My MLB 30 Parks Project came to American Family Field, the home of the Milwaukee Brewers. Because a friend from Toronto was also stadium chasers, we decided to drive 1.5 hours north from Chicago to Milwaukee to watch the game.
The stadium is in a different direction from the city center. If you go north from Chicago, the city center will be on the right, but the stadium will be far away from the downtown interchange. Then go west and finally exit the highway at the stadium exit.
Our parking lot is named Yount, after the Brewers Hall of Fame player Robin Yount. He started to show his talent in the major leagues as the third overall pick in the first round of 1973. He was drafted to the major leagues the following year. He is one of the few players who played in the major leagues at the age of 18 and the last player to hit a home run at the age of 18. Looking back at his career, he was selected to the All-Star Game three times, won two American League MVPs, three Silver Slugger Awards, one Gold Glove, and one perfect hit. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999 with a 77.5% rate. His number was retired by the Brewers and is now hung on the outfield wall of the team.
There are seven Tailgate Pavilions like this one next to the parking lot. They can seat 40 to 80 people and the rental fee is $400 including food, so if you have company gatherings, etc., you can choose to warm up here before the game.
It’s time to enter the ballpark! Welcome to the home of the brewers!
Cross the Menomonee River, which is the upper reaches of Lake Michigan and is therefore also an important environmentally protected water area.
This section of the trail crosses the river, parking lot and main road to guide fans directly to the stadium to avoid conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles. However, the trail borders the left outfield of the stadium, so it takes a circle and a half to reach the infield area.
The light poles on the bridge all have the players' Roman flags. I took a picture of the Brewers' star outfielder Christian Yelich. The colors of the flags are based on the Brewers' main visual colors of blue, gold, and white, which is simple and clear. Next, we will go into the stadium to see what it looks like inside.
Ball Park Facilities:
The first thing that catches your eye when you enter the stadium is the eye-catching outfield slide. The white slide curves downward and there are several large signs above it that read "Get Up, Get Up, Get Outta Here, Gone!" This sentence is quoted from the legendary brewer and radio announcer Bob Uecker.
Because the roof of the stadium was open on the day we visited, we could see the slide from the outfield. It was a very visually impactful design that quickly attracted the audience's attention. (The stadium offers fan experience tours starting at $150 for five times)
There are several signs with retired numbers near the roof in the center right field. Selig is the former boss of the Brewers and a major promoter of the Brewers. The Seattle Flyers were a newly expanded team, but they faced multiple problems after only one season, such as the old stadium, poor team performance, and lower-than-expected spectator numbers. They eventually faced bankruptcy. So after several negotiations, Selig brought the team to Milwaukee and used the team name "Milwaukee Brewers" from his childhood memories. Later, he served as the chairman of the Major League Baseball League. He experienced the 1994 strike and doping incidents, which were important milestones in the history of the Major League Baseball League. He retired after serving for 17 years and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Next up is Hank Aaron, No. 44, who has the second-highest home run record of 755, an amazing career batting average of .305, and 2,297 RBIs and 1,477 extra base hits, all of which are career records. He was selected to 25 All-Star Games, won one World Series, and three Gold Gloves. He was finally selected to the All-Century First Team, the Braves Hall of Fame (the Braves were in Milwaukee before moving to Atlanta), and most importantly, the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame (97.8%).
There is an official store behind home base of the stadium, which sells jerseys, T-shirts, baseball caps and many daily necessities. However, the brewer's products are relatively simple and there are almost no cultural and creative products, so I didn't buy anything else except the balls and hats.
There are several food vendors in the concourse third base area. This year, the brewers started offering a new discount menu called the "414 Menu". This menu offers four items, namely hot dogs, nachos, Cracker Jack popcorn, and 16 ounces of soda for only $4. This is really economical when the average cost of a ballpark is $10. In addition, the team pays special attention to children. During the Sunday game, they can take photos with the six players at the six substations in the red clay warning area, and there are also baserunning experiences and sausage races for children. The only goal of various activities is to attract fans to the stadium so that the team can make money and operate for a long time.
The logo on the third base side is a wheat ball launched in 2018. Because Milwaukee is famous for its brewing industry, this new pattern was recreated with reference to the past team logos. The brewer's comment on the official website is as follows: "We are the Wisconsin team. For more than 50 years, we have been working hard to practice this concept, becoming a vivid embodiment of the city's strength and representing our home with integrity, humility and enthusiasm. We are determined to make the entire state proud of everything we do."
Walking from third base toward left field, you'll come across J. Leinenkugel's Barrel Yard, a brewery and restaurant inside the stadium.
Leinenkugel's has been passed down for six generations and has 150 years of brewing experience. It has cooperated with the Brewers Club to open a brewery inside the stadium, so you can drink stadium-exclusive beers here.
This year, for example, there is a special unfiltered beer called "No-Hitter Yeast Wheat Beer" that has notes of banana, gum and cloves, paired with Wisconsin ham and cheese bread. It is the most enjoyable experience to enjoy the food while watching the game.
Across from the brewery is another team store. This one is larger than the store behind home plate and sells a wider variety of items. You can go here to buy your favorite items before the game.
The right outfield is the children's play area. Many children play here with their parents before the game, which allows the children to start learning baseball from an early age. Both boys and girls throw the ball and hit the ball very seriously, which will surely cultivate many children's willingness to invest in and play baseball in the future.
Below the right field home run pole is the broadcast studio, which is connected to the right field bar. You can watch the game at the stadium as well as the live broadcast by the anchor and commentators.
Right Field Local Brews offers 24 local beers, and several bartenders stand at the front to serve fans. The prices are all under $15 (excluding tax and tips).
We ordered apple cider. The bartender squeezed out the yellow, clear and cool apple cider from an apple-shaped tap. The refreshing taste spread in the mouth and the apple flavor diffused to all taste buds after taking a sip. It is one of the most delicious items.
(Don’t drink and drive, don’t drink while driving, drinking too much is harmful to your health)
Full screen This is the roof opening and closing control room of American Family Field. When the weather is bad and it rains, the roof will be closed. But is it really that simple? Actually, it is not. Rainfall and snowfall are the main reasons for most roof closings. However, Milwaukee has another rule that when the temperature is below 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius), the stadium field group will decide to close the roof. In addition, the Major League has a rule that in addition to being able to decide whether to close the roof before the game, the field can also be used once during the game to suspend the opening and closing of the roof. However, if the roof needs to be opened for the second time, the field group needs to ask the referee and inform the head coaches of the two teams to decide whether to agree to the action again, so this is also one of the interesting field rules of the Major League.
Seat View:
This seat is in section 214, about the fifth row on the first base side of the infield. We sat here this time. The ticket price was about $40 including tax.
Areas 117 and 118 behind home base are called Field Level Infield Platinum.
Area 127 in left field is called the Field Level Outfield Box.
Barrel Yard Outside Tables
Toyota Territory in right center field is very cool. There is a real Toyota car on the roof of the bar, and all the car parts can be seen on the chassis. It is a very industrial-style restaurant.
From the center field, you can see the joints of the roof, and the complexity of the large-span truss structure is also very interesting. According to news reports, the cost of renovating the roof in recent years was US$3,710.
The Bleachers in the 101 area in right field are bench seats without backrests, but you can watch the pitchers warm up in the bullpen from a very close distance.
The Aurora Health Care Bullpen is located near the right outfield pole and the announcer's booth. The field level view gives the players a full sense of presence, and provides a full buffet service, including sausages, hot dogs, fried chicken nuggets, salads, potato chips, cookies, and unlimited soft drinks. Adults over 21 can also have two free alcoholic drinks. I felt that this area was really special at the time. It was the closest to the field and felt the most like watching baseball.
Behind home plate is the highest level, Section 422. From here, you can watch the game without any obstructions. You can feel the breeze and listen to the fans' voices from high in the air. It feels like you are watching the game from above.
Atmosphere:
Next are some photos of the game that day, where the staff were concentrating on tidying up the home plate before the game.
The national anthem was played before the game, and the local school community choir sang the American national anthem.
Brewers starting pitcher Corbin Burnes is the Brewers' No. 1 starter this year. He has very strong ball control and uses the cutter as his main weapon along with the curveball, forkball, sinker and slider.
As a result, the Astros led the entire game with five home runs, leaving the Brewers helpless.
Between innings, just before the brewers go to attack, the mascot Bernie will slide down the slide and blow the attack horn.
Fortunately, Brewers first baseman Rowdy Tellez hit a home run and saw Bernie sliding down the slide.
Behind the 200-story Loge Level home plate, there are several painted pennants recording past league championships won by the Brewers.
The Brewers' special cheering prop - the cheese mask, was originally made of discarded foam from furniture. Players would wear it as a celebration after hitting a home run. Now it has become a special cheering prop for the Brewers. (Note: Brewers players will no longer wear cheese masks after hitting a home run starting in August 2023)
The most famous inter-inning activity of the Brewers is the sausage race. In 1990, the sausage race began to play animations on the big screen and interact with fans. In addition to the original No. 1 German sausage, No. 2 Polish sausage and No. 3 Italian sausage, No. 4 Hot Dog 4 was added as a contestant. In 2000, the animation became a physical form, with four sausages running on the field. In 2007, when the new stadium was built, No. 5 Spanish sausage was added to make it the current five contestants. The following website has a basic introduction to each sausage contestant:
During the seventh inning, the brewer will play Take Me Out to the Ball Game and Roll Out The Barrels to encourage everyone to move their bodies and stretch their muscles.
In the last inning, the score was ten points behind. The Brewers sent out fielder Brosseau to pitch. He pitched one inning without giving up any runs. (Editor's note: I didn't expect Brosseau to leave the Brewers this summer and join the Chiba Lode Marines of the Japanese Professional Baseball League. I also went to watch the Japanese professional baseball this year and met him again halfway around the world).
The game ended with a 10-point difference without any suspense. The game content may not be very exciting but it is also fun to walk around the stadium.
After the game, the grounds crew quickly began to clean up the court in preparation for tomorrow's game.
America's Family Field is my fifth MLB ballpark and the only ballpark in the entire MLB Central Division with a roof. Perhaps the negative news about this roof has been discussed, but it is not that bad after experiencing it on site. The interior of the ballpark is spacious enough, but there are many unused spaces. Perhaps the team can think about how to add more options to attract fans in these unused areas. I hope to see more facilities to serve fans when I come to this ballpark again in the future. The brewery inside the ballpark is definitely one of the must-visit attractions here. Being able to sit inside and enjoy the newly brewed beer every season is definitely an experience that cannot be missed. The slide in left field is also a unique feature of the ballpark. Finally, I end this round with this photo of the crescent moon and Venus with the stadium roof. I hope you can come to Milwaukee to watch the game!
Ballpark Information:
Public Transportation: None
Gate Open: 2 hours prior the game
Bag policy: Yes (12*12*6 inch transparent bag or 9*5*2 opaque bag)
Payment Policy: Generally, no cash payment is accepted except Field Level: Kids Café, Loge Level: Section 213, Terrace Level: Section 424 (Burgers), where cash is accepted. Credit cards are required for the rest of the restaurants.
Seat view: In principle, there is no obstruction, except for the rear seats where the view is limited to the ground.
Home team dugout: Brewers on first base side
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