AT&T Park
What originally fueled the B4B idea was to visit each major league baseball stadium across the country. Now that our dreams will become reality beginning in 2012, we will want to share our greatest experiences with followers of our journey. We’ll report on fan devotion, best concessions, most memorable park moment in history and video blogging each 7th inning stretch the B4B crew will sing along to all season. We really want our readers to experience each stadium along with us.
Over the next few months, the B4B blog will be providing previews of each major league stadium. We will give some historical background, along with plenty of pictures. We would love to get fans perspective on each park as well, so please provide feedback on your favorite stadium on facebook and twitter. Our posts will take us from the oldest stadium all the way to the brand new Marlins Stadium. We hope you enjoy.
AT&T Park
The San Francisco Giants play their home games at AT&TParkin the SouthBeachneighborhood of San Francisco. The ballpark opened in 2000, along with Comerica Park and Minute Maid Park,* and cost $357 million in private funds. It currently seats 41,915, but somehow they managed to break a record with 44,046 watching game 2 of the 2010 NLDS against the Braves. Last season, the park was the most favorable to pitchers for runs scored and home runs in the majors.
* Talk about a boom time in construction for HOK Sport, which built them all.
The Giants opened their new ballpark with a series against the Dodgers, and they were promptly swept in three games. What a way to open a new stadium. It didn’t really matter because in its first few years of existence, AT&TParksaw its share of historical events. On April 17, 2001, Barry Bonds hit his 500th career home run at the stadium, and later in the season, he set single season home run records with his 71st, 72nd, and 73rd homers. On August 9, 2002, Bonds hit his 600th career home run at the park. On April 12 and 13, 2004 Bonds tied and passed Willie Mays for third all-time in home runs with 660 and 661. On September 17, 2004, Bonds hit his 700th career home run at the park, becoming the third member of the 700 club. On May 28, 2006, Bonds hit number 715 to pass Babe Ruth for second place and on August 7, 2007, Bonds passed Hank Aaron with his 756th home run for first all-time.
I don’t really recall, but it seems like the Giants had to sit Bonds on road games when he was approaching a milestone home run. Fans atAT&TParkwere really the only ones that liked Bonds, so it probably would have been a bad situation to break all these records on the road. But steroids aside, how awesome would have been to be a season ticket holder for the Giants last decade?
The most prominent feature of the ballpark is the right field wall, which is 24 feet high in honor of Willie Mays, who wore number 24. Because San FranciscoBayis right beyond the wall, the foul pole is only 309 feet from home plate. This part of the bay is called McCovey Cove, after Giants great Willie McCovey. Home runs commonly land in the Cove on the fly, and the Giants keep track of all of them. So far, there have been 60 “Splash Hits” by Giants players, and 24 home runs by opposing players in McCovey Cove.
Behind the scoreboard in center field there is a pier where ferries can tie up and let off fans at the park. On game days, many fans go out on the water in McCovey Cove on boats and kayaks in hopes of collecting a home run ball. I would love to hang out on the water during batting practice. Some of the images of the cove filled with kayakers during Bonds’ historic home run chase are pretty amazing. Maybe Biking for Baseball can meet some kayakers and spend some time on the water while we’re atAT&TPark watching the Giants take on the Padres on April 27. Make sure to stay up to date with us on facebook and twitter.