Our Yankees Ticket In The Batter's Eye Seats!
Back at the end of May, we had the privilege of sitting high atop the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar after purchasing a pair of Yankees tickets dubbed the “Batter’s Eye Seats.” For those who don’t know, the “batter’s eye” is an area beyond the center field wall at a baseball stadium, intended to provide a dark background for batters to better see pitches thrown to them. At Yankee Stadium, the “batter’s eye” happens to be a blackened glass structure that houses the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar. On top of this “batter’s eye” (but presumably not within the sight lines of the batters) are two rows of seats. Akin to the “Green Monster Seats” at Fenway Park, Yankees tickets in the “Batter’s Eye Seats” provide one of the most unique experiences that Yankee Stadium has to offer.
Directly in front of the “Bleacher Cafe,” the 80 “batter’s eye seats” offer breathtaking views of the entire field, and a unique perspective of both bullpens. Upon arrival, it is impossible not to take this photo:
Batter's Eye Section 2, Row 1, Seat 13
Or this one:
Andy Pettitte Warming Up, As Seen From The "Batter's Eye Section"
The actual seats in the section are comparable to other non-premium sections throughout the stadium (Main, Terrace, Grandstand) both in design (they aren’t padded), and in terms of legroom. If you are lucky enough to be in row 1, you’ll have more legroom and a ledge to place personal items on (even though rules state otherwise, security seems to be more lax in this section and didn’t bother us when we left some stuff on the ledge).
Batter’s Eye Section 2 is the most centered of the three sections, with seats number 1 and 2 being the “best” if you want to be aligned directly with home plate. Food and drink vendors don’t pass through this tiny section, but there is a Johnny Rockets (burgers, fries, milkshakes), Famous Famiglia (pizza) and Stadium Grill (ballpark favorites) steps away in the outdoor “Bleacher Cafe.”
The seats share a home with the center field video cameras, but they don’t cause any obstructed views. You’re directly below the massive HD video board in center field, so between inning games and advertisements take some serious neck craning to see. More worrisome for some (especially older folks, and those with small children) is that the “Batter’s Eye Seats” offer no reprieve from the sun during day games. The day we went, temperatures soared into the upper 80′s, and by the third inning, we needed a break from the sun. No amount of SPF 50, baseball caps or 24 oz. cups of Gatorade were enough to allow us to stand the heat for more than a few innings at a time – and we’re not old, nor are we toddlers. One of the benefits of Yankee Stadium is that it encourages fans to walk around and experience the entire structure, but if you want to view an entire game start to finish on a sunny summer day, it could be tough to do so in these seats.
Something else to consider; these seats are in close proximity to the bleachers, but with a significantly higher price. For comparison’s sake the face value of Yankees tickets in the bleachers are $15 in advance, while “Batter’s Eye Seats” are $125. Sure, these seats are slightly more elevated, and they have seat backs unlike the benches in the bleachers, but they can’t be more than 100 feet away. This might bother some, so it is worth mentioning.
If you have visions of snagging a souvenir baseball while sitting in these seats, you might want to temper your expectations. Only one player has even hit a ball off of the black glass “batter’s eye,” and nobody has ever hit one on top. On the day we went to the game, we were lucky enough to see Alex Rodriguez blast a grand slam into Monument Park (directly below us), but we never had a chance to catch the ball. Of course we tried, and we have a screen grabs from that day’s game to prove it!
A-Rod's Grand Slam on 5/31/10
And here we are trying (and failing) to catch it!
If you arrive early for batting practice and get the attention of a player, they might toss a ball up to you, but that is probably the only way you’ll go home with a free souvenir.
Overall, the “Batter’s Eye Seats” experience was unique and one that we thoroughly enjoyed. We’ll admit that it isn’t for everyone, and night games are probably even better. Further, the price you pay for these particular Yankees tickets will significantly affect the value proposition compared to other locations in the stadium, so be sure to search using FanSnap before you buy.
Ross Sheingold is a Yankees season ticket holder, the creator of the Yankee Stadium blog NYY Stadium Insider and a contributing writer at FanSnap’s blog. You can find him on Twitter @StadiumInsider
