Ballpark Game Plan: Arizona Diamondbacks & Chase Field

Field: Chase Field

Official Site: https://www.mlb.com/dbacks

Year Completed: 1998

Capacity: 48,633

Covered: Yes – retractable

Mascot: D. Baxter the Bobcat

The Game We’ll See: Friday, July 28: Seattle Mariners vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (see all 30 here!)

Parking & Transportation:

Chase Field parking is managed by ParkWhiz. Parking at the Chase Field Garage is $25 and is right across the street. Parking can be purchased in advance.

Alternative Transportation: The light rail system serves riders in Phoenix, Mesa and Tempe, and drops off within walking distance of the field.

Oversized vehicle: Not called out specifically.

Stadium Tours:

Tour participants receive 10% off regular-priced merchandise in the Team Shop right after the tour concludes.

Tours are offered every day except Sunday, year around. Pregame tours are only offered before evening games on Fridays and Saturdays. Game day tours start 3 hours and 10 minutes before the first pitch. All tours are 75 minutes long. Tickets cost $20 per person.

General Information:

Bags: Chase Field has a clear bag policy. Clear bags must be no larger than 12” x 6” x 12”. You may also bring a clutch, wallet or other bag that is smaller than 6.5” x 4.5”. The dimensions apply even if the bag is inside the clear bag. Bag storage is available onsite through BinBox.

Food & Beverages: The stadium allows fans to bring food if it is in a clear plastic bag. The only permissible beverage is non-flavored and non-carbonated water in sealed, plastic bottles. However, you can bring sealed, single-serving juice boxes and formula or baby food. You can also bring in empty plastic water bottles.

Cashless transactions: All transactions are cashless.

Signs: Signs are permitted, providing that they are baseball related and in good taste.

Foul Balls: May be kept by the fan. Don’t interfere with play (of course!).

Gates: Gates open 90 minutes prior to first pitch for Sunday to Thursday games, and 2 hours before first pitch on Fridays and Saturdays.

Umbrellas: No information is available.

Cameras: Non-professional cameras and video cameras are allowed. Lenses may not be longer than 8” or wider than 4”, and no extra detachable lenses are permitted.

Where to Sit:

According to Baseball Road Trips, the club level is the best value. Aim for sections 215 to 218. The 100 level is also relatively affordable, and sections 130 to 133 are good places to sit. For a cheap seat with a chance at catching a home run ball, try the left-field bleacher seats.

The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip recommends sections 115 to 128 if you can get them. Sections 203 to 217 are also good if you avoid the back row. Since the air conditioning forces hot air up in the stadium, the 300 level tends to be a lot warmer than the other levels. If you do choose the 300 level, try for sections 310 to 322, and stay under Row 20.

According to Best Baseball Seats, If you are looking for autographs R-S and 132 – 235 are the best places to get them from Diamondbacks. Of course, we’ll be rooting for the Mariners, and the best seats to get those will be the bottom of sections A-B and 109 – 112.

If you buy your tickets through StubHub or the team, you can upgrade your seats at the park through the MLB Ballpark app.

Food:

The trademark dish at the stadium is the churro dog, a sweet and cold dessert that is perfect for hot weather.
Hungry Hill Sandwiches offers excellent sandwiches at a reasonable price.
The Arizona Dog is a foot-long chorizo sausage topped with nacho cheese and tortilla strips.
Lo-Lo’s Chicken and Waffles offer fried green tomatoes, which sound delightful to me!

First Time Visitors:

I can’t find anything special for first time visitors at Chase Field.

Autographs:

To get autographs, go the first rows of sections 113, 114,130, and 131. I found conflicting information about how long players will be there to give autographs. The safest choice is to be there promptly at 5:20.

Other Stadium Tips & Highlights:

Chase Field features a swimming pool with a view of the field. The Cremily Pool Suite has both a pool and a hot tub along the outfield fence. Unfortunately, you need to be a guest of the Suite to access Arizona’s most famous pool!

The Sandlot offers families with children a great place to spend a few innings. It features a playground, family seating, and concessions.

The 20^th Anniversary Experience, a small museum in the lower concourse (right field) features Diamondback memorabilia.

You can watch the opposing team’s batting practice since it begins at the same time the gates open.

Retired numbers appear on the right field suite façade. They include:

20 – Luis Gonzalez
51 – Randy Johnson
42 – Jackie Robinson (retired by the MLB)

Advice from Friends:

One baseball fan who wishes to remain anonymous suggested that we try the White Tank Waterfall Trail, since we’re staying at White Tank Park. It’s quick, easy, and scenic. He recommended the following spots for meals (and they all require reservations):

Chantico is a real favorite for Mexican.
Christopher’s is good for fine dining.
Tarbells is also good.
Bacanora is excellent and near the stadium, but it’s hard to get a reservation.
Valentine is also very good.

He also recommended Phoenix Coqui for Puerto Rican food.

Kirk Greene recommended a visit to Old Town Scottsdale. Michelle Shurn agreed, and suggested the waterfront walk. She also said she and Barron enjoy Entanto Park and downtown Gilbert. She recommended Zinburger (which has multiple locations) for burgers, and Culinary Dropout for food and outdoor games.

Michelle Shurn suggested the Camelback Mountain hike, if you can be there early enough to avoid the hot weather, or the short easy “hike” of A Mountain in Tempe. She and Barron enjoy renting electric scooters in downtown Phoenix and riding around. There are speed limits around Chase Field, but it’s a fun way to explore the area. Just make sure you bring your own helmets!

Carolin Benjamin said to remember that it will be “HOT! HOT! HOT! — and perhaps monsoon weather (very humid). She warned to drink more water than you think you will need. She also suggested to be careful with driving in Phoenix. The traffic can be dicey – and it takes longer than one might expect to get from one side of town to the other. She also suggests the following spots that are popular with tourists:

References:

Baseball Bucket List: Chase Field

AZ Snakepit

Ball Park Savvy: Chase Field