In my experience, the best place to sit at a baseball game to catch a ball would most likely be anywhere along the third base line, left field, or where the home team sits behind their dugout. Those seats are usually more expensive, too.
Speaking of high costs, parking these days seems to be more expensive than the ticket to see the ball game costs! That’s why, lately, some friends and I have opted to travel to see our Detroit Tiger’s baseball game via a charter bus. However, throughout my life, we have commuted to ball games in the following manner:
- Van with my grandparents and family
- Car with friends
- Park at Nemo’s and take their shuttle with my ex-husband and sons
- City bus from work, which is located off of Woodward Avenue, with work friends
- Park at the casino in Greektown and walk ½ mile or take the People Mover with out-of-town clients
I can say that my favorite way to travel has been with a charter bus. We get picked up, as a group, from one person’s home, the bus then drops us off in front of Comerica Park (the Detroit Tigers’ MLB stadium), and they pick us up at that same spot when the game is over. Easy breezy, lemon squeezy!
Are seats behind the dugout good
As a huge baseball fan and a player, I have been to so many Tigers’ games that I have lost count. Since I was a little girl, I have loved to play, watch, practice, eat, sleep, and breathe baseball. As a Michigander, naturally, my favorite team is the Tigers, and at just eleven years old, I got to see my team win the 1984 World Series.
Every year, when my mom signed me up for Little League, the cost included two free tickets to a Tigers’ exhibition game, with seats along the third base line. While she also loved to watch Tigers’ baseball, she gave her ticket to her dad, my grandpa (Pops). It became a treasured tradition with me and my Pops – our trips down to Tiger Stadium on Michigan Avenue and Trumbull (now Comerica Park on Woodward Avenue) will always be some of my favorite memories.
Later, when I was an older teenager and in my early twenties, my mom and I would attend Opening Day every year for her birthday, which was on April 8th, because the first home game generally falls on or around that date. We would attend other games throughout the season as well. We also went to see the second-to-last Tiger’s game played at Tiger Stadium before they, sadly, tore it down. That is a treasured memory with my mom and me that I will never forget.
One time, a friend of mine landed primo seats right behind the dugout for free. We got to see the players up close, and they threw us a ball. I caught it, but my friend whined about how she got us the tickets, and that she deserved the ball – so, regrettably, I gave it to her.
To this day, now in my early fifties, I still wear my baseball glove the whole time while watching a game, and I have yet to get a ball. And I have sat all over the ballpark – maybe someday before I pass on, I’ll catch one!
According to the Society of American Baseball Research, “As baseball fans, the present authors have often wondered where to sit in a baseball stadium to maximize the likelihood of obtaining a baseball. Clearly, in America, this is a question of basic importance. If you doubt this, attend a major league baseball game with a child between the ages of six and 12, and he or she will set your doubts to rest.
In the upper stands, nearly as many balls are fouled into the seats in the lower half of the three sections straight back of home plate as in the entire remainder of the upper deck. In the lower stands, the best places are among the most expensive seats, such as on the right side out to somewhat beyond first base. The equivalent seats on the left side are also good if the teams playing have a significant number of left-handed hitters,”.
Worst place to sit at a baseball game
While sitting behind the dugout, you might get a ball tossed to you and see the players up close, but it is not necessarily the best spot to see the entire field of play. Likewise, behind home plate is the best spot to view the entire field of play, but it is not a good spot to catch a fly ball, let alone a foul ball, because there is a giant net in front of you.
MLive reviews and reports the worst seat at Comerica Park, “At Comerica Park, the worst seat, according to Bookies, is located in section 345, row 20, seat 9.
First, it’s just about as far away from home plate as a seat can get. The sound of the ball doesn’t even reach you until a second or two after you see it hit. There is also an obstructed view of the left field corner in which you can’t see deep into foul territory and into part of the bullpen. You also can’t see the giant scoreboard.
On top of that, for a night game in July, the sun was shining right in our face until it finally set in the distance behind the stadium. However, it is under a small overhang which only extends over the back rows shielding you from rain.
It takes a long time to get to this seat. You have to walk up the stairs and then all the way to the very end where you’ll find the last section in the stadium’s upper deck. Once you get there, it’s a hike to the top,”.
Well, at fifty-two years old with bad knees, those nosebleed seats would not work for me at all. Furthermore, my balance is off lately as I am in menopause, and you would not want to see my booty tumbling down the stairs when I get up for the umpteenth time to use the restroom!
Where is the best place to sit at a baseball game to catch a ball
In conclusion, I would highly suggest that for the best shot at catching a ball, aim for seats along third base or left field—just steer clear of the nosebleeds and bring your glove.
Play ball!