FIFTH THIRD FIELD

Fifth Third Field is another of the new ballparks, this one being built in 2002. Located in downtown Toledo, it is very similar to Victory Field in Indianapolis, but has a number of unique elements that make it interesting in its own right.

There is no dedicated parking lot for the ballpark, but there are plenty of garages and other lots close by. For night games, meter parking is free; for day games, you will have to find a lot. I found a $3 lot 2 blocks from the stadium, and by driving around, you will certainly find something as well.

There are four entrances to the stadium, each corresponding to a base on the diamond. Of course, the second base gate is really center field, but the main entrance is the home plate entrance at the corner of Washington and Huron Streets. There are no ticket windows at the third base or second base gate.

There are two seating levels around the main part of the park. As far as I could tell, all lower level seats were $8. It seems like the upper deck seats are club seats, and not available. At any rate, moving around here is no problem, so get whatever is cheap and do what you please. The interesting seating area is known as the Roost. Located on the upper level between two previously existing buildings, it is separate from the other seating areas. It is not a great view, but still a neat idea. One thing that I liked is that the seats further down the line are angled towards home plate. However, there are only 2 staircases to the club deck, which can be a bit annoying if it is crowded. 

The Roost - in the center of the picture

There are lots of picnic areas throughout the park, and a kids play area behind the batter's eye in center field. For those of you who want to stand, you can do so throughout the stadium, and it was common to see fans hanging over the fence in the outfield.

The concourse is open so you can watch the game while getting food, and there are plenty of concessions with a few more items than usual. Prices are comparable to the majors, though. The scoreboard is in left field and is quite large, although it contains nothing special, mainly advertising.

Scoreboard

Some other interesting aspects make use of the Mudhen nickname - for example, the bullpen is known as the Henpen, and the new mascot is known as Mudonna (a female companion to Muddy). The fence is also unique, because the park was constructed around existing buildings.  

Overall, I found this park to be an excellent place to watch a game, again because of the simplicity and the fact that baseball remained the focus of events, even on a kids day. The best promotion was strike out for ice cream. One opposition batter was selected and if he struck out, one lucky section would get free ice cream. Of course, when he came to bat, everyone had to scream for ice cream. It was the loudest I had ever heard a minor-league stadium! But this promotion kept baseball as the center of attention, which is the most important thing in my book. Now that the Tigers are so horrid, skip Comerica and come down to Fifth Third Field in Toledo - it is well worth it.