Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:401 East Jefferson Street
Phoenix, Arizona
Our Sports Superfan Says:
Think for a minute about what's lacking at a baseball game. If your answer is "a swimming pool," then Chase Field is the place for you. The home of the Arizona Diamondbacks combines both an old-style ballpark feel, with a retractable roof, modern amenities, and of course, the large swimming pool in right-center field, which is available for a mere $6,500 per game.
The most memorable event for the Diamondbacks since they began play in 1998 at brand new Chase Field, then called Bank One Ballpark or the BOB, was the 2001 World Series against the three-time defending champion New York Yankees. The D-Backs won all four of their home games to win the series 4-3 in dramatic fashion, coming back in the bottom of the ninth inning against all-time great closer Mariano Rivera to win the game 3-2.
In addition to professional baseball, the stadium also hosts an annual college game between the University of Arizona and Arizona State University, used to host the Insight Bowl for college football, and continues to host a monster truck, a bull riding, and a motorcross event each year. It has also hosted several women's college basketball games (including some with the roof open), soccer games, and some of the World Baseball Classic in 2005.
The roof's function is not like those in Seattle or Toronto, which is to keep out rain, but rather to keep out the extreme Phoenix summer desert heat. Chase Field has natural grass on the field, which means that the roof needs to be open most of the time to give it adequate sunlight, but it can still close quickly enough to cool the stadium down to comfortable levels for the game.
Located in downtown Phoenix, Chase Field offers tours, during the baseball season, every day but Sunday at 9:30, 11 a.m., and 12:30 p.m., as well as Friday and Saturday at 3:30 before night home games. The Valley Metro service offers many busses to the arena including routes 0, 1, 3, 7, 8, 10, and 15. You can also arrive via the Red and Blue lines on the light rail.