Have you ever attended a Grizzlies baseball game? The Fresno Grizzlies are a San Francisco Giants Triple A farm team which means they are just one level below major league status.
Numerous Grizzlies players earn a promotion to the Giants during the season. The most common reason is to replace an injured Giant but sometimes a Giant gets “demoted” for poor play. And many Giant players coming off an injury sometimes get sent to the Grizzlies to play every day in a “rehab” assignment.
The Grizzlies play at Chukchansi Park near downtown Fresno. Per the PR plug from their website: “After opening its gates on May 1, 2002, Chukchansi Park has become the crown jewel of Downtown Fresno, standing as one of the most beautiful and modern Minor League sports facilities in the country.
The 12,500 capacity stadium features incredible sight lines from every seat, getting fans up-close and personal to the action on the field as well as providing dramatic views of the downtown skyline and nearby Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Among the amenities of the ballpark are 33 luxury suites, two party decks and the spacious Tecate Cantina used for group picnics and special events, a pool and spa perched just above the left-centerfield fence, and The CRŪ Club- a full service bar and restaurant giving fans a unique and upscale way to enjoy the Grizzlies Experience.
The stadium, designed by HOK Architects, features a semi-irregular field shape with dimensions measuring 324′ down the left field line, 385′ in left center, 400′ in center field, and 335′ to the right field foul pole.”
All in all, it’s a very nice stadium and very family friendly. Tickets are reasonably priced and they have special promotions on a weekly basis for even better value.
We attended my Fresno Senior Softball League “night at the ballgame” on Friday night June 14. A North Fork “night” is scheduled for Aug. 31, and if my schedule permits, we’ll be there.
The June 14 game against the Salt Lake City Bees featured the Grizzlies honoring Juneteenth, which celebrates the end of slavery, and the Grizzlies wore special jerseys commemorating the San Francisco Sea Lions, a team in the West Coast Negro Baseball League. The cream colored jerseys had “San Francisco” across the chest above a small Sea Lions Logo and were auctioned off afterwards for charity.
The game was close, but the Bees managed to edge out the Grizzlies 7-5 using their long ball to hammer three home runs, one of which was a grand slam, which proved to be a deficit the Grizzlies couldn’t overcome even with Brett Pill chipping in with a sac fly and home run in his return to Triple A. But fans were treated to the Friday Night Fireworks show after the game so it wasn’t a total loss.
Normal advance ticket pricing starts at $9, but like I said, they have many promotions available to save some of your hard earned dollars. Each week they have Monday Madness, 2 for Two Tuesday, Everybody Wins Day (Wednesday), Tecate Thursdays and Social Sundays. Check it out at their Website at http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t259. It’s great family fun at a reasonable price. Parking near the stadium is just $5.
