At&t Park

About At&t Park

It was the first privately financed MLB ballpark since Dodger Stadium in 1962. The park opened with a seating capacity of 40,800 on March 31, 2000. It includes a nine-foot statue of Willie Mays, one of the Giants’ greatest ballplayers, at the public entrance. There are Portuguese water dogs that go and get home runs and splash into McCovey Cove. An eighty-foot Coke bottle with playground slides and a miniature version of the park are attractions for kids of all ages. Also, the park has a bridge to mass public transportation.

San Francisco is the fourth most populated city in California and the 14th most populated in the US. In 2007, the population was estimated at 764,976. The city is among the most heavily populated cities in the nation and is part of the San Francisco Bay Area metropolitan area; this area has over 7.2 million people. San Francisco is found at the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula; the Pacific Ocean is to the west, San Francisco Bay to the east and the Golden Gate Bridge to the north. The Spanish settled at the tip of the peninsula in 1776 and founded a fort at the Golden Gate and a mission that was named for Francis of Assisi.

In 1848, the California Gold Rush forced the city into period of rapid growth, which transformed it into the biggest city on the West Coast at that time. The city was rapidly rebuilt after the earthquake and fire of 1906; it was host to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition just nine years later. In WWII, San Francisco was where many soldiers would leave for the Pacific Theater. The city is popular among international tourist because of its famous landmarks, its steep and rolling hills and its mixture of Victorian and modern architecture. Currently, the park has a seating capacity of 41, 503.

The Emerald Bowl, a college football bowl game, is held in the park every year. AT&T Park is also host to various concerts, soccer games, corporate events and family functions during the offseason. In its first few years of existence, the park saw its share of historical events, mainly due to veteran outfielder Barry Bonds.

In 2001, Bonds hit his 500th career home run; in 2002, he hit his 600th career home run; in 2004, he hit his 660th career home run and tied Willie Mays for third on the all-time list, the next night, he hit his 661st; later that year, he hit his 700th and was the 3rd member of baseball’s 700 Club; in 2006, he hit his 715th home run and passed Babe Ruth for 2nd place; in 2007, he hit number 756 and broke Hank Aaron’s record. 2008 was the first year Bonds didn’t play for the Giants since 1992. The park has been host to the 2002 World Series against the Anaheim Angels and hosted the 2007 MLB All-Star Game. Since it opened in 2000, the park is fourth in the Majors for overall attendance; in 2007, 3,223,215 fans attended the games.