Chase Field

View of the outfield side of Chase Field (along Jefferson Street), Jul-2014.

The seating area as seen from the upper deck in right field.

Visible in right-center field, just beyond the wall, is the pool facility. Picnic areas also line the outfield.

Chronological Tour: Stop 150

• Location: Jefferson Street between 4th & 7th Streets, Phoenix, Ariz. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 1998 as Bank One Ballpark
• Additional names: Chase Field (2005)
• Home team: Arizona Diamondbacks, National League (1998-present)
• Capacity: 48,500

Rating: 2 baseballs

Funny thing was, when I first got there, I was. I entered through the northeast entrance, which brings one to the right-field bleachers. The temperature was something over 95°F (35°C) outside, with the sun shining brightly, but the air conditioning was already going full blast and it was quite comfortable at field level. And even when they closed the dome following batting practice, it still seemed like it could be a day game, with the sun shining through the picture windows in the outfield.

A close-up of the swimming pool.

Something happened later, though. It got cloudy, and then it got dark. With no sun streaming in anywhere, reality set in: I was indoors watching baseball. I’ve been indoors watching baseball before, and it’s never been a terribly pleasant experience. Worse yet, while I had a perfect seat in the front row of the upper deck behind home plate, the air conditioning was blowing on my back.

The grass was a nice touch, the first attempt at a grass field in a domed stadium since the first year of the Astrodome, although it was turning brown or wearing away in many spots when I was there. (By my 2021 visit, the green areas were artificial turf, while the dirt areas were still real dirt, much as at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.) Among the many gimmicks is a pool and spa in right-center field just beyond the wall; a fly ball bounced off the warning track and into the drink in May 1998 for what the scorer called a “ground-pool double”.

If you like technological wonders, BOB is worth saying hi to. It might be better in the spring, when the dome is open. As it is, it lost too many points for me to give it a high score.

Effective 2005, Bank One, the naming sponsor, had been bought by JP Morgan Chase, and the park’s name became Chase Field as a result. I still like BOB.