visiting/local Tiger fans was enjoyable for sure, but the home team generates very little. The facility is one of the bottom 3 MLB parks I've been to, although the concession was apparently ok. I still haven't been back here. Perhaps I'm due? Maybe if I did the very end of spring training, then into this.

Linescore

2012-06-28               

                        123   456  789  R H E

Detroit              002  101 001  5 15 1 

Tampa Bay       000  010  100  2 6 2 

Temp: 72F/Dome   Time: 3:05  Att: 20,532

Rogers Centre

Toronto Blue Jays (American League)

6/10

There really isn't a main entrance to the dome, they all kind of look like this.

Roof is closed for a September matchup against the Cubs.

Roof is very much open for this contest in 2007 against the Nationals.

 This is the place I saw my very first Major League game in 1995. We were out visiting family in Ontario, when for my birthday, I got tickets to go down to Toronto to watch the Blue Jays play the Boston Red Sox. The pitching matchup was still one of the best I've seen, Roger Clemens for the Sox and Juan Guzman for Toronto. John Olerud stole home, I got my first glimpse of Shawn Green, who I hadn't heard of at that point and we left early to catch the last train out of town as the Jays won in extras 2-1. I went back in 2007 after a trip to some parks was aborted at the last second and took in 2 games against the Nationals. In 2014, I went back for my 4th game here, against the Cubs.

The Blue Jays are my favourite team and on the old website, I gave this place I think a 7/10 on my old site, but have lowered the rating to a 6. Why? The different system places more emphasis on areas where this place is behind the rest.

The stadium itself is a very staid, concrete dome. The concourse is like most others you'd see in the Majors, but the exterior lacks much character, other than some statues on the one side. The stadium is close to the lakeshore, right in the middle of downtown Toronto, making it easy to access via subway and GO Train(for regional commuters). Sadly, this is a dome. A roof of some kind is all but mandatory in a colder climate like Toronto, but this one completely encloses the stadium when closed, making it, in my opinion, even worse than Tropicana Field when closed, as that roof at least lets some light in. This stadium does hold some sentiment with me as Canada's de facto national baseball stadium, but it's at least in the bottom 3 in terms of visual appeal. When it opened, it was the class of the league, as it was the first retractable roofed stadium to actually work properly. Now, its a little behind the times and I don't imagine it will be long before the calls to replace it begin. Still, 2016 will mark the first year without CFL football at the dome, which will mean natural grass rather than turf, which should improve the look of the park somewhat.

The other big knock on this place are the concessions. It's partially just the exchange rate, but they're expensive. I.e., 5.25 CDN for a bottle of Coke Zero that costs 2.25 at the corner store across the road. My stepbrother, a temporary Torontonian, took me and a friend who came up from London(the one in Canada) to a Vietnamese-style sub place before the game. A good call, as for 13 or 14 bucks we got what would have cost around 20-25 inside. I've seen Coke Zero as much at some NHL venues in Canada, but not in the US, even with the exchange. I still couldn't get over how expensive food was, I hardly even looked after an initial survey and don't remember any prices.

The plus is the atmosphere, which after some lean years, is picking up, especially with the Jays making their first playoff run in a generation. The game we went to, I sat in the 500 level(upper deck) for the first time. View was not too bad. There were a few die hard, some randoms, and a school trip from Brazil of some kind, which tried to bring their sort of cheering into the mix. Fans are somewhat passionate about the Jays, as they have the whole of Canada to tap into, but locals are getting more interested in recent years, as the Jays success is the opposite of most Toronto franchises.

Overall, this is an adequate stadium which should be improved by natural grass, but a lack of visual appeal combined with expensive concessions will keep it in the bottom 5 of all but the most contrarian fan's list. 6/10.

Update 2021: Despite this being my team, I haven't been back here, I prefer to watch them on the road. They did install a dirt infield in 2016, instead of the previous dirt on turf. My experiences elsewhere since my last visit just continue to show how out of date the dome now is. There have been rumblings of a replacement facility, but that's all they've really been. Any replacement will be on the lakeshore within a few kilometres from here, but I can't see that happening until the back end of this decade at least. I added the linescores, it turns out the 1st game I saw here was actually in 1995, a year earlier than I'd thought. No idea when I'll be back to Toronto.

Linescores

1996-06-12

                   123   456   789   10  11 12  R H E

Boston       002   001    000   0    0   0    3 8 0   

Toronto      000   021   000    0   0   1     4 11 0

Temp: 20C  Time: 3:47   Att: 40,171

Note: My First MLB game ever, Aged 12.

2007-06-16

                      123   456   789  R H E

Washington  010   100   010   3 7 1

Toronto         104  200   00x  7 10 0

Temp: 27C  Time: 2:32  Att: 26,342

2007-06-17

                      123   456   789  RHE

Washington    020  110    000  470

Toronto           101  000   000  240

Temp: 26C Time: 2:14  Att: 28,867

2014-09-10

                        123   456   789  R H E

Chicago(NL)   000  000   100  1  5  3  

Toronto            001 003   52X  11 13 1

Temp: 20C  Time: 3:12  Att: 19,411

Oriole Park at Camden Yards

8/10

Baltimore Orioles (American League)

These guys had a redbrick façade before it was cool.

Rolling out the orange carpet on the first day of the season.

The crowds file in with to watch the O's and Twins.

I headed over to Balitmore first thing in the morning on a Thursday in late March 2018, after catching a hockey game in D.C. the night before. I'd used a few hockey stops to fill in the few empty nights between spring training ending and Opening day. For me this meant seeing a Minnesota team that would miss the playoffs after finishing 2nd in the Central, versus a pretty bad Oriole team that would win 47 games. This was my first game ever in Maryland, so my first game here as well.

The ballpark is in downtown Baltimore, only a little ways off I-95. The neighbourhood has some restaurants and such, but overall, is a bit gritty. But that was just filler until the gates opened. I was very interested to see this place, as it's opening in the early 90's marked a big shift in ballpark design, even from Comiskey, which is a few years older. There's a wraparound concourse, the redbrick exterior and green seats that are common in Populous designed ballparks. Going there in 2018, this seems very pedestrian as according to Wikipedia, it's one of 17 parks in the majors they had a role in designing, not to mention the handful they were in charge of renovating. But in 1992, this place was groundbreaking, as it replaced a somewhat less appealing multi-purpose stadium. The pedestrian only section of Eutaw Street behind right field, forms a concourse during games and is gated off from the park afterwards. A former railway maintenance building behind right field has been converted into offices and is probably this park's most distinctive feature. 

Food was pretty unremarkable, but my 3 year old memory at this point doesn't help. Atmosphere was of course very lively, as Opening Day draws a big, excited crowd, who ended up seeing a tight game that only ended with the first pitch of the bottom of the 11th inning being hit out by Adam Jones. An opening day victory in extras for the home team was a neat moment for sure.

Overall, this park is a legend, if only because it was first, so I'd give the facility a point and a half point for atmosphere. Baltimore is a divisional opponent for my preferred birds, the Blue Jays, so I could easily end up back here someday.

Linescore

2018-03-29

                     123    456   789  10  11  RHE

Minnesota     000    000   002  0    0    280

Baltimore      000    000   200  0    1    350

Temp: 65F  Time: 3:31   Att:  45,469

Comiskey Park(II)

Chicago White Sox, American League

6/10

 

The crowds wait to file in for the afternoon start on the south side.

A Memorial day that I remember seeming hotter than it actually was saw a pretty good crowd take in an afternoon game against Boston.

From this angle, the park actually doesn't look bad.

I got into Chicago right around the start of a Memorial Day matchup with Boston. I'd driven into the early morning after a rain delay in Washington to make it to the outer suburbs of Cleveland, before driving into Wisconsin after this game. This ballpark, currently Guaranteed Rate Field, is located south of Downtown Chicago, near the overpass of I-94 and 35th street. It's built literally across the street from the site of the first Comiskey Park. The crowd here was a few thousand above average for the ChiSox in 2017, owing to Boston being in town and Memorial Day having some nicer weather.

This park was the last one built before Balitmore came along and changed everything. It was also built by Populous, the same architect as over two thirds of the current MLB stadiums, but they hadn't yet made their mold, so this place is missing a few things. The facade is NOT red bricks and only sort of resembles older ballparks. The upper deck has been chided for being a little too high and far from the field. The way the Sox ticket is that upper deck ticket holders cannot go onto the field level at all, so I didn't get to see any of that, but the upper deck didn't have a wrap around concourse, which meant there wasn't any way to see the game from there. I appreciate they've obviously got some kind of issue with people sitting where they haven't paid, but straight up banning the plebians to the upper deck seems harsh.

I ended up with a slice of pizza, which was not deep dish, like at Wrigley a few years before. This would have been ok, but walking on the enclosed concourse, a big gust of wind almost blew it right out of my hand. A helpful person manning some other kiosk yelled, in a Chicago accent, "Ya gotta protect ya slice!" Good to know. A lot of the upper deck concessions were closed and while I don't think any items weren't being sold, I do think the lower bowl had some other ones to choose from. This is another reason it would have been nice to go down there.

The atmosphere was not overly terrible, but still a little flat. The game was tight and the White Sox overachieved by beating the other Sox by just one run. It was only 76 degrees(apparently), but it felt closer to 90 and I think this sapped some enthusiasm.

Overall, the building itself and me being particularly annoyed that I didn't get onto the lower deck costs half a point and the same policy meaning food options were limited for half the stadium gets another half off. This place was the last one built before Camden Yards changed expectations for a ballpark and it shows, although the Sox have made lots of small improvments/adjustments over the last dozen or so seasons. There's no chatter I could find about replacing this place, so renovations would appear to be the way it's going. I wouldn't go out of my way to come back here, but I-94 is a common route for trips east and south for me, so it could work out that this is the best choice. I'll be buying a lower level ticket for sure.


Linescore
2017-05-29
                       123  456  789  RHE
Boston             100  210 000 440
Chicago(AL)    003 000  20x 550
Time: 3:16  Temp: 76F  Att: 27,148

Oakland Coliseum

Oakland Athletics, American League

8/10

The park has probably the plainest exterior in the Majors.

"Mount Davis" dominates center field before a 2015 game against Houston.

A crowd of just under 20,000 takes in a game in 2013 against Tampa Bay, both teams made the playoffs.

I first went to the Oakland Coliseum in 2013, on a two week trip of the western states as my only new Major League ballpark. The A's met the Tampa Bay Rays on a Friday night, two teams both leading their divisions. Attendance was an eyelash over 15,000. The A's won their division and still finished in the bottom 5 in attendance and the Giants were last in theirs and averaged 47 thousand. This is the situation in the Bay Area. We went back later in July 2015 for a mid week game against the Astros.

At any rate, the Coliseum, or the "O.Co Coliseum" after online clearance outlet, overstock.com, is another multipurpose stadium that continues to hang on. Apparently, it used to be not too bad for baseball, with a decent view of the surrounding hills. But the football Raiders, having moved to Los Angeles, agreed to move back, only if a massive stand was built in center field. "Mount Davis" lured the Raiders back to town(they are threatening relocation again, back to Los Angeles), but it really impacted the Coliseum as a baseball venue.

On the whole, the Coliseum is very old and this age shows with narrow concourses and basically no view of the field from the lower concourse. Access isn't too bad, although the rush hour traffic in and around Oakland before most evening games makes it difficult. The BART stops right outside though, so if you're already on either side of the bay, that could be better, I haven't tried it myself.

The concessions here were not too bad the first time and after doing some more exploring my 2nd time here, are some of the best anywhere. Items such as Sweet Potato pie and a gourmet noodle stand, along with some chains like Round Table pizza.  This is a place worth getting to early, to wander around a little.

The thing about the Coliseum, is that the atmosphere is incredible. Even though hardly anyone shows up. The people who go to an A's game genuinely want to go. There are not the people going to be seen like you might see in San Francisco(although the upper deck there is very passionate). My travel companion, had been to 5 MLB parks(thanks to me), when she pointed out that the atmosphere in Oakland was very raw compared to something a little more manufactured at one of the newer retro-modern parks. Case in point, it was dog night for the Houston game and about 150 pooches and their humans were in the stands of Mount Davis, far away from the rest of the crowd. During the national anthem, many of them could be heard howling along.

Stubhub tickets in the 8th row cost 40 dollars a person, plus free VIP parking. For affordability, this place is probably unrivaled. Also, there is a bona-fide supporters group, like something you'd see at a Japanese baseball game, or a Major League Soccer contest. They were very much into the game, and during my first visit here, had their angry hands going for Aussie closer Grant Balfour, who to put it mildly, had a bit of fiery personality.

This park is probably the worst for maintenance issues in the majors however, as raw sewage(i.e. poop) has backed up into the visitor's clubhouse at least once. Still, after some rumours of the Athletics moving for a 4th time, this time just down the highway to San Jose, or maybe Fremont, the A's signed on for 10 more years at the stadium, which will put them up to 2024.

At any rate, what the stadium lacks in amenities, it makes up in affordability, good concessions and a very authentic, baseball-first atmosphere. I give it an extra half point for food and atmosphere, which gives it an 8, which is pretty good for such an old venue.

Update 2019: This venue, at time of writing, is now the RingCentral Coliseum for the 2019 season after going three seasons without a sponsor. This place is as it was, the A's are a decent team of misfits, who draw poorly. The plan as of now is to build a new park in the Oakland area, possibly on the waterfront, possibly on this site, now that the Arena that's adjacent has been vacated by the Warriors. The Raiders are preparing to leave the area for Las Vegas, so the A's will soon be the only big league anything in town. The A's have recently publicly speculated about also going to Las Vegas, but this seems to be a negotiating tactic only for now. I'm rooting for them to make staying in Oakland work for them, but we will find out.

Linescores
2013-08-30
                    123  456  789  RHE
Tampa Bay    010  000  020  381
Oakland         000 030 01x   470
Time: 3:10  Temp: 68F  Att: 15,603

2015-08-06
                 123  456  789 10  RHE
Houston     100  000   030 1   591
Oakland      010 010  002  0  472
Time: 3:37  Temp: 66F  Att: 16,172

Comerica Park

Detroit Tigers, American League

8/10

The outdoor facade is the usual redbrick, but it does have these unique stone tiger statues all around the ballpark.

The park showcases the Detroit skyline, making a somewhat gritty city look cosmopolitan

Neighbouring Ford Field is literally right across the street. The Red Wings play nearby as well, now in a new arena they share with the Pistons.

We stopped in Detroit for a September Sunday-nighter featuring a Tiger team that would win the division and the San Francisco Giants, who would go on to take the World Series later that fall. It was originally scheduled to be an afternoon game, but was chosen for the Sunday night feature about a week before. We had an lazy drive in from suburban Cleveland after going to the game there the night before.

The park is in the middle of downtown Detroit, which to say the least, is bare of much else. There are a lot of renovations/construction going on. It is a bit of a rough area, illustrated by the fact that the NHL teams are now explicitly forbidden from walking from their hotel to the Joe Louis Arena, nearby. There's not much to do in the area before the game, besides a nearby casino, there is a large store selling Detroit team merch, and "Cheli's Chili" a pub specializing in chili owned by former Red Wings defenceman Chris Chelios(try the Mozza Sticks!).

Comerica is a stereotypical retro-modern park with not too much to distinguish it from others. The notable traits are the gap in the upper deck on the first base side, statues of Tiger legends in center field and the "Tiger Den" seating at the back of the lower level, which features small tables next to the seats. We headed up to the top deck, which has an amazing view of downtown Detroit, which one would be forgiven thinking isn't a real thing.

Concessions are relatively straightforward, being owned by the same family that owns the Red Wings and Little Caesar's Pizza, it wasn't too surprising to see that particular brand of pizza featured.

The atmosphere was not all that bad as well, there was a lot of alcohol consumed by others and a good discussion with our neighbours regarding the tendency for drunks to bump into the railing, spilling a few drops on their way back up. A young couple sitting a few rows in front took no less than 20 selfies and after showing after the game had been going for awhile, left after less than 4 innings. Still, most people were very into the game, which saw amongst other things, a homerun by Miguel Cabrera.

Overall, while I never saw a game at Tiger Stadium, this is a pretty serviceable ballpark, which has a few quirks of it's own. I wouldn't be against going back, but wouldn't go out of my way either.

Update 2017: Not much has changed here to my knowledge. The Red Wings open a new arena this year, with the Pistons moving downtown as well, which may be a bit more of a shot in the arm for the city, particularly downtown. I bumped the rating down to an 8, giving half points for Facility, Atmosphere and Food. It's a nice place to take in a game, I'd put it somewhere in the middle third of MLB.

Linescore
2014-09-07
                           123   456   789  RHE
San Francisco      000    010   000  1 6 0
Detroit                 003   000   30x  6 12 0
Time:  3:43  Temp: 73F   Att: 27,523

Progressive Field

Cleveland Indians, Amercian League

8/10

 Progressive has a welcoming, well-styled entrance.

 Another downtown park with a low profile allowing for a good view of the skyline? Sure!

You can make out the enclosed, angled suites in left field on the right of this shot.

We rolled into Cleveland in the middle of a Saturday Afternoon as part of a Great Lakes loop that saw 

us come down from Toronto that morning. The weather in Toronto had featured a torrential downpour
so it was greatly appreciated to have a clear evening that felt more like late summer than early fall. The Indians were in the midst of a Wild Card run, sending the eventual Cy Young winner for the AL, Corey Kluber, to the mound. 

The park is in the middle of downtown Cleveland, almost right next to the NBA Cavaliers’ home court.
 If Balitmore’s Camden Yards was a groundbreaker in terms of ballpark design, Progressive Field,
 or as it was known when it opened, Jacobs Field, reinforced that the trend would continue.
 Walking in, it is hard to believe that this park was 19 years old when I visited it. 

The park has a relatively common three decked layout. The high wall in left centre is the most 
unique feature as far as the field dimensions are concerned. The enclosed suites on the left field side, 
presumably to fight Cleveland’s cooler springs are also an interesting design. The large, open 
concourse in left field, evokes the similar one on the right field side in Baltimore. 
The Cleveland skyline is clearly visible, although Tower Plaza, arguably the most famous building
 in the city was not, at least not without leaning forward. 

A neat quirk was how in the program, all concession items anywhere in the park were listed, 
along with what concession stands sold them. No more walking around looking for Corn Dogs for you. 

A weird quirk was how the outer sections of the upper deck were closed. I can understand not wanting to open 5 sections, that will just need to be cleaned which there are 
unsold seats from better vantage points, but it served to make the park look emptier than it was.
There were still 30 thousand in attendance, who weren’t disappointed, as the Indians eked out a win.

On the whole, I liked this park. It’s downtown, which is always a plus and the fact that it was
slightly ahead of it’s time to begin with means it is aging nicely. Recommended.

Update 2017: Haven't been back here to date. There were apparently only 17 thousand and change in attendance, which is surprising, given the fact it was September and Cleveland was still in it. Under the new ratings, the park still earns a plus, with the somewhat flat atmosphere not actually affecting the score. Cleveland doesn't seem to draw well until basically the playoffs, finishing 28th in average attendance for the 2016 regular season, ahead of only pariahs, Tampa Bay and Oakland. With such a good team, it's amazing it's not in the top half.

Linescore
2014-09-07
                       123   456   789  RHE
Chicago(AL)  001   000   000   151
Cleveland        000  100   20x   391
Temp: 69F  Time: 2:46  Att: 17,367   

Kingdome

Demolished

6/10

The good news is that I do have, buried somewhere, photos from inside the Kingdome. The bad news, is that I have little clue as to where they are. Such is the problem of printed photos.

This stadium was supposed to be built in time for the Seattle Pilots' first season. However, the Kansas City expansion team was eager to get into the league ASAP, to replace the Athletics franchise that had moved to Oakland, so Seattle's entry into the league was moved up, before the "King County Domed Stadium" could even be financed. So the Pilots played 1 season at the aging Sick's Stadium, before moving to Milwaukee. Still, it would not be long before 1977 saw the Mariners start up at the Kingdome.

We came here for the first time in 1996 to watch the Mariners and the Yankees under the dome. I was looking forward to watching former Blue Jay Jimmy Key, who then promptly left the game in the first inning after being hit with a comebacker. We saw the Mariners play the Red Sox the next year and that was it. I have only my 12 year old memory to go on, so here it is.

The area around where the dome was isn't a whole lot different than it is now. Some bars/pubs and Pioneer Square was close by. Seattle was a bit of a grittier city then, as the Microsoft boom hadn't come into full swing yet.

The dome itself was very dark. The wall in right field "Walla Walla" was about double height compared to the rest of the stadium. Ken Griffey Jr. can attest to the fact that this was a hitter's park to the extreme. I remember very little about coming here, other than the fact that the concourses would get very busy after games. Still, this was my 2nd MLB park ever and my last new one for about 6 years.

The Mariners were in a vulnerable spot again in the mid-90s, playing in an aging Kingdome, before Edgar Martinez's game winning hit in the division series against the Yankees all but guaranteed the construction of Safeco Field. The site of the former dome is now occupied by CenturyLink Field, home of the NFL Seahawks and MLS Sounders.

Update 2017: This place is still gone, but I did manage to locate the one linescore from here, the game against the Yankees where I remember Key being the starter. I don't remember the Boston games clearly, but I do remember them being at least the season after. They were likely in 1997, but maybe 1998 as well. I'll have to find a ticket stub or something to figure it out for sure.  

Linescores
1996-08-26
                            123  456  789   RHE
New York(AL)         000  000  100  150
Seattle                   000  100  010  290
Time: 2:59  Temp: 68F Att: 32,857

Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, American League

10/10

 The crowds file in for a game with Seattle in April, 2014.

 Just about ready to begin against Oakland in August 2009.

I enjoyed my 3rd game at the Big A probably most of all, thanks to a good atmosphere in the upper deck.

Angel Stadium is now one of my favourites. I have been here a total of five times now, twice against the Athletics in 2009, once on a cool April evening against Seattle in 2014 and twice in September of 2016 against the Blue Jays.

It's located near a trifecta of freeways and about a 10 minute drive from the Disneyland area. It's surrounded by a ton of parking in the immediate area and a little further there are actually some bars and restaurants, over towards the Honda Center, the home of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks.

The park was built in the mid 1960's as a new home for the Angels after they spent their first few years at LA's Wrigley Field and "Chavez Ravine" as Dodger Stadium was called when it hosted them. It was massively renovated when the NFL's Rams moved in and massively renovated again when they moved away. The results are incredible. Compare the before(By watching the remake of Angels in the Outfield maybe?) and the after(by going) and be amazed. From the outside it is very obvious it's an older park and maybe in the upper deck, but on the bottom it appears 30 years younger than it really is. That's my favourite thing about this park, it was turned from a gargantuan NFL-sized stadium into something more reasonable.

The fans here are passionate about supporting their team, instead of the other team in the LA area.

I like the food here quite a bit. There's lots of good options. As of 2014, it included Panda Express and Jack in the Box, as well as a very good pizza chain that replaced California Pizza Kitchen, the name escapes me at the moment....

The atmosphere is great, very baseball-oriented, with just enough quirks to keep things interesting.

The backdrop of the Honda Center and hills makes it a nice place to spend an evening.

In 2009, I went for a night game against Oakland and was so impressed by the crowd at atmosphere that I went back the next afternoon and sat in the sun on a 112 degree afternoon. The guy at the pulled pork sandwich stand (Reggie?) insisted on selling me a medium pop instead of a small saying "You'll thank me later."

Thanks Reggie.

I returned in April 2014, for the final game of a season opening series between the Angels and the Seattle Mariners. It actually did get cold in the upper deck later on and some of the dining options had changed, but it was more or less the same park, which was good. If you haven't gone, try to go and if you have, go back, it's just as good the 2nd time.

Update 2017: I went back here for two more games in September 2016, as the Blue Jays were in town. They lost to the Angels without much of a struggle both games I saw. There was still a good crowd both days, despite the latter being the same afternoon as the first home game for the new Los Angeles Rams.  It reminded me of the game versus Oakland in 2009, where it was very, very hot.

Food service options at the park changed again with "Oggi's" now the pizza of choice and Jack In the Box having taken over the burger stands. I frequented a custom gourmet hot dog stand, which while expensive, was fantastic. There's also a healthier concession deep in the outer concourse of the park, as well as several others in a sort of food court. I made it onto the mezzanine this time around and was not dissapointed. I'd still give this park a 10/10, it's a favourite. I wonder if now that Oakland is without the NFL, they could renovate it in the same vein?


Linescores
2009-08-29
                                123    456   789  RHE
Oakland                    000   000   310  491
Los Angeles(AL)        001  200   000   390
Temp: 89F  Time: 3:01  Att: 43,011

2009-08-30
                             123   456   789    R H E
Oakland                  001   000  000   1 6 0
Los Angeles(AL)     000   040   05x   9 13 1
Temp: 92F  Time: 2:12  Att: 38,018

2014-04-02
                                 123   456  789    R H E
Seattle                      001     014   002  8  13 0
Los Angeles(AL)        000     000    002  2  3  1
Temp: 57F  Time: 2:39   Att: 38,007

2016-09-17
                               123   456  789    R  H E
Toronto                     000   000  010  1 10 3
Los Angeles(AL)       010  012   20x  6  8  0
Temp: 83F  Time: 3:08  Att: 39,195

2016-09-18
                              123   456   789   R H E
Toronto                    000   000   000   0 4  1  
Los Angeles(AL)      010   010   02x   4 10 0
Temp: 84F Time: 3:25  Att: 36,270

Target Field

Minnesota Twins, American League

8/10

This is another one of the parks where my photos were lost to the great camera caper of 2012.

*Sigh*

Anyhow, I did manage to get here after a night game the night before in Milwaukee. I drove to Eau Claire, getting in around 2 AM, grabbed a quick 6 hours, then hit the road for Minneapolis.

I arrived in plenty of time and found parking around 5 blocks away for a reasonable price. The park is built in an arena district, with the Minnesota Timberwolves playing at Target Arena, nearby. It's in a pretty decent neighbourhood.

The exterior is mostly made of yellowish tiles made from local rocks. The park is "sunken" slightly, with the field below street level. The concourse is wide open and has a clean, uncluttered look to it. Crowds of people are able to easily move around the ballpark. I found the staff to be extra friendly, as per Milwaukee the night before. Food was passable.

The game saw the Twins play division rival Cleveland on a nice afternoon in front of 25-30 thousand. People enjoyed the game from what I remember. I sat under an overhang, which meant shade, but I was far forward enough to see the same clearly.

This was a decent park overall, I just wish I could remember a bit more and that my photos survived. It's undoubtedly a massive upgrade from playing at the Metrodome. I will absolutely have to go back soon.

Update 2016: I have not been back to this point. I had the option on a weekend trip of going to watch the last place Twins play the White Sox, but I opted for a game in St. Paul instead. I upped the rating here to an 8, as the park itself is deserving of the extra point.

Linescore
2012-07-29
                      123   456   789   RHE
Cleveland        000  100  000   160
Minnesota       000   210  20x  580
Temp: 72F  Time: 2:28 Att: 34,720

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington

Texas Rangers, American League

8/10

I took this picture walking in from the parking lots. It's very obvious from this photo that the park is largely off by itself.

The view in from Right Field.

The Rangers and Rays line up for the national anthem prior to game 1 of the 2011 ALDS.

Firstly, this park again has a corporate sponsor, making it Globe Life Park in Arlington. When I went, it was Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, so it is on here as well.

Firstly, the most interesting part of my trip to Texas was even getting there in the first place. I had my home base in Phoenix for a few weeks in September of 2011 and before heading down, figured the Rangers were going to make the playoffs instead of Oakland. I had tickets to the Rangers first home game of the Division series, which I figured would be Game 3 against Detroit, on the next Tuesday. 2011 was the year of Game 162, which I spent at Chase Field, watching the Dodgers and Diamondbacks in a game that meant relatively little. I spent the time watching the out of town scores and texting people who asked what my plan would be, which made it that much more important for me to get another game in there. Anyway, the Rays won and the Red Sox lost, which meant the Rangers ended up with home field advantage, which meant that I ended up leaving that same night for the 15 hour drive to Arlington. After many driving adventures and overnights in Tucson, AZ and Midland, TX, I rolled into Arlington for Game 1 of the division series.

The ballpark is located not far from I-30, between Fort Worth and Dallas in the Suburb of Arlington. The area is dedicated to Sports and Entertainment and is also home to AT&T Stadium and the Dallas Cowboys, as well as the Six Flags over Texas theme park. Unfortunately, besides that, it is surrounded by parking lots. Within a few blocks are a ton of restaurants, but they're a bit of a hike. Public transit doesn't appear to really factor in to a trip to a ballgame for most people.

The game was game 1 of the ALDS. The Tampa Bay Rays, fresh off their epic comeback against the New York Yankees sent Matt Moore to the hill in his rookie season, with little prior experience. The taunt from Rangers fans was "Matt Who?". By the end of the game, with the Rays having cruised 9-0, I doubted that any Ranger fan would struggle with Moore's last name ever again. Still, this Ranger team bounced back to go to the World Series, where they took St. Louis to one strike from victory, before the Cardinals came back and won game 6, then game 7. 

The park itself is a Retro-Modern design, built not long after Camden Yards changed the whole school of thought on Ballpark design, so it still seems quite modern. The biggest knock against the park, which I didn't really experience, is the lack of a retractable roof, or even very much shade. In the 110 degree heat of a Texan summer, this can present a problem. The only other major drawback is the neighbourhood and the fact that while its a very serviceable ballpark, it's in the middle of a parking lot, in the middle of other parking lots, next to the interstate. There has been chatter of a new park, but it hasn't gone too far.

But there are many plusses. The overall design is not too bad, with several distinctive features. The "Home Run Porch" in right field is very well shaded and I'm sure is very popular on summer afternoons. Fans scrambling onto the grass batter's eye after homeruns looking for souvenirs is a staple of this place, but with the Rangers failing to advance a runner past 2nd base, I didn't see it. I ended up with some relatively unmemorable food here and didn't notice much in the way of special amenities.

But, keeping in mind that this was the first playoff game I'd ever been to, the atmosphere was what kept me interested. The fans weren't outwardly hostile, mostly because the Rays don't have any fans to get mad at, but they were vehemently supporting their nine and only turned on them somewhat when they fell behind. I would like to come back here for a regular season game, as part of a Texas loop.

Update 2016: I considered coming back here on my Texas loop in 2015, but opted for a new park in San Antonio instead. Sooner rather than later though. I'd give this place a half point for each of atmosphere and facility, so 8/10 stands.

Linescores
2011-10-
                     123  456   789  R H E
Tampa Bay     033  020   011  9 11 0
Texas             000  000  000   0 2  1
Temp: 84F  Time: 3:00  Att: 50,498
Note: Game one of Division Series 

Safeco Field

Seattle Mariners, American League

10/10

Seattle's finest keep an eye on the crowd leaving out the left field gate after a game against the Jays in 2010.

            

Finally got a decent, centered shot facing out here in 2015.

The shot with the roof closed is also centered now.

Me and Safeco Field go back a long way. This was my third Major League park, after the then-Skydome and Kingdome. I remember watching the first ever game here against the Padres in 1999 on a summer road trip, on television. Before long, we were down here, seeing amongst other teams, the Blue Jays, Royals, Devil Rays, Red Sox and Blue Jays again. Each time was for two games, for a total of 10, making it my most attended park at any level. So I know this one best of all. It is one of my absolute favourites, no doubt about it.

But where to even start? Firstly, Safeco is a retro-modern park and it does quite well. The main entrance is apparently inspired by Ebbets Field, but I mostly used the outfield entrances, which are adorned with banners of the biggest names on the team and feature some decent art installations of key moments in club history. The upper concourse features banners dedicated to many different baseballers, many who never played for the Mariners, including some Negro Leaguers and a few NPB players.

Some of the other quirks of Safeco include a hand-operated scoreboard in Left Field, the standings of all three divisions of the AL via flags in left field and the retractable roof, which comes in handy the first few months of the season, although it doesn't help with the temperature. The park is located in the "SoDo" or SOuth of the DOme district, as Safeco was built next door to the Kingdome, with the team moving over in the middle of the 1999 season. Qwest Field was built on the Kingdome site. The area is dotted with pubs and is only a few blocks from Pioneer Square.

The atmosphere in Seattle is in the top tier of the MLB parks I've been to to date. Mariner fans love their team and while there aren't as many of them coming out in recent years, they loyally supported sub-par teams for a long time before finally deciding to stay away(except when King Felix is pitching). Still, Mariner fans seem on the whole to be quite knowledgeable and while they cheer, they keep it clean and games with lots of opposing fans(the bigger clubs and the Blue Jays draw here) they are more of the "thanks for coming" type as opposed to something more sinister.

So many visits here means I know the food quite well. Besides standard ballpark fare, the Mariners have incorporated numerous local options into the menu. Firstly, Kidd Valley hamburgers make a nice gourmet burger and a great milkshake. Secondly, Ivar's seafood(deep-fried seafood, but still..) is another local treat. Thirdly, there is the "Red Hook". Red Hook make a few different kinds of beer now but "A Red Hook" gets you a nice India Pale Ale. Lastly, I almost forgot to mention the Garlic Fries. They could easily be the most popular thing in the park. By the late innings, you will smell garlic.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoy this park every time I go and if you are a serious ballparking type, you need to budget a few games here. If you're in town and looking for a good night out, head over if you can.

Update 2016: I have now seen 11 games here and will be upping that to 14 next month when I swing through for a three game set versus the Blue Jays. There are some interesting food choices in the center field concourse that I only remember being new, not much about them. I will head out there for sure when I go back.

Linescores

2000-07-27
                      123   456  789  R H E
Toronto              100  000 501  7 16 0
Seattle             000  020  000  2 7  1
Temp: 75F   Time: 3:26  Att: 40,398



2000-07-28          
                       123   456  789  RHE
Toronto              004  000  000  461
Seattle              021  300  10x  790
Temp: 70F  Time: 3:11   Att: 37,126

2003-08-26
                       123    456  789    R H E
Tampa Bay       300    000  000   3 7 0     
Seattle             000     040  50x  9 12 0
Temp: 72F   Time: 2:58  Att: 43,287

2003-08-27
                       123    456  789    R H E
Tampa Bay        021  020  021   8 11 2
Seattle               000   030  010   4 5  1
Temp: 73F   Time: 2:58   Att:  42,442

2004-08-26
                        123  456   789   R  H E
Kansas City        400  002   100   7 11 0
Seattle              100  001  001   3  8  3
Temp: 70F   Time:  3:08  Att:  30,962

2004-08-27
                       123  456    789   R  H  E
Kansas City       001  030  010   5  9  0
Seattle             000  031  03x  7 14 1
Temp: 66F  Time: 2:30  Att: 35,690


2007-06-25
               123   456  789  R H  E
Boston      002  000 002  4  8  1
Seattle       010  050 30x  9 10 1
Temp: 65F  Time: 3:21   Att: 33,830
        
2007-06-26
                 123   456  789  R  H  E
Boston     101  022  010  7 14 1
Seattle      310  022  00x  8 12 1
Temp: 73F  Time: 3:25  Att: 35,045

2010-05-19


               123   456   789  R H E
Toronto     001  200  000    3 6 1
Seattle     000  000  200   2  10 1
Temp: 57F  Time: 2:36 Att: 19,208

2010-05-20
               123   456  789  RHE
Toronto     000  020  100  350
Seattle     001  000  003  480
Temp: 52F  Time: 2:35  Att: 20,452

2015-07-26
               123   456  789  10 R H E
Toronto      130  000 100   0  5 9 1
Seattle      102  000 200   1  6 13 1
Temp:66F  Time: 3:05  Att: 35,159