MLB Stadiums - North East

The baseball season is winding down… or up depending on who you rout for.  Two stadiums in New York are in their last months and if you have never been to the stadiums, you have a month and a half to get your tickets.  I am going to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees and Royals on August 16th and am really excited.  It is my first game at Yankee Stadium so I can’t wait to get there and enjoy the game and the experience.  My family and friends are coming with me, thanks to my brother (he got the tickets).  And if we all don’t have “A dog and a beer” my dad will be very upset.  Apparently, if we don’t have a dog and a beer the game is not complete for my dad.  I don’t really remember that being part of the “going to a baseball game” equation when I was growing up.  My first sporting event ever was a Pirates baseball game, although I don’t remember it since I was a baby.  I am pretty sure I didn’t have a dog and a beer and odds are the Pirate Parrot ate my head and I cried.  My parents told me I made it on the Jumbo Tron that game, so if you remember seeing a cute baby on the big screen at a Pirate game, it was me.  So maybe I will get lucky and get on camera with my beer and dog at my first Yankee game…on second thought probably not.

The number of new stadiums that have been built over the past ten years is pretty amazing.  I have been to baseball games at Wrigley Field, Camden Yards, Nationals Park, RFK Stadium, Minute Maid Park, Rodgers Centre (The SkyDome in Toronto), and of course PNC Park and Three Rivers Stadium.  I really am glad there are all these new ball park designs because watching games at Three Rivers Stadium and RFK Stadium were pretty terrible.  So Yankee Stadium will be my ninth baseball venue and counting, and I will definitely be using Ticketstumber to search for tickets to a Red Sox game at Fenway next year.  Eventually I would like to do an east coast baseball tour by train, going to game in Boston, New York, Philladelphia, Baltimore, and DC.  If anyone has tried this I would love to hear about it.  If not, I will be sure to post the dates for next season when the feat can be attempted.

I wanted to do a round the country look at MLB Stadiums and upcoming series that have playoff implications.  I know there are places that don’t sell out ever (that means you Florida Marlins) so I will try to concentrate on venues that bring a little more excitement.  So here is your North East Stadium guide for games in August/September.

• Yankee Stadium - The clock is ticking on seats and good prices on tickets.  Seats in the bleachers are typically cheaper, but that is a non-alchohol section.  Your best bet would be the mid-week series against the White Sox or the Sunday game against the Blue Jays.  Things are going to be really expensive for the Red Sox and Orioles(since it is the last series of the regular season).  Something to consider though, is if the Yankees make a push for the playoffs and clinch a spot before the Orioles series, prices for the friday/saturday game might go down.
• Fenway Park - Plenty of options to see games at Fenway right now.  The Sox are in the playoff/division mix and have the Blue Jays for 2 weekend sets, and the Orioles/Indians coming to town for mid week games.  With all the hoopla about Yankee Stadium in September I figure prices might be a little down for some of the Red Sox home games.  It isn’t like the games will be empty though, not with such a big following.
• Shea Stadium - The Mets are in the thick of a pennent race as well although there really seems to be a lot more tickets available.  Maybe it is because there isn’t as much history in the stadium or because the National League doesn’t have as much star power as the American League.  I would beg to differ on the latter point though.  I think the Cubs and Marlins series at the end of September will have major playoff implications so getting tickets now before the rush might be a good idea.
• Citizens Bank Park - The Phillies are leading the NL East right now and have a great stretch of home games from August 22nd to September 14th.  The Dodgers, Mets, Marlins, and Brewers will all be in town.  If Philadelphia is going to win the division winning those series is a must.  Luckily the also have games against the Brave and the Nationals, both clubs probably looking to play call ups at the end of the season.
• Nationals Park -  For the transplants in DC, like yours truely, the Nats are obviously NOT selling out, so now is a good chance to get good prices for your favorite out of town teams.  The Rockies, Dodgers, Braves, Phillies, Mets, Padres, and Marlins are all coming into town.  And for those fantasy baseball players out there you might get to see some of the guys on your team as well.
• Camden Yards - And for those AL fans, the Orioles have the Red Sox, Yankees, White Sox, Athletics, Indians, Twins, Rays, and Blue Jays coming into town.  A bunch of my friends usually drive up to Baltimore to see there AL teams play.  It is only about an hour from DC so even a night game makes for a fun evening.