Field: Oakland Coliseum
Official Site: https://www.mlb.com/athletics/ballpark
Year Completed: 1966
Capacity: 46,765
Covered: No – Rainout Policy
Mascot: Stomper, a white elephant
The Game We’ll See: Wednesday, September 6: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Oakland Athletics (see all 30 here!)
Parking & Transportation:
Oakland Coliseum has two on-site parking spots. Parking is $30, and the stadium recommends paying in advance. The parking lots open 2 hours before first pitch Monday through Thursday, and 2.5 hours before first pitch Friday through Sunday.
Tailgating is allowed at the stadium.
Oversized vehicle: According to Outdoorsy, the Oakland Coliseum offers RV parking in a dedicated lot for RVs and buses. The price is higher than it would be for a small vehicle, of course. However, I couldn’t find the details on the MLB site.
BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit System) serves the Coliseum, as does the Capitol Corridor Train.
Stadium Tours:
Oakland Coliseum tours are suspended until further notice.
General Information:
The Athletics are the first team I’ve run across that does not have an A to Z guide. That’s unfortunate, as having the guide makes finding information much easier!
Bags: Oakland Coliseum allows fans to bring in backpacks, purses, and bags no larger than 16” x 16” x 8”.
Food & Beverages: Fans may bring their own food, but everything must be packaged inside non-glass containers. Fans may also bring in one, factory-sealed plastic bottle of non-alcoholic beverage no larger than 1 liter in size.
Cashless transactions: All transactions are cashless.
Signs: Signs are permitted if they are baseball-related, don’t block views, interfere with the game, contain advertising, or contain offensive materials. They may be no larger than 3’ tall by 6’ wide.
Foul Balls: I couldn’t find any rules regarding foul balls on the website. Presumably, fans may keep foul balls, as long as they don’t interfere with play or enter the playing area to retrieve them.
Gates: Gates open 90 minutes prior to first pitch on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and 1 hour before first pitch every other day.
Cameras: Oakland Coliseum allows video cameras and GoPro-style cameras for non-commercial use. Selfie sticks and tripods are not permitted.
Umbrellas: Umbrellas are not on the permitted or prohibited lists. I would assume that they are allowed if they fit within your regulation-sized bag.
Where to Sit:
For shade, sit in the back rows of the 100 level to take advantage of the overhang.
If you aren’t on a tight budget, aim for Sections 103 to 106 or 128 to 130. If you are hoping for autographs, try sitting along the aisle in the first few rows of Section 115.
The best value seats are in the first row of the 200 level, as close to Section 217 as possible. Ideally, choose seats from 205 to 209, or 217 to 224.
If you are looking for a less expensive option, the bleachers are a good choice. Unlike the traditional bleachers with a plain metal bench, these have regular seats in the section. (Sections 134 – 150)
Avoid seats above row 21 in Sections 109 to 125, and rows below 21 and above 38 in Sections 109 – 125.
Ballpark Savvy recommends bringing a blanket and hot beverage to a night game. The closer you sit to the concourses, the windier it becomes.
Food:
Unfortunately, I could not find a list of current concessions at Oakland Coliseum. That’s unfortunate because most stadiums change their menus routinely. Often, recommendations from bloggers or books are out of date. In my more recent posts, I started checking to make sure the food recommendations I provided were still available! I need to go back and double check my earlier entries. Since I can’t do that here, I’m hoping these options are still available:
- Garlic fries, recommended by Ballpark Savvy (Sections 116 and 211)
- Hot dogs and sausages at Saag’s Specialty Meats and Sausages (Section 118)
- Food trucks in Championship Plaza (with a rotating selection of cuisines)
- Burnt Ends Mac & Cheese Bowl at Smoke in Section 232
- Strawberry Churro Shortcake at Oakland StrEats in Section 232
- Loaded helmet nachos are also popular among Ballpark Chasers on Facebook
First Time Visitors:
Oakland Coliseum provides first game certificates/pins at the information booths.
Autographs:
Oakland Coliseum is the first ballpark I’ve seen that allows fans to bring in baseball bats for autographs. Once the batting cage is pulled (45 minutes before the game), bats must be checked at the Security Office in Section 126 until the end of the game.
Other Stadium Tips & Highlights:
According to Ballpark Chasers on Facebook, Shibe Tavern, on the second level behind home plate, has historical items from the team’s days in Philadelphia. It’s a sit-down restaurant and a bar. The Treehouse in left field is recommended both pre-game and during the game.
Check out the montage of Athletics history on the walls leading to the Food truck court.
The retired numbers are painted on the tarps in bright yellow. They include:
- 9 – Reggie Jackson
- 24 – Rickey Henderson
- 27 – Jim “Catfish” Hunter
- 34 – Dave Stewart
- 34 – Rollie Fingers
- Honorary Jersey – Walter A. Haas, Owner
- 43 – Dennis Eckersley
- 42 – Jackie Robinson (retired by the MLB)
