Tempe Diablo Stadium

Practice Fields

Types of Seating
Bleacher seats outnumber stadium seats by a 3,570 to 3,231 count, but all seats in the stadium have backs. Traditional chair back seats with cup holders are between the dugouts, with bleacher benches beyond. A berm on the left half of the stadium can seat up to 2,300.

Notes about the seating

Sections and rows

Tickets

Seats to avoid
A small handful of seats are partially obstructed by the green metal protruding from the tunnels that are cut into the grandstand. The tunnels are used by the players to access their clubhouses. The seats with obstructions are:

Seats in the two Grandstand sections (23-24) should only be bought as a last resort. Views from there are blocked by fans standing up in the Field Box sections, which happens when players walk by after they've been removed from the game. Even unobstructed views come at a price, as you'll have to crane your neck to the left for the whole game since the seats face towards the outfield. So given the choice of Grandstand or Lawn seating, choose the berm.

Seats in the shade
Very few. The only shade provided in the roofless stadium's seating sections is cast upon the upper rows primarily on the first base side and comes courtesy of the trellised roof over the concourse. Seats that are in the shade at game's beginning can be found in rows W & up in sections 10-12 and rows U & up in sections 13-22. As the sun slowly descends behind the grandstand during the game shade creeps downward so that rows P & up in sections 10-14 and rows T & up in sections 15-22 are shaded by 2:30.

VIP seating
Homeplate MVP seating makes up rows A-D in sections 7-15. The upper level structure next to the press box houses a pair of suites, which combined can hold about 50 people, and an extensive deck along the first base line that is appropriately referred to as the Upper Pavilion, where seating is limited to simple patio furniture mostly lacking views of the game. Officially known as the Bud Patio Upper Pavilion, its selling point is great views of the ball field and its backdrop when standing up and a buffet of free food.

Game Day
Gates open approximately an hour and a half before game time, which means 11:30 a.m. for the typical 1:05 p.m. start.

Food, drink and bag policy

Getting autographs
Tempe is tops in the Cactus League in autograph accessibility. To guarantee you get a slew of signatures from the home team, arrive while the Angels are taking batting practice, which they do exclusively on the field adjacent to the west parking lot. After a group of players has finished hitting they walk from the practice field through the north end of the parking lot to the main stadium. The pathway is lined by a steel barricade only about three feet in height and the majority of players will stop to sign for fans gathered there. For the normal game time (1:05), the best timeframe to gather along the walkway is 11:15 to 11:30. In lieu of waiting in the parking lot, fans can try to get autographs from players as they are coming off the practice field through its exit in the left field corner, where the field's chain link fence gate is a flight of stairs then about 20 feet removed from the parking lot. Down there, fans can stand on either side of the two barricades that allow the players a path to pass through. Fans of the visiting team can head to the other parking lot, on the stadium's east (behind right field) side, where their bus parks and players depart it in close proximity to autograph seekers that must only stand behind a four-foot high beige stucco wall. The best time to be there is when the bus arrives, but that's a time that can vary depending upon the opposing team (roughly a 45-75 minute range before game time).

Inside the stadium, players sign down the outfield lines before the game. Visitors sign down the left field line, between their dugout and end of the grandstand with the best place to be generally section 3. Angel autographs can be had well down the right field line next to the tunnel between sections 22 and 23. That tunnel leads to the home team clubhouse and is the place to be after the game, as quite a few Angels (players and coaches) will sign near its entrance before continuing into their clubhouse.

Finally, for the true autograph hound, the Angels' player parking lot is easy to stake out, as it's merely the barricaded portion closest to the stadium behind right field. And within that secure part of the parking lot is the visiting team bus, which leaves fairly soon after the game from its usually autograph-accessible area.

Unique ballpark fare
Specialty food tents are found on the concourse down the left field line, which also features a picnic area and a lookout deck filled with high top bar tables. Unfortunately most of the choices there and throughout the stadium are fairly routine and a change in the concessionaire (from Aramark to Legends) in 2014 actually led to a lesser amount of non-mundane options to tempt your palate. So gone is the supersized portobello mushroom sandwich, garlic fries and more that came from the grills on the concourse that cook burgers, sausages and hot dogs during the game. That means the only left field line grills cooking up something creative are those that are furthest away from the main grandstand, where under the white tents in the left field corner the food found comes from local restaurants. So that's where to go to get stuff like street tacos and barbequed beef, chicken, pork or rib tips. Otherwise, you're left with the basics, so you'll have no problem finding nachos and the like. Beverage service is provided by Pepsi for soft drinks and what the concession stands and tents lack in food variety they offset with a wide array of draft beer offerings. At a "tap room" near home plate are four choices from Four Peaks, a brewery based in Tempe, and 14 more can be found elsewhere, ranging from those you expect (Coors Light) to tapped kegs of stuff you don't (like Firestone Double Barrel Ale).

Ballpark Area Info
Tempe Diablo Stadium is synonymous with congestion. The stadium is tightly fit into real estate bordered by a rock formation, industrial section and two traffic-clogged major highways. The end result is traffic headaches coming and going, the worst you'll find in spring training on either coast. Your options are limited to waiting it out. And as inviting as the 25-acre Twin Buttes are, they are off limits to anybody wanting to hike them as they are controlled by a Marriott Resort that has been built into their hillside.

Travelers' notes

Hotels close to Tempe Diablo Stadium			Become a featured advertiser
Distance	Hotel	Street Address	City/Zip	Phone
0.1 miles	The Buttes Marriott Resort	2000 W Westcourt Way	Tempe, AZ 85282	602-225-9000
0.7	Comfort Suites	1625 S 52nd St	Tempe, AZ 85281	480-446-9500
0.75	Sheraton	1600 S 52nd St	Tempe, AZ 85281	480-967-6600
0.8	Quality Inn	1550 S 52nd St	Tempe, AZ 85281	480-967-3000
0.8	Red Roof Inn	2135 W 15th St	Tempe, AZ 85281	480-449-3205
2.3	Holiday Inn & Suites	3220 S 48th St	Phoenix, AZ 85040	480-543-1700
3.4	Hilton Garden Inn PHX Airport	3422 E Elwood St	Phoenix, AZ 85040	602-470-0500
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Restaurants close to Tempe Diablo Stadium
Distance	Restaurant	Street Address	City/Zip	Phone
0.45 miles	Zax Incredible Subs	2403 W Huntington Dr	Tempe, AZ 85282	602-438-2995
0.5	Whataburger	4610 S 48th St	Phoenix, AZ 85040	602-454-6453
0.5	Pizza Hut	4708 S 48th St	Phoenix, AZ 85040	602-438-9236
0.55	Taco Bell	4430 S 48th St	Phoenix, AZ 85040	602-453-9330
0.55	Del Taco	4252 S 48th St	Phoenix, AZ 85040	602-454-0863
0.55	Hot Wok II China Farm	3135 S 48th St	Tempe, AZ 85282	602-438-2707
0.6	Blimpie Subs	2747 W Southern Ave	Tempe, AZ 85282	602-431-0552
0.6	Wendy's	2704 W Southern Ave	Tempe, AZ 85282	602-438-8255
0.6	Arby's	2755 W Southern Ave	Tempe, AZ 85282	602-438-2259
5.0	Ted's Hot Dogs	1755 E Broadway Rd	Tempe, AZ 85282	480-968-6678
5.3	Salazar Brothers Mexican Food	926 E Guadalupe Rd	Tempe, AZ 85283	480-839-4474
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Airports close to Tempe Diablo Stadium
Distance	Airport		Airport Code
4.7 miles	Phoenix Sky Harbor International		PHX
107	Tucson International		TUS
160	Yuma International		YUM

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