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AT&T Park
From BR Bullpen
Home of San Francisco Giants, 2000 to present
(previously known as Pacific Bell Park, 2000 to 2003, and SBC Park, 2004 to 2005)
BUILT: 2000
CAPACITY: 41,503
FIRST GAME: April 11, 2000, vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (Dodgers 6, Giants 5)
- Kirk Rueter (L) v. Chan Ho Park (W), Jeff Shaw (Sv); HR: Kevin Elster 3, Barry Bonds, Doug Mirabelli, J.T. Snow
Park Firsts (all April 11, 2000):
- First Hit Devon White
- First Double Bonds
- First Triple Mirabelli
- First Home Run Kevin Elster off Rueter
- First Run Bill Mueller
- First RBI Bonds
HIGH SEASON ATTENDANCE: 3,318,800 (2000)
LOW SEASON ATTENDANCE: 3,130,313 (2006)
LONGEST HOME RUN: 499 ft. to center by Barry Bonds
AT&T Park is the home of the San Francisco Giants, located in the harborfront section of downtown San Francisco. The ballpark is built on the edge of an inlet in San Francisco Bay that was renamed McCovey Cove when the ballpark opened in 2000 in honor of Hall of Fame slugger Willie McCovey. The right field fence is built on the edge of the water, and home runs hit over the bleachers in right field are "splashdown homers", falling into the water.
AT&T Park replaced the reviled Candlestick Park which for years had kept attendance down by being beaten by strong cold winds even in the middle of summer, making attendance at ball games a distinctly unpleasant experience. In contrast, AT&T Park is universally praised for its classic architecture, cozy dimensions and great views of the playing field, and fabulous location in the heart of the United States' most beautiful cities.
In the first game played at the then Pac Bell Park' on April 11, 2000, SS Kevin Elster hit three home runs for the Los Angeles Dodgers, including the first one ever hit in the ballpark off Kirk Rueter in a 6-5 Dodgers win. No other hitter would have a three-homer game here until October 24, 2012, when Pablo Sandoval did it in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series. This is in spite of the fact that Barry Bonds set a number of home run records while playing in the park, including the single-season record of 73 in 2001, and the career record of 762 (although he did have two other home parks in his career, Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium and Candlestick Park. Bonds' exploits obscured the fact that AT&T Park is in fact not hitter-friendly at all, and not particularly conducive to hitting long balls.
