New Orleans Zephyrs 3 at Round Rock Express 5 (PCL) - May 6, 2016

Sometimes these sports road trips work out really well and sometimes they don't. This one couldn't have been much better in terms of weather and driving, but a few of the games weren't particularly interesting. That all changed when I arrived in Round Rock for the only AAA game on the journey. The Express are the affiliate of the Texas Rangers, and Yu Darvish is on the rehab circuit after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. He pitched 2 innings on Sunday in AA Frisco the day after I was there, but with Frisco on the road now, his next start was to be this night in Round Rock. Surprisingly, I never saw Darvish in Japan, though I did seem him pitch in New York a couple of years ago in one of the worst games ever, but I was excited to see him in a much more relaxed setting.



Anyway, after driving 500 miles from Little Rock, I had little time to relax at my hotel before heading over to Dell Diamond. The stadium was opened in 2000 to house a Double-A team (also named the Express in honour of Nolan Ryan, who is an owner along with his son Reid) that moved to Corpus Christi when the Ryans bought the Edmonton Trappers in 2004. The ballpark is surrounded by a couple of residential areas with baseball-related street names, but they are too far to park, so you will have to pay $10 (the most in minor league baseball) to park in the team's expansive (and expensive) lot.



When I reached the ticket window next to the Right Field Gate, I heard that the game was sold out, but that statement only referred to the seats; lawn tickets were still available for the weird price of $8.66. I've seen this trend more and more where the ticket price is set to a round number and then tax is added on, which is annoying for those who pay cash. Other ticket prices ranged from $12 to $18 (save $2 by purchasing before game day and another $2 if the game takes place Sunday through Wednesday), so it is only the parking that is overpriced.



Rather than wait for someone with an extra, I pulled out the credit card and bought a lawn ticket, though there was already no room there as gates had opened a few minutes before. Prior to entering, I tried to find a spot from which to take a full picture of the exterior of the venue, but it was too far to walk in the heat, so all I took was the shot above.



One interesting aspect of the stadium is that there are two concourses. The inner concourse is quite narrow at spots, though it has views of the field, while the outer concourse is separated from the field and much more spacious. This is where you can walk around to avoid the crowds, as you can see below.



It is along this exterior concourse that you will find Guest Services, as well as the lineups, presented electronically, something I have not seen before.



The stadium is massive, even for AAA, with a Home Run Porch beyond left field that is completely shaded and would be ideal on a sunny afternoon.



The view of the outfield from the Home Run Porch...



... and the seating bowl. Obviously choose a seat along third base if you want to avoid the setting sun, though it was no longer an issue by the third inning.



There is a beer garden which is used as a group area. Due to the large crowd (final attendance was 13,194, the fourth largest in stadium history), concession stands were crowded and I did not buy any food, though the options were quite tempting, though prices were slightly higher than average for AAA. In the 6th inning, however, there was a Friday Night special announced in which all 24-oz. beers were $4 ($5 for 32 ounces), including the nicer ones (i.e. not just Bud or Bud Light). That sent people galloping to the beer stands, and I was right behind them. I'm not sure having this sort of deal near the end of the game is the best idea as many fans were loading up by buying two large beers (that's 64 ounces you need to drink in an hour) but I didn't see any obvious problems afterwards.



One design feature I liked here was the curved dugouts, as you can see below. This means that all the infield seats face the pitchers mound, something that should be implemented in all new parks. There are standing areas along the concourse which are great vantage points, though there is nothing on which to rest your drink or scorebook. After Darvish finished, I moved down as ushers were no longer checking tickets and a few fans started leaving.



Finally, the mandatory shot from behind home plate.



Overall, Dell Diamond is an excellent facility with one flaw: overpriced parking. This is AAA ball and parking for any minor league should never exceed $5. The stadium is beautiful, the fans (many of whom were Japanese on this night) were excellent, a lot of families out for fireworks night, food options were good, and I really appreciated the aesthetic design. I generally like to keep my outlay at a minor league game under $20 and that is tough here with parking taking up half of my budget right off the bat. Next time I visit Round Rock, I'll bring some friends.

The Game

Darvish (below before the game) was only scheduled to pitch three innings, which he did. He already has the velocity, reaching 97 on one pitch, but still appeared tentative on occasion. He gave up one run while walking one and striking out three. He finished with 50 pitches, 30 of which were strikes.



Round Rock had scored two in the first on three doubles off Chris Narveson, but Darvish's replacement, Jimmy Reyes, allowed the Zephyrs (Miami's affiliate) to take the lead in the 5th on three walks and two singles. The game moved quickly into the bottom of the 8th with Round Rock trailing 3-2. Andre Rienzo (a Brazilian) was in his second inning of work for New Orleans and walked Michael McKenry to lead things off before plunking Brett Nicholas. A sacrifice brought Patrick Kivlehan to the plate and he laced a double to center field to give the Express the lead. Pedro Ciriaco followed with a single for some insurance and Luke Jackson worked around a single and a walk to earn the save as Round Rock won 5-3.



Nicholas is the Player to Watch as he finished 3/3 with two doubles and was the catcher, showing no nerves at being Darvish's battery mate.

Notes

The name above the scoreboard needs to be fixed.



The Zephyrs are going to change their name next season. Given how much of minor league baseball is going to these weird and wonderful names, it will be interesting to see what they choose, but you can bet it will be some sort of anthropomorphic creature with a link to New Orleans waterways. Swamp Monsters anyone?

Best,

Sean

Tacoma Rainiers 11 at El Paso Chihuahuas 7 (PCL) - April 19, 2016

Two years ago, the El Paso Chihuahuas were born to much laughter and derision. But odd nicknames are not unusual in minor league circles, and as the team enters its third season, other new monikers (Yard Goats for example) have taken attention away from the Chihuahuas, which has allowed them to take root in the El Paso community.



The franchise moved from Tucson and took up residence in the newly constructed Southwest University Park, named for a local technical school that has no athletic programs of its own. Located in downtown El Paso, the venue received great reviews from the beginning, though it was considered somewhat expensive by some. I found on my visit that a bit of planning can keep costs down and you can enjoy a AAA game here for as little as $10.



Due to the downtown location, parking can be difficult, especially as games start just as rush hour is finishing. There are several lots around the ballpark with the Convention Center lot being the closest. Prices here ranged from $7 upwards, but your best bet is to find a metered spot a few blocks away. Meters expire at 6 p.m., so if you arrive downtown at 5:30 for a 6:30 start, you will only pay 50 cents to park, with the added advantage of quick access to the highway after the game. The area around San Jacinto Square has a number of spots that were open at that time and the walk is no more than 5 minutes to the Santa Fe Gate (above), next to which a box office is located. Of course, if you see a weekday game, you will be forced to use a lot as meters are only good for two hours.



The next concern is tickets. There are at least a dozen options (listed as zones) with prices varying by the day of the week. There are $40 club seats for Thursday/Friday games, with the cheapest seat going for $15 on game day (you can save $3 by buying in advance). However, there are $5 lawn tickets, which get you in the ballpark. Although there are ushers at every aisle, you can try your luck at sneaking into in a less popular section, but I prefer the standing areas along the third base line with small tables on which you can rest your dinner or your scorebook.



I spent most of the game here (view above) and then took a seat for the final couple of innings without a problem. There is also a $10 SRO ticket, which makes no sense as if you aren't going to be sitting, just spend $5 for the lawn ticket.



The main concourse is spacious and decorated with arches that support the upper deck. There is a path that encircles the entire ballpark, so you can walk all the way around, taking pictures from various vantage points. Below is the left field corner, with one of the special seating sections in the foreground and the lawn area in the background.



There is an incredible variety of food here that rivals many major league ballparks. Some of it is overpriced ($12 for an ice cream sundae for example), but I had a $5 cheese quesadilla that was made to order and was quite satisfying. This ballpark is huge and there are different concessions all the way around the concourse, many of which sell items that are not available elsewhere, so get there as soon as gates open so you can explore and make sure you get what you want.



The design of the park is quite impressive, and makes use of some of the surrounding buildings, similar to Petco Park, where the parent Padres play. Note that seats on the third base side are shaded in the evening as you can tell from the shadows above. There are also standing areas on the upper level along first base. The two buildings below are hospitality pavilions, which are open to the public if no event is taking place, as long as you have an actual seat (i.e. SRO and lawn ticket holders are not allowed in).



As you can see below, there are small terraces that extend slightly into the field of play; I think this would provide a great standing spot during the game, but sadly I was not allowed to prove this.



The view from the outfield; the park is asymmetrical and again you can see the difference between the sun-drenched and shaded areas.



The picture below is taken from the end of the upper level along third base. This really is more than a minor league park, and they have done a great job fitting it into the downtown core.



By the time the game started, most of the sections were more than half filled though, with announced attendance over 85% of the 7,500 capacity. Thus if you really need a seat, better to spring for the extra $10 rather than try to find an empty seat and risk being booted out on multiple occasions. Fans have taken to their team and there was a lot of Chihuahua gear on display. The crowd was very diverse too, with a sizable portion coming from the Hispanic community (El Paso is right on the Mexican border). Fans were polite and watched the game, with most staying until the end despite their team being blown out early.



Overall, I was very impressed with everything about this stadium. It is aesthetically pleasing and makes good use of its downtown location, and has something for everyone. No doubt that a family of four will struggle to keep it under $100 for a game, which is quite a bit for minor league ball, but for a sports traveller on a budget, a good time can be had for less than $20.

The Game

Tacoma (Seattle) was in town and El Paso sent MLB vet Jeremy Guthrie to the mound to start against Cody Martin. Down 2-0 in the fourth, the Rainiers batted around, scoring 6, including a 3-run homer from former Met Mike Baxter. Guthrie returned for the fifth and Tacoma again sent 9 men to the plate, scoring 5, all charged to Guthrie, who finished with 11 earned runs in just 4.1 innings. Retirement beckons. Anyway, El Paso added singles in the next three frames and notched a pair in the ninth to make it almost respectable, but the Rainiers rode those two big innings to an 11-7 win. The main scoreboard removed the linescore as soon as the game ended, so all I could get was the ribbon board below.



Notes

This was my 26th active AAA stadium. I still have Gwinnett in the International League and Omaha, Nashville, and Round Rock in the PCL to complete the circuit, which I hope to do this year.

Best,

Sean

Tacoma Rainiers 10 at Albuquerque Isotopes 7 (11, PCL) - April 17, 2016

When I did my 2001 road trip to all 30 MLB ballparks, the Albuquerque Dukes had just moved to Portland, meaning that there was no pro team in New Mexico to check out when I drove through. In 2003, the Calgary Cannons moved to Albuquerque and became the Isotopes, but the city's relatively remote location made it difficult to visit when I was living in Asia. Only now that I reside in the USA can I take a quick trip to the Land of Enchantment and finally see a game in New Mexico.



The team plays out of Isotopes Park, located right across the street from the University of New Mexico's football stadium. Parking in all surrounding lots is $5, but on weeknights and weekends,  you can park for free on Buena Vista Drive. Before you go in, check out some of the art on display, including this pitching sculpture by local artist Bill Arms (no pun intended).



Tickets start at $8 for berm seats, and there is no reason to pay more as the stadium is huge and you can generally sit in the reserved seats down the lines without too much trouble. There are standing areas just above first and third base with small tables on which you can rest your scorebook.



As rain was threatening, I sat in the upper section you see above, as it was covered and nearly empty. Just to the left is the suite area, which comprises two levels. The view from the upper level is below.



The advantage of sitting here is that you get dibs on foul balls. I was sitting on the aisle seat in the last row, but moved a few seats to the right as the game got underway. Just 5 pitches in, Boog Powell (20th round in 2012 by Oakland, since traded twice) fouled one that landed on the seat I had just vacated. It didn't bounce away, so I scampered over to pick it up, my first PCL foul ball. The Isotopes give anybody that gets a foul ball a glass holder with the team logo, a really nice touch.



The Sandia Crest provides great views beyond centerfield, but on this cloudy day, it was mostly obscured.



The park has a great selection of food, though it is rather expensive for minor league ball. There is also a fun zone for kids in right field. The unique ballpark feature is in center field, where there is a small knoll and the fence is actually curved in.



The Isotopes nickname is taken from the Simpsons, whose Springfield Isotopes threatened to move to Albuquerque back in 2001 in an episode that saw Homer go on a hunger strike. When the new franchise arrived in 2003, fans voted for the Isotopes nickname in a landslide. New Mexico has a strong scientific community and so the name fits in more ways than one, and the team led all of minor league baseball in merchandise sales during its first season. The Simpsons are present in the ballpark in the form of statues and washroom entrances.



Overall, I really enjoyed my time here and will be back for another game on Wednesday night.

The Game

Although the weather was chilly, the rain held off, and the teams put on an entertaining display. Tacoma (Seattle's affiliate) took a 3-0 lead in the first helped by a Mike Zunino homer, his fourth in four games. Zunino was the 3rd overall pick in 2012 out of Florida but struggled in three seasons in Seattle, batting .193 in over 1,000 plate appearances. He might be a AAAA player but if he keeps this up, the Mariners will call him up soon to find out for sure. Anyway, Albuquerque (Colorado) tied it in the second and added 2 in the third and 2 more in the fifth to take a 7-3 lead. Isotope starter Eddie Butler (46th overall, 2012) left with the lead after 6 solid frames, but Simón Castro gave up a leadoff homer to Mike Brantly (3rd round in 2010 by Detroit) and Tacoma tacked on a double and four weak singles to tie the game. The bats dried up after that, and we went to the 11th still knotted at 7. Nelson Gonzalez came on for Albuquerque and loaded the bases on a single and two walks. With two out, Ed Lucas, who enjoyed a couple of seasons with the Marlins, came to the plate. He was 0/5 but had hit the ball well a couple of times and seemed due. Sure enough, he crushed one to center that cleared the bases and allowed former Cub Blake Parker the easy save as Tacoma won 10-7.



Powell (above shattering his bat) went 0-6 while the rest of his team pounded out 19 hits. That's gotta hurt. There's the final below on the very impressive scoreboard.



A very interesting game, with no single run innings, 32 total hits, and no errors. Only five walks too, so it had a decent pace.

Notes

I still have to see games in Alaska, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming to complete all 50 states.

Next Up

I'm heading to Texas Monday to see a couple of games in Midland before returning to the Mountain Time Zone on Tuesday for a game in El Paso. The trip finishes on Wednesday back in ABQ as the New Mexico Lobos have an afternoon game while the 'Topes play in the evening. Check back for updates!

Best,

Sean