Advice please - catch a ball game at Dodgers Stadium.

Hi - we have a couple of nights in LA prior to cruise on 15 April. Apparently there's a Dodgers home game on the 14th, am I reading this right?

https://www.vividseats.com/mlb-baseball/los-angeles-dodgers-tickets/dodgers-vs-diamondbacks-4-14-2151371.html

So the seats run from $5 to $919? What's a good but not too expensive family seating area? What else should I know. Never been to a baseball game ever.

Thanks

JohnO

I've never used Vivid seats before, I've always used StubHub.com.

https://www.stubhub.com/los-angeles-dodgers-tickets/performer/1061/

The lowest actual seats (from the Dodgers) are $26 dollars I believe. The cut price tickets are season ticket holders selling tickets they can't use.

For a newbie, I'd get high. I think you have a better vision of what is happening on the field.

and put aside some money for parking. Haven't been there in some years but I would imagine you can get the details on the LA dodgers website.

and put aside some money for parking. Haven't been there in some years but I would imagine you can get the details on the LA dodgers website.

Or park at Union Station and use the free shuttle from there. You could also have a pre-game meal at Philippe The Original.

and put aside some money for parking. Haven't been there in some years but I would imagine you can get the details on the LA dodgers website.

Thanks but not planning in getting a car - too used to driving on the left side of the road to be bothered with driving myself over there. We'll be ubering in from about an hour or so away in Anaheim resort district.

There's a local Angels-Rangers game the day before at the Angels stadium. It would be so much easier but it's not going to be the same experience, is it? And no fireworks show afterwards.

Thanks but not planning in getting a car - too used to driving on the left side of the road to be bothered with driving myself over there. We'll be ubering in from about an hour or so away in Anaheim resort district.

 

There's a local Angels-Rangers game the day before at the Angels stadium. It would be so much easier but it's not going to be the same experience, is it? And no fireworks show afterwards.

Well, both the Angels game and the Dodgers game will be U.S. Baseball - so that part of it will be the same, with some minor rule differences due to the different leagues in which each team plays. But IMO, they won't make much difference for a first time viewer who's not a baseball fanatic.

The Dodgers have a much longer history in baseball, and Dodger stadium is a something of a mid-century icon of a stadium. It's also one of the few baseball stadiums built to take advantage of the geography of the location...Chavez ravine...and if you value the history of the sport, I'd go to the Dodgers game.

On the other hand, if your goal is just to experience a baseball game, and the logistics of the Angels game are easier for you, you'll likely have just as good a time at the Angels.

As mentioned above, your costs will be considerably more than just the tickets. You'll likely have to pay for parking or transportation to the game, and snacks and beverages are not cheap at any major sporting event in the U.S.

Finally, if you want the real baseball experience, try to get seats down low and close to the field. They will be expensive, but if this is the only U.S. baseball game you'll ever see, you will get the best "feel" for the game down where you can see and hear all the aspects of the game that you won't get in the upper bleachers...the players talking to each other and the umps, the call of the ump behind the plate, the crack of the bat on that perfectly hit home run ball...the thunk of the ball in the catcher's mitt...the inevitable argument at home plate between the manager and the ump...well, there's just a lot of little subtle things that make up a baseball game, things that are part of the baseball "experience."

I hope you enjoy whichever game you go to!

Thanks for the feedback. It is all about the experience ... the razzmatazz, the entertainment etc. If the Angels game has it then probably not worth the hassle of getting to and from Dodger Stadium.

Surprisingly little difference in ticket prices between the two for many of the tickets, although the super premium Dodgers tickets are a lot more.

BTW - from what I can see Dodgers and Angels are in the same league?

I've discovered a few seat recommendation sites... still a bit confusing but getting there. Actually quite excited about going to the a game now.

I just realized - our long haul flight arrives LAX same day at around the same time this game starts - duh!

But... cruise returns to Long Beach on the 22nd at 9am, and there's an evening Angels home game vs Toronto. And there's a movie and post game fireworks!

Thanks for the feedback. It is all about the experience ... the razzmatazz, the entertainment etc. If the Angels game has it then probably not worth the hassle of getting to and from Dodger Stadium.

 

Surprisingly little difference in ticket prices between the two for many of the tickets, although the super premium Dodgers tickets are a lot more.

 

BTW - from what I can see Dodgers and Angels are in the same league?

 

I've discovered a few seat recommendation sites... still a bit confusing but getting there. Actually quite excited about going to the a game now.

From where you are staying it would not be worth the extra effort to go to LA for the game. The BigA in Anaheim would be fine.

In fact I do not know where you got your info but the Dodgers are in the NL West while the Angels play in the AL West. The American and National leagues are essentially opposites, the champions of each meeting at seasons end in the World Series. (Note how we quaint Americans make our championship the WORLD SERIES). Until a few years ago teams from each league never played each other except in the WS, but that has changed. The rules in each league are the same except for an AL crime known as the DH, designated hitter. (That will get me some nasty responses). Have fun at a game, but do not expect to understand all of the nuances as it will your first time. Going to a first Major League game is a rite of passage for the American male.

"Major League Baseball" has actually developed, over time, into what appears to be one large organization...They are ruled over by a single "Commissioner", they play each other at the end of the season in a single championship series (the "World Series") and the teams all play each other, nowadays in both pre-season "exhibition" games as well as in regularly scheduled regular season games...but, historically, there are two leagues--the "American League" and the "National League"...(Angels are in the American, Dodgers in the National)...The only large difference between the two is the American League's "Designated Hitter" rule...In the National League, EVERY position player takes a turn "at bat" when his team is on offense...But, in the American League, several years ago, they came up with this novelty idea that, since most pitchers are notoriously poor hitters, that the pitcher would not go to the plate to bat...rather, every time the pitcher's turn came, they would have another player--one who doesn't even play a defensive position, come to bat in his stead. The American League's stance was that it would make the games more exciting since all of the hitters would be a threat to get a hit. But, to Baseball purists, it is an abomination since it messes with all of the traditional strategies of the game. And Baseball, more than any other major sport in America, is one deeply rooted in tradition.

As to the two teams and stadiums, the Dodgers are full of tradition--they are one of the oldest teams in Baseball, founded in 1883, originally in the Brooklyn neighborhood of New York City and moved to Los Angeles in the 1950s. They have won many World Series championships and many of the greatest players in the history of the sport have played for the Dodgers. The Angels, OTOH, in baseball terms, are a younger "expansion" team--joining Major League Baseball in the expansion of 1961. Their history is far less "rich" or successful, though they have one World Series--in 2002 and have had a few notable players. Dodger Stadium is considered an architectural marvel--it is the third oldest stadium still in use (following Boston's Fenway Park and Chicago's Wrigley Field) and is a multi-tiered stadium built right into the natural hillsides in a ravine in the hills overlooking Downtown Los Angeles and surrounded by a large park. Anaheim Stadium has a more industrial, ordinary field, sitting alongside a freeway in an industrial area in suburban Anaheim.

For reasons of history, tradition, scenery and experience, if all things were equal, it would be a no-brainer that a Dodgers game would be the choice....HOWEVER, since you are staying in Anaheim, getting to Dodger Stadium and back, even with Uber, will be a LONG trip and a great expense...Anaheim would be close and easy...and you will still get the experience of attending a Major League baseball game...

As to seat locations, realize that most of the action takes place on the "Diamond", the area delineated by the paths between the home plate and the three other "bases". The pitcher stands in the middle of this, on the "mound" and throws pitches toward the batter--standing at home plate...Most batters never make it past first base (If you are standing behind home plate and looking out toward the field, first base is the one on the corner toward your right)...So, traditionally, the best seats are considered to be the ones directly behind home plate or down the first base line between home and first...it puts you where you can tell where the pitches are and where you are close to most of the action (remember, the baseball itself is quite small)...It is usually considered better to be closer to the field rather than higher up, though some prefer to be a little ways up for "perspective"...but,, too high up and the ball is very hard to follow...Likewise, seats in the "outfield" are considered somewhat undesirable by most since they are so far from the action that it is hard to see much...but valued by those looking for a bargain since they are usually quite inexpensive (Those prime seats behind home plate or on the baselines alongside the diamonds in the lower levels sell for the highest premiums)...Also, in most stadiums, those best seats are pre-sold for the year to season ticket holders and are not available through the box office (where those internet sites with people re-selling come in handy).

Good luck...

I just realized - our long haul flight arrives LAX same day at around the same time this game starts - duh!

 

But... cruise returns to Long Beach on the 22nd at 9am, and there's an evening Angels home game vs Toronto. And there's a movie and post game fireworks!

I think your choice is made: Angels vs Toronto at Anaheim when you return from the cruise. Post game movie and fireworks are a plus!

BTW, you might want to do as I did when I spent 3 months "down under" with your neighbors in Australia...I bought a "Cricket for Dummies" book and read up on the basic rules. Made watching the game much more enjoyable. Get a basic baseball rules book and you'll have a better understanding of some of the nuances of the game.