27. Petco Park
In my original conception, the 2015 baseball road trip was only going to cover Denver and Phoenix, but then I realized that from Phoenix it was a mere five hour drive to San Diego, which in addition to having baseball has the additional virtue of being the home of one of my favorite relatives, my cousin Becky. Even better, she had a day off when I'd be there, so I penciled in my first visit to a California baseball stadium.
Aside from that, my knowledge of San Diego was summed up by Lewis Black:
Easiest job in the world? Weatherman in San Diego:
"How's the weather?"
"Nice. Now back to you, Bob."
It turns out that this is very accurate, at least to my eyes. Becky did say that it was a little hot for April while I was there. The horror! Anyway, after a full day involving the La Jolla Sea Caves and assorted good foods, Becky's husband Andy gracefully offered to watch their daughter so we could hit up the game at Petco Park. Becky was already very familiar with it, as she and Andy had season tickets pre-daughter. We walked up and snagged two seats in the outfield right near the right field line. More importantly, we grabbed a gigantic pile of delicious nachos, which frankly distracted me for a solid inning.
It was a fun game. Both starters went 6, with the edge to the Padres, but one blown save later the Astros were back in it and then pulled ahead after Joanquín Benoit faced four batters and gave up two walks and two hits. The Astros then locked down the interleague win when Padres reliever Cory Mazzoni made his big league debut and was greeted by a Colby Rasmus home run. Rasmus made up for some truly terrible outfield play earlier in the game that had let the Padres keep it competitive.
As for the park itself, it's gorgeous. It's downtown near the ocean. As you'd expect in San Diego, there's no dome. Left field incorporates pieces of the Western Metal Supply Company build, which was a historic landmark. Rather than run afoul of preservation rules, they just built it into the park. Instead of the usual green paint job, Petco has its exposed steel painted white to go with blue seats. Sandstone and stucco round out the color schemes. There's a park beyond the outfield. On game day a ticket to sit in the park costs $5. The rest of the time it is a public park. Between the outfield seats and the park is a large bell which is rung before the game and in certain game situations.
Midway through the game Becky and I went for a walk all the way around the park so we could sample the culinary delights available. You can see the game from every point of the concourse, so this wasn't a sacrifice. The food options are truly diverse. San Diego apparently has a huge microbrew scene (who knew?) and basically all of them are available in the park. There's also a wide range of food, ranging from the traditional hot dogs to fish tacos to ice cream and a host of other things. I ate a lot.
All of this was in a gorgeous building near the ocean with a view of Balboa Park, and we didn't even have trouble finding parking. Throw in the great weather, and this place is a winner. I'll be back.
Park Rankings
RankParkTeamFirst Visit# Visits
1 Marlins ParkMiami MarlinsMay 23, 20141
2 Wrigley FieldChicago CubsApril 23, 20042
3 PNC ParkPittsburgh PiratesSeptember 25, 20042
4 Jacobs FieldCleveland IndiansApril 17, 199963
5 Miller ParkMilwaukee BrewersApril 24, 20041
6 Camden YardsBaltimore OriolesJune 22, 20121
7 Kauffman StadiumKansas City RoyalsJune 9, 20131
8Petco ParkSan Diego PadresApril 27, 20151
9 Yankee Stadium (original)New York YankeesJuly 28, 20061
10 Chase FieldArizona DiamondbacksApril 25, 20151
11 Safeco FieldSeattle MarinersAugust 25, 20141
12 Coors FieldColorado RockiesApril 20, 20151
13 Comerica ParkDetroit TigersJuly 31, 20041
14 Target FieldMinnesota TwinsJuly 25, 20141
15 Turner FieldAtlanta BravesMay 5, 20071
16 Busch Stadium IIISt. Louis CardinalsAugust 8, 20131
17 Nationals ParkWashington NationalsJune 21, 20121
18 Citizens Bank ParkPhiladelphia PhilliesJune 23, 20121
19 Citi FieldNew York MetsJune 24, 20121
20 Rogers CentreToronto Blue JaysMay 21, 20051
21 Cinergy FieldCincinnati RedsAugust 8, 19984
22 Yankee Stadium (sequel)New York YankeesJune 25, 20121
23 The MetrodomeMinnesota TwinsJune 22, 19923
24 Shea StadiumNew York MetsJuly 24, 20061
25 Great American Ball ParkCincinnati RedsMay 9, 20041
26 U.S. Cellular FieldChicago White SoxApril 25, 20041
27 Tropicana FieldTampa Bay RaysMay 21, 20141
Background: Prologue Memory Interlude
Aside from that, my knowledge of San Diego was summed up by Lewis Black:
Easiest job in the world? Weatherman in San Diego:
"How's the weather?"
"Nice. Now back to you, Bob."
It turns out that this is very accurate, at least to my eyes. Becky did say that it was a little hot for April while I was there. The horror! Anyway, after a full day involving the La Jolla Sea Caves and assorted good foods, Becky's husband Andy gracefully offered to watch their daughter so we could hit up the game at Petco Park. Becky was already very familiar with it, as she and Andy had season tickets pre-daughter. We walked up and snagged two seats in the outfield right near the right field line. More importantly, we grabbed a gigantic pile of delicious nachos, which frankly distracted me for a solid inning.
It was a fun game. Both starters went 6, with the edge to the Padres, but one blown save later the Astros were back in it and then pulled ahead after Joanquín Benoit faced four batters and gave up two walks and two hits. The Astros then locked down the interleague win when Padres reliever Cory Mazzoni made his big league debut and was greeted by a Colby Rasmus home run. Rasmus made up for some truly terrible outfield play earlier in the game that had let the Padres keep it competitive.
As for the park itself, it's gorgeous. It's downtown near the ocean. As you'd expect in San Diego, there's no dome. Left field incorporates pieces of the Western Metal Supply Company build, which was a historic landmark. Rather than run afoul of preservation rules, they just built it into the park. Instead of the usual green paint job, Petco has its exposed steel painted white to go with blue seats. Sandstone and stucco round out the color schemes. There's a park beyond the outfield. On game day a ticket to sit in the park costs $5. The rest of the time it is a public park. Between the outfield seats and the park is a large bell which is rung before the game and in certain game situations.
Midway through the game Becky and I went for a walk all the way around the park so we could sample the culinary delights available. You can see the game from every point of the concourse, so this wasn't a sacrifice. The food options are truly diverse. San Diego apparently has a huge microbrew scene (who knew?) and basically all of them are available in the park. There's also a wide range of food, ranging from the traditional hot dogs to fish tacos to ice cream and a host of other things. I ate a lot.
All of this was in a gorgeous building near the ocean with a view of Balboa Park, and we didn't even have trouble finding parking. Throw in the great weather, and this place is a winner. I'll be back.
Park Rankings
RankParkTeamFirst Visit# Visits
1 Marlins ParkMiami MarlinsMay 23, 20141
2 Wrigley FieldChicago CubsApril 23, 20042
3 PNC ParkPittsburgh PiratesSeptember 25, 20042
4 Jacobs FieldCleveland IndiansApril 17, 199963
5 Miller ParkMilwaukee BrewersApril 24, 20041
6 Camden YardsBaltimore OriolesJune 22, 20121
7 Kauffman StadiumKansas City RoyalsJune 9, 20131
8Petco ParkSan Diego PadresApril 27, 20151
9 Yankee Stadium (original)New York YankeesJuly 28, 20061
10 Chase FieldArizona DiamondbacksApril 25, 20151
11 Safeco FieldSeattle MarinersAugust 25, 20141
12 Coors FieldColorado RockiesApril 20, 20151
13 Comerica ParkDetroit TigersJuly 31, 20041
14 Target FieldMinnesota TwinsJuly 25, 20141
15 Turner FieldAtlanta BravesMay 5, 20071
16 Busch Stadium IIISt. Louis CardinalsAugust 8, 20131
17 Nationals ParkWashington NationalsJune 21, 20121
18 Citizens Bank ParkPhiladelphia PhilliesJune 23, 20121
19 Citi FieldNew York MetsJune 24, 20121
20 Rogers CentreToronto Blue JaysMay 21, 20051
21 Cinergy FieldCincinnati RedsAugust 8, 19984
22 Yankee Stadium (sequel)New York YankeesJune 25, 20121
23 The MetrodomeMinnesota TwinsJune 22, 19923
24 Shea StadiumNew York MetsJuly 24, 20061
25 Great American Ball ParkCincinnati RedsMay 9, 20041
26 U.S. Cellular FieldChicago White SoxApril 25, 20041
27 Tropicana FieldTampa Bay RaysMay 21, 20141
Background: Prologue Memory Interlude