What Are the Best Seats at a Baseball Game and Why?

The best seats at a baseball game come down to personal preference. Generally speaking, directly behind home plate or near the dugouts on the first or third base side offer the best view of the action, but some prefer to sit in other areas for various reasons. For example, sitting in the upper deck section gives you a complete bird’s eye view of the action and can even provide a beautiful view of a city’s backdrop out in the distance. Meanwhile, others want to sit where they can catch a home run during a match, meaning the bleachers out in the outfield for them.

So, is it better to sit higher or lower at a baseball game? Where are the obstructed seats at most ballparks? What exactly are club seats and suites at a baseball stadium? What tends to be the most expensive seating choice at a baseball game? Are there any areas in the venue that improve your chances of catching a home run or a foul ball? Finally, what tends to be the least expensive tickets to catch a game?

Here is the complete breakdown of what the best seats are at a baseball game.

Is it Better to Sit Higher or Lower at a Baseball Game?

Sitting in the upper levels at a ballpark has multiple advantages over sitting lower. Some benefits include having a great view of the field, having a bird’s eye view of the action, and less chance of having an obstructed view from sitting behind someone since the angle of the seats is steep. Additionally, many upper deck sections are under an overhang if you sit at the very top, which will create shade for you in the summer and protection from the rain.

Meanwhile, sitting lower at a baseball stadium tends to have better views of the action. Sitting lower means you are closer to the action, you can pick up the angle of pitches as they break, and the action feels faster. Also, depending on how close you are sitting, you can hear the players and coaches during the game, especially when there are arguments.

However, sitting up higher or lower at a MiLB or MLB game, excluding ticket prices and availability, comes down to what the fan is looking for at the game.

Where are the Obstructed Seats at Some Ballparks Typically?

Obstructed seats at every ballpark will be where the foul pole is and the seat’s angle behind that pole facing the pitcher’s mound or home plate. These seats are partially unstructured even if they block a small view of the outfield, depending on your angle, so consider that when buying a seat near or behind a foul pole.

Outside the foul pole, older stadiums, like Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, have support beams holding up the upper deck, which will have obstructed views behind them. For example, some seats are behind support poles at Fenway Park, so research before buying. You should opt for the bleachers at Fenway Park if the price is similar to the obstructed seats since you will get more value.

The New Yankee Stadium in 2009 had obstructed views of the game at their bleacher sections 201 and 239. The batter’s eye in the center field would block half of the field for specific seats on either side of it in the bleachers, which led to a bad experience. For the 2017 season, these obstructed seats became standing-room-only areas, which turned an otherwise unpopular seating area into a destination for fans to gather during games and stand.

What is the Value of Standing Room Only Baseball Tickets?

Standing-room-only tickets are the cheapest seats if you are ok without having an actual seat during a game. Standing-room-only tickets at Major League Baseball games are dedicated spaces behind the last row of seats that allow fans to stand and watch the game. The views from these seats are decent, but you can run into an issue if you are short and can’t see behind others in this standing area.

However, one benefit of standing-room-only tickets is that you can move around the ballpark. For example, the standing-room tickets at Fenway Park (the Boston Red Sox home) have a general standing-room ticket policy that says where to stand, but you can walk around the venue to other areas. That means you can walk around the venue to find other standing-room-only areas that are less crowded to watch the game.

Also, consider buying standing-room tickets if you know the game won’t be a sellout. For example, Tropicana Field, where the Tampa Bay Rays play baseball, has standing-room-only tickets available for purchase. During the 2022 season, the average attendance was 13k, at the bottom of the league. Instead of buying lower-level tickets (or good seats somewhere else), you could purchase standing-room-only tickets and find a way to get an actual seat since most of the seats during games are empty. Most of the time, ushers will not check your tickets if you want to move to the bleachers, and there are rows of empty seats.

What are Clubs and Suites at a Ballpark?

Clubs and suites are the highest-priced seats at a baseball game. These areas have their own entrance at ballparks, food options included in their ticket price, and additional perks and amenities for baseball fans to enjoy during a game.

For example, at the New Yankee Stadium, there are numerous clubs and suites that fans can purchase. Some of the premium seats at the venue are directly behind home plate, the first base line, and the third base line. These tickets not only have a good view of the action since they are in the front rows, but they also have access to private dining options, which are not accessible to anyone else at the venue.

What Tend to Be the Most Expensive Seats at a Baseball Stadium?

The most expensive seats at baseball stadiums are the premium seats. Premium seats are generally what companies pay for as season ticket holders to entertain guests and clients throughout the season. Celebrities and other high-profile guests often sit in these areas during matches too. They can either be behind home plate, or in an area a bit further up the venue in their own secluded area.

However, you don’t need to be a celebrity or a corporation to buy premium seats for a game. Renting out a suite might be an economically wise decision to keep everyone together if you are a large group attending a game. For example, if you have a group of 15 of you, getting a suite keeps everyone together and can save you money instead of buying your food individually since the suites come with a buffet.

What are the Best Seats to Catch a Home Run?

The best seats to catch a home run depend on the venue you attend that day. For example, the New Yankee Stadium has a shorter right field than other ballparks, which means more home runs end up there than at different places. You should sit in that area to improve your chances of catching a home run when catching a game at Yankee Stadium.

Meanwhile, the opposite is true if you go to Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. Since their right field area is so small with the water behind them, the odds of you catching a home run are slim because there is less space the ball can land at.

If you are going to different ballparks and want to catch a home run at them, consider researching where to sit ahead of time. While the data is a bit dated, you could visit Market Watch to read their breakdown of where the most home runs land at different venues. If you want more up-to-date information on catching home runs, consider checking out Zack Hample’s YouTube channel since he makes dedicated videos catching home runs at ballparks.

What are the Best Seats to Catch a Foul Ball?

The best places to catch a foul ball are along the field level’s first-base and third-base dugouts. With the protective netting that is now mandatory at all MLB and MiLB stadiums, your best bet is to sit a few rows up from the net since the ball needs to travel over that area to land in the seats.

Check out this resource from Time, where they highlight every MLB ballpark where foul balls land most often at each venue.

Should You Sit in an Aisle Seat at a Baseball Game?

Sitting in an aisle seat has pros and cons for a baseball game. The pros are that you will have a bit more legroom and won’t have someone sitting next to you where the aisle is. Another pro of sitting in an aisle seat is that getting up and moving won’t disturb anyone around you when you need to leave your seat.

The main downside of an aisle seat is that you will get up a lot to let others through during a game. Whenever someone in your row wants to get up to use the bathroom, get food, get drinks, or something else, you must stand up and let them through. Expect to do that a lot during games.

Where Do the Cheapest Tickets Tend to Be at Most Venues?

The cheapest tickets at a baseball game tend to be the bleacher seats. The bleacher seats tend to be the furthest from the action of the ball game, which is why they are the cheapest. Outside the bleachers, upper deck seats in the outfield sections tend to have the cheapest seats.

Also, some teams tend to have dynamic pricing, impacting how much you pay for tickets. For example, a Wednesday-day game against an opponent who isn’t very good could be much cheaper than going to a night game on a Friday night against a rival.

Finally, one tip, if you are looking to buy the cheapest tickets to a game, is to wait till the game starts to purchase them on a third-party site. For example, if you are going to Dodger Stadium for a game, ticket prices tend to drop once the game begins. The seller is looking to sell the ticket since any sale is better than no sale, so if you have the luxury of being in the area and can wait a bit, consider using that tip to buy cheaper tickets.

Conclusion: What are the Best Seats for Baseball Games?

In summary, the best seats for a baseball game come down to your preference. Some baseball fans want to sit as close to the action as possible to get the best view, meaning lower-level seats near the dugout and home plate. Others like sitting in the upper deck because it gives them a bird’s eye view of the action. Meanwhile, others enjoy the freedom of standing-room-only seats that allow them to move throughout all nine innings to get different game views.

All in all, it comes down to what you are looking for at a game. If you want a luxury experience, you should sit in a club suite. If you want the best chance to catch a home run, sit in the bleachers.

What Are the Best Seats at a Baseball Game?