Best Seats at a Baseball Game: Pick Your Section

By the Reserved Seat editorial teamUpdated October 1, 2026How we research

Your ballpark seat decision in one minute

Reserve an infield seat, between first and third base, and you will see baseball the way it is meant to be watched: pitcher, batter, catcher and the whole diamond in one look. If you want the most game for the money, go up a deck. An infield seat on the second level, or in the first rows of the upper level, shows the outfielders shifting and the runners taking their leads, and it usually costs less than the field level.

After the section, two details decide whether the seat is good:

Sun exposure. On a day game, the half of the park that loses the sun first is worth seeking out, and that half differs from ballpark to ballpark.
Which way the seat points. Sections far down the foul lines are often angled toward center field, which leaves you twisting to see home plate for nine innings.

Park-specific guides land on the same kind of value pick: infield Main Level seats at Yankee Stadium, infield Loge seats at Dodger Stadium, the 300-level upper box behind the plate at Wrigley Field and Pavilion Box seats at Fenway Park.

Field level, second deck or upper deck

A ballpark chart wraps seats from one foul pole, past home plate, to the other, then fills the outfield with bleachers or porches. Levels stack upward, and the leading digit of a section number usually names the level. Wrigley Field shows the pattern clearly: in 2019 the Cubs renumbered the park so the 100 level is field box, 200 is terrace, 300 is upper box, 400 is upper reserved and 500 is the bleachers.

Field level

The closest seats and the highest demand. Infield rows here put you near enough to hear the catcher's mitt. The catch is that the lowest rows behind the plate watch through protective netting, and far down the lines the angle gets poor.

Second deck

The best balance in most parks. You rise above the infield, so ground balls, relays and the depth of the outfield all make sense, and you are still close enough to read the scoreboard and the players' faces on the video board without effort.

Upper deck

The front rows behind the infield are a strong budget choice. The top rows and the far ends are where the view thins out.

Older parks name sections instead of numbering them by level. Fenway Park runs from Dugout, Field and Loge Box near the grass up to Grandstand, Pavilion and Bleachers, so learn the names before you compare listings.

First-base side or third-base side

This choice decides two things: whose bench is in front of you and how much sun you take. Neither follows a league-wide rule.

The dugouts

Each team's dugout (the sunken bench along a base line) is assigned park by park. At Yankee Stadium the home team sits on the first-base side, beneath roughly sections 14 to 17. Home fans tend to prefer seats near their own dugout; the view of the field is equal on either side.

The sun

Ballparks face different directions, so the shade side changes:

Dodger Stadium: home plate points north-northeast, so shade reaches the third-base side first, and the first-base side and right field stay bright longest.
Wrigley Field: the third-base side turns shady as the afternoon goes on, while the first-base side and the right-field corner take the strongest sun.
Yankee Stadium: the earliest shade lands on the first-base side of home plate, and right field faces west, so it catches low sun even at evening games.

Covered rows are the other refuge. At Yankee Stadium, rows 16 and up in the Main Level sections sit under the deck above; at Dodger Stadium, the last six or seven rows of each Loge section are covered; at Fenway, most of the Grandstand is roofed. Bleachers and outfield porches are usually the most exposed seats in any park. At loanDepot park in Miami, the retractable roof is shut for many summer games, which takes sun out of the decision. At night games anywhere, sun stops mattering after the first few innings.

Rows that change the view: poles, overhangs and netting

A chart tells you how far you are from the field. It does not tell you what is in the way. These are the seats that disappoint most often:

Corner seats angled at the outfield. Fenway's Right Field Box sections face center field, and the problem is worst near Pesky's Pole. Field-level seats deep down the lines at Dodger Stadium and loanDepot park share the issue. Low price, long night.
Steel columns. Older parks support their upper decks with posts. At Fenway, posts tend to sit near the end seats of a row and in rows 2 to 4 of many Grandstand sections. At Wrigley, the first post in many 200-level sections lands near row 6. An obstructed-view label on an old-park listing is usually accurate.
Back rows under a deck. Shade costs you height. The overhang can clip high fly balls and the outfield video boards, as in the back of Wrigley's terrace.
The lowest outfield rows. In some spots the outfield wall is taller than your eye line, so balls on the warning track vanish.
Front rows behind the plate. They carry premium prices and look through netting. A handful of rows higher sees nearly as well for less.

The guide to obstructed and limited-view seats explains how sellers label these.

Outfield and bleacher seats worth reserving

The infield wins on sightlines. The outfield wins on character, home-run chances and price, and for plenty of fans that is the better afternoon.

Short porches. Right field at Yankee Stadium is just 314 feet down the line, and the Home Run Porch at loanDepot park sits behind a short right-field line, so both see more long balls.
Fan sections. Section 203 in the Yankee Stadium bleachers belongs to the Bleacher Creatures, known for the first-inning roll call. Visiting fans will hear about it.
Landmark seats. The Green Monster seats on top of Fenway's left-field wall look across the entire park, though balls hit off the wall below you are hard to follow.

Know the costs before you reserve. The top of Fenway's bleachers is among the longest distances to home plate in the majors, and bleachers almost everywhere bake in the afternoon. Wrigley's bleachers are general admission (a ticket for entry, not a set seat) during the regular season, so arrive early for a good spot. Families can look for alcohol-free sections; Yankee Stadium sets aside 407A and 433 in its Grandstand.

Picking the game and timing the purchase

Each MLB club has about 81 home dates, running from late March or early April through September, with the postseason in October. That volume works in your favor. The 2025 season drew 71,409,421 fans, the third straight year above 70 million, according to MLB, yet most regular-season dates still offer plenty of seats to choose from.

Demand peaks around the same dates in most cities:

Opening Day and every postseason game.
Summer weekends, fireworks nights and giveaway nights.
Rivalry series and division opponents whose fans travel in numbers.

For the widest selection, look at weeknight games in April, May and September against less popular opponents. Timing can help as well: economist Andrew Sweeting's study of the regular-season MLB resale market found sellers lowering prices by 40 percent or more as game day neared. That research was published in 2012, and high-demand games do not follow it, so treat it as a past pattern, not a promise. The guide to when ticket prices drop goes further. Every order on Reserved Seat is backed by a 100% guarantee.

Before you click buy

Infield first, then height: field level for closeness, the next deck up for the full picture and better value.
Shade side for the park and start time, since no rule covers every ballpark.
Row details: columns, overhangs and netting; a seat-view tool helps, and the view-from-your-seat guide shows how to use one.
Corner caution: deep corners only if price matters more than angle.
Bag limits: each MLB park sets its own, often larger than the NFL clear-bag size; the stadium bag policy guide has the details, and the venue's page has the current rule.

For a method that works in any building, see How to Read a Seating Chart and the guide to choosing seats.

Frequently asked questions

Is the second deck better than field level at a ballpark?

For seeing the whole game, often yes. An infield seat one level up shows fielders, baserunners and outfield positioning together, and it usually costs less than the field level.

How do I find the shaded seats at a day game?

Look up the specific park, because orientation varies. At Dodger Stadium and Wrigley Field the third-base side shades first; at Yankee Stadium it is the first-base side. Rows under an upper deck are covered in most parks.

Are bleacher seats a good choice?

They are a strong choice for atmosphere, home-run balls and lower prices. Expect full sun at day games and a long sightline to home plate.

Which baseball seats should I avoid?

Deep corner seats that point at the outfield, seats behind support posts in older parks, and back rows under a deck if you want to track fly balls.

Which MLB games are hardest to get seats for?

Opening Day, postseason games, summer weekends, promotional nights and rivalry series draw the most demand. Weeknight games in spring and September usually have the most choice.

The Best Seats at a Baseball Game