Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles Dodgers
- Andrei Ojeda
- Jul 14
- 8 min read
Updated: Jul 13
Photos by Andrei Ojeda, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 4.14
Dodger Stadium 1000 Vin Scully Ave Los Angeles, CA 90012
Year Opened: 1962 Capacity: 56,000
Sho-Time At The Ravine
Upon their arrival in 1958 from Brooklyn, the Dodgers would play their home games at the L.A. Coliseum until 1961. Native Angelinos were quick to embrace the Brooklyn transplants as over 78,000 attended the Dodgers first-ever home game at the Coliseum.
But not all of Los Angeles would embrace the former Flatbush Bums arrival particularly when it came to the controversy leading to the construction of Dodger Stadium. When the dust finally settled, Dodger Stadium would officially open on April 10, 1962. The Dodgers would draw over 2.75 million fans in their gleaming new home. Year in and year out Dodger Stadium features the highest attendance figures in all of baseball with daily crowds of over 40,000 being the norm.
Over the years Dodger Stadium has had many memorable moments such as Shohei Ohtani’s historic 40-40 feat via the walk-off grand slam, Chris Taylor’s Wild Card Clinching walk-off home run to Gibson’s epic Game 1 walk off homer against Dennis Eckersley in 1988, their sweep of the Yankees in the 1963 World Series and who can forget Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in Game 1 off of Nestor Cortez enroute to World Series triumph number 8!
Dodger Stadium is the third oldest yard behind only Fenway Park and Wrigley Field. Despite being the third oldest big league park, Dodger Stadium, affectionately referred to by blue-clad locals as Blue Heaven On Earth, is hardly referred to as a classic. Dodger Stadium maintains a truly unique identity as marked by its signature pastel-colored seating pallet.
Food & Beverage 4
Though Farmer John is no longer the hot dog provider after being synonymous with Dodger Baseball for so many years, the famous Dodger Dog remains on the menu now provided by Papa Cantella. Kosher hot dogs and sausages are also available through their stand located in the right field section of the outfield plaza.
Some of the most noticeable additions to the dining options can be found in the outfield plaza including Shake Shack. Some of my favorite dining choices are on the left field side of the outfield plaza. The Smoked Brisket Sandwich and Burnt End Nachos are available at the Think Blue Barbecue stand. The brisket in each item is smoked overnight with the sandwich topped off with coleslaw, providing fans with one of the tastiest items in the yard.
If you happen to bring a big appetite with you, Think Blue Barbecue also has an MVP Platter with burnt ends, pulled pork, hot links, coleslaw, potato salad, and jalapeno cornbread. Not only is this one of the tastier items throughout the park, but it's also big enough to feed 2 to 3 heavy hitters.
Next to the Think Blue Barbecue stand is the Dueling Dogs featuring a bacon-wrapped dog and a visiting team-themed dog. Dining areas were recently added to the outfield plaza. Fans dining in the plaza can watch the game on the new outfield plaza screens with scoreboards providing live stats.
One of the more noticeable addition to the Dodger Stadium food lineup is The Slugger. The much talked about addition to the Dodger Stadium food lineup is a 16 inch jalapeno cheddar dog topped with corn relish, white cheddar sauce, cilantro crema, and tortilla chips with French fries.
Food selections present a differing variety that often matches the theme of that particular game such as a Salvadoran or Filipino menu or Death Star themed cookies during Star Wars Night.
Coca-Cola products are the soft drinks of choice. Domestic and imported beers such as Budweiser and Modelo are available throughout the stadium. Two new indoor bars located beneath both the left and right field pavilions are available for fans before and during the games. The bars feature a vast variety of alcoholic drinks and provide screens of the live game action and other sporting events. A viewing area near the bullpen mounds is also located inside each bar for fans to watch pitchers warm up.
Atmosphere 5
It all starts as you enter through the grand entrance to the newly enhanced outfield plaza. As you enter the plaza, you are greeted by two legendary statues, Jackie Robinson and Sandy Koufax. Once past the statues fans will notice two lines that lead to replicas of the 2024 World Champions ring and trophy, two of the more popular photo spots for the 2025 season.
Pregame entertainment in the outfield plaza varies each game with in-game DJ’s blasting beats to performances from various cultural performers. The pregame festivities continue inside the stadium as the pregame hype team keeps the vibes flowing. For a team as storied as the Dodgers, it may seem a bit too much as noted by certain east coast media types perhaps still bitter over last year's World Series result.
As fans roam the outfield plaza one thing they will notice are historical displays paying tribute to significant figures in Dodger history dating back to their beginnings in Brooklyn.
When not fully paying attention to the action on the field, some of the best views of the city, be it the San Gabriel Mountains beyond the outfield or the downtown skyline, can be seen from the top deck and reserve levels.
Neighborhood 3
Several nice walking trails along with pregame picnic areas on the grounds of Elysian Park are outside Dodger Stadium and provide some of the natural scenery beyond Dodger Stadium.
Aside from Elysian Park’s picnic areas and the scenery it provides the yard, the surrounding area does not offer a ballpark village with pre- or post-game entertainment or dining options that fans have become accustomed to in some of the post Camden Yards era venues. However, The Shortstop, a local dive bar not far from the stadium, is a favorite among Dodger fans. Chinatown and Downtown L.A. are also a short drive from the yard and offer several pre- and post-game dining options.
Fans 5
Yearly crowds of over 3 million plus are the norm at Dodger Stadium. With the team coming off the excitement of 2024, in spite of rising ticket costs, there’s been talk of crossing the 4 million mark for the first time in franchise history.
With another big season anticipated, expect crowds of 40 to 50,000 plus on a regular basis. The home nine’s current run of 12 consecutive post-season appearances has done nothing to dull the enthusiasm of the Dodger Blue Faithful.
Dodger Blue runs deep throughout many Angeleno’s hearts and throughout Southern California as they are a loud and passionate bunch.
The Dodgers, like their purple and gold counterparts at the Crypto.com Arena, can attract many a Hollywood crowd. Dodger blue and white are the colors you see decked among the fans who proudly show their passion. Though some are there to stargaze or “to be seen” as can be the case with any L.A. sporting event, Dodger fans are very passionate about their Boys In Blue as noticed by certain rival players.
Access 4
The recent enhancements to Dodger Stadium have significantly improved access throughout Dodger Stadium. Unlike years past, fans can enter through any entrance and are also free to roam throughout each level of the stadium.
Additional elevators located on the left and right field corners of each concourse have been added, as well as additional escalators and stairs in the expanded exterior concourse.
A pedestrian walkway has been added atop the pavilions as well as additional ADA viewing areas and a social area overlooking the outfield plaza. More restrooms have also been added to each of the two pavilions.
If you choose to drive to the game, five entrances lead to the vast parking lot, which can accommodate up to 16,000 vehicles. Unless you plan on entering through the outfield plaza it’s still a good idea to research your seating location so you have a good idea where you should park. You will also want to purchase parking ahead of time on your mobile app to help reduce entry time, $35 if purchased in advance, $40 at the gate.
Various roads lead to Dodger Stadium which can be accessed by the 5, 110, or 101. Because of its proximity to downtown Los Angeles and the fact that most of the natives rely on their vehicles to get around this sprawling city, you will want to allow yourself more than ample time to drive to the stadium if you want to be at your seat by the first pitch. There’s a reason why Dodgers fans have a reputation, albeit an unfair one, as late arrivers.
Another transportation option is the Dodger Stadium shuttle, which runs from outside the west main entrance at Downtown Union Station beginning 2.5 hours before game time. If using the shuttle after the game, regardless where you’re sitting, you will want to catch the shuttle from the outfield pickup stop rather than the Top Deck stop as more buses are available with significantly less wait time.
Union Station can also easily be reached by light rail via the MTA through the Red, Purple, and Gold lines.
Return on Investment 3
With a team coming off a memorable championship season along with arguably the game’s most popular player comes the price of success. When attending a game at The Ravine expect a significant dent in your wallet just from the ticket prices alone.
Single game ticket prices start at $38. For games against rival teams such as the Giants, Padres and Angels prices start at $53.
With the Yankees in town and nights when certain promotional giveaway items are distributed expect the lowest price to start in the triple digits as much as $175. Those Shohei Bobbleheads and replica World Series players rings are just some of the most sought out items fans will be clamoring for.
There’s no way around it. Attending a Dodger game will not be cheap. If you’re fortunate you may find some reasonably priced tickets on 3rd party sites.
Extras 5
In past years Dodger Stadium did not offer much regarding displaying their storied history. That recently changed with the outfield plaza enhancements most notably in both pavilion areas. Fans can view memorabilia and displays paying tribute to Dodgers legends and sit in old stadium seats. Gold Glove Awards can also be viewed below the left field pavilion.
Fans entering through the Top Deck entrance will walk through the Retired Numbers Plaza featuring statues of the iconic red numbers from the Dodgers uniforms of each Dodger who had the honor of having their number retired including recently retired number 34, belonging to the late former legendary pitcher and longtime fan favorite Fernando Valenzuela.
Another addition to the Top Deck before the start of the 2024 season is a historic Japanese stone lantern. Originally gifted to the Dodgers in 1965, the eight-foot-tall, 3,921-pound Kasuga-style stone lantern was presented to the Dodger organization by Japanese sports columnist Sotaro Suzuki, who is also a member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. Suzuki worked with team president Walter O’Malley on the Brooklyn Dodgers’ 1956 Goodwill Tour to Japan.
Final Thoughts
As the season’s second half approaches, the excitement from the 2024 season highlighted by Shohei Ohtani’s memorable 50/50 season to Freddie Freeman’s walk-off slam has fans excited for another exciting run toward more October baseball.
Now in it’s 63rd year, from Gibby to Freddie, what exciting and historical moment will happen next?
Comments