Located in San Francisco’s South Beach neighbourhood, AT&T Park is home to the San Francisco Giants Major League Baseball team. It lies along McCovey Cove, named in honour of the former Giants player Willie McCovey, and hosts not only professional baseball games but also collegiate football fixtures.
Due to the depth of its outfield, AT&T Park is considered one of the most pitcher-friendly stadiums in the National League, and renowned for its prominent right field wall and fountains which burst water jets when the Giants hit a home run. The retired numbers and uniforms of baseball greats are displayed along the left field line, and six statues of baseball legends grace the stadium, including Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal. “Splash hits” knocked into the waters of China Basin are one of the most celebrated events at the park and fans often take to the waters in boats and kayaks in the hope of fishing out a home run ball, while others watch free of charge from the slightly obstructed view along the public waterfront promenade. Public Tours of AT&T Park take place throughout the year, with visitors getting a behind-the-scenes look at the stadium, together with lots of baseball-related tales, and the opportunity to stand in a major league dugout and press box. In addition to hosting baseball and football games, AT&T Park has also seen friendly international soccer matches, big-air ski and snowboards competitions, and broadcasts the Mavericks big-wave surf contest live each year.
The light rail to King Street and 2nd Street stops right outside the entrance to AT&T Park, or it’s just a short walk from the train station at 4th and King Street. Ferries from Larkspur, Alameda/Oakland and Vallejo also deposit fans on the Giants Promenade at the ballpark’s bayside corner.
The groundbreaking of AT&T Park took place on December 11th, 1997, with the 42,000-seat stadium replacing the old Giants stadium at Candlestick Park in the south-east of the city. It was designed to reduce the winds chills experienced by fans at the old ground and originally named Pacific Bell Park, before becoming SBC Park and finally AT&T Park in 2006.