Game # 7 – Chase @ Chase Field – AZ D’Backs v. SF Giants
B4B was fortunate enough to catch two games at Chase Field over the weekend after our desert-y ride, so we had twice as much time to get a good feel for the park. Since our tickets donated to Biking for Baseball from the Arizona Diamondbacks were meant for Saturday and not Friday, we deemed that the Saturday game was our “working” game. Friday, we spent a little more time exploring the stadium and the concourse, and we all came to a consensus; we liked it A LOT!
Personally, Chase is most partial to the stadium because it has a sweet name that he shares with it. We feel like there was an added ” ‘s ” after Chase and it was HIS field. The very nice amenities, good concourse area, huge big screen, and swimming pool in right center field also helped further our enjoyment of the stadium. The only drawback we could find was the concessions were a bit more expensive than most other parks. We determined that must mean the food was the best we’ve seen so far, but don’t quote us on that because we are broke and couldn’t actually afford it. Regardless, we liked the stadium.
Chase Field is one of a handful of MLB stadiums with a retractable roof. This one was very similar to the one we saw at Safeco Field in Seattle. The Saturday game we watched at Chase Field started with the roof closed and we were really surprised how little the atmosphere suffered when the roof was closed. We were firm believers that baseball is meant to be played outdoors (Chase has been to plenty of games at the Metrodome that reinforced those opinions), but it was actually comfortable with the roof closed. The atmosphere wasn’t stale like we expected and the huge air conditioning ducts were right behind us in the upper deck to cool us down from the 100 degree weather outside. When the outside temp dropped as the evening went on, they opened the roof, which was a very cool sight to see.
The game wasn’t kind to the home team. The DBacks were beaten 5-2 single handedly by Matt Cain of the Giants. 6 solid innings of 1 run ball while going 2 for 3 from the plate. He also had an awesome take out slide at second base to break up a potential double play. That’s what we like to see from pitchers! Former Royal Melky Cabrera also continued his season long hot streak, going 3 for 5 with 2 RBI.
We had a big group of B4B supporters sitting with us at the game. We had volunteers and employees from Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central Arizona, as well as a few more kids and volunteers who we gave tickets to specifically at the clinic on Friday.
It was great to see the game with Mom and Dad Higgins, Chelsea, Kim, Mickey, Mike, Kyle, and the Fenderson’s. It’s awesome to have a support group like that. Thanks for coming to the game with us friends and family!
Gm 1– 4/13 @ Safeco Field – Oakland A’s @ Seattle Mariners
Oakland wins 4-0 (WP – Colon, LP – Hernandez)
Gm 2 – 4/24 @ O.Co Stadium – Chicago White Sox @ Oakland A’s
Oakland wins 2-0 (WP – Milone, LP – Floyd, SV – Balfour)
Gm 3 – 4/27 @ AT&T Park – San Diego Padres @ San Francisco Giants
San Diego wins 5-3 (WP – Luebke, LP – Hacker, SV – Street)
Gm 4 – 5/3 @ Angels Stadium – Toronto Blue Jays @ LA Angels of Anaheim
Toronto wins 5-0 (WP – Morrow, LP – Haren)
Gm 5 – 5/7 @ Dodger Stadium – SF Giants @ Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodgers win 9-1 (WP – Lilly, LP – Zito)
Gm 6 – 5/8 @ Petco Park – Colorado Rockies @ San Diego Padres
Padres win 3-1 (WP – Suppan, LP – White, SV – Thayer)
Gm 7 – 5/11 @ Chase Field – San Francisco Giants @ Arizona Diamondbacks
Diamondbacks win 5-1 (WP – Cain, LP – Cahill, SV – Casilla)
B4B ON!