River Cats at Raley Field
We got a text from our friends that they had extra tickets to the River Cats minor league baseball game at Raley Field last night so we jumped at the opportunity to join them for the event. Being 4th of July weekend, we thought, ‘what better way to celebrate our country than with America’s favorite pastime!’
Raley Field is the home of the River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants. The stadium is in the city of West Sacramento, just across the Sacramento River from downtown and is accessible via Tower Bridge or the interstate. We arrived a few minutes before the first pitch and had seats on Home Run Hill (that’s the general admission lawn in the outfield). The seating area was essentially a huge picnic area where people had lawn chairs and blankets laid out and were enjoying the game, as well as just relaxing and basking in the last few hours of sun. Everyone who we encountered in our vicinity was polite and friendly and totally considerate about not stepping on other people’s blankets. At other baseball games we have been to, it seems like there’s always that one group that had too much to drink and was being obnoxious or inconsiderate, but we didn’t see anyone who was out of control - all in all, it was a super friendly, relaxed group. Almost all of the people near us were young families with kiddos ages 2-5. The place was also absolutely packed and the game was a sell out with over 14,000 attendees.
It was a little difficult to watch the game while the sun was up since from the outfield it was setting just beyond the 3rd base line, but once it was behind the stadium, it became much easier to see the players and enjoy the action. In the end, the River Cats would lose this game, but we barely noticed as we just laid back and enjoyed the time together with a couple of hot dogs and cold beer. After the game, they dimmed the stadium lights and we were treated to a dazzling fireworks show that felt like a fitting tribute to America.
Food/Drink Prices
Hot Dog: $6
Garlic French Fries: $8
Peanuts: $5
Sunflower Seeds: $4
Beer: $9 (sm) / $12 (lg)
Soda: $8
Raley Field
400 Ballpark Dr, West Sacramento, CA 95691
(916) 376-4700
Raley Field is the home of the River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants. The stadium is in the city of West Sacramento, just across the Sacramento River from downtown and is accessible via Tower Bridge or the interstate. We arrived a few minutes before the first pitch and had seats on Home Run Hill (that’s the general admission lawn in the outfield). The seating area was essentially a huge picnic area where people had lawn chairs and blankets laid out and were enjoying the game, as well as just relaxing and basking in the last few hours of sun. Everyone who we encountered in our vicinity was polite and friendly and totally considerate about not stepping on other people’s blankets. At other baseball games we have been to, it seems like there’s always that one group that had too much to drink and was being obnoxious or inconsiderate, but we didn’t see anyone who was out of control - all in all, it was a super friendly, relaxed group. Almost all of the people near us were young families with kiddos ages 2-5. The place was also absolutely packed and the game was a sell out with over 14,000 attendees.
It was a little difficult to watch the game while the sun was up since from the outfield it was setting just beyond the 3rd base line, but once it was behind the stadium, it became much easier to see the players and enjoy the action. In the end, the River Cats would lose this game, but we barely noticed as we just laid back and enjoyed the time together with a couple of hot dogs and cold beer. After the game, they dimmed the stadium lights and we were treated to a dazzling fireworks show that felt like a fitting tribute to America.
Tip: The stadium is very close to downtown and convenient to the highways, but parking can be a bit challenging. So, if you have a group, grab a Lyft to and from the game.
Food/Drink Prices
Hot Dog: $6
Garlic French Fries: $8
Peanuts: $5
Sunflower Seeds: $4
Beer: $9 (sm) / $12 (lg)
Soda: $8
Raley Field
400 Ballpark Dr, West Sacramento, CA 95691
(916) 376-4700