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My stadium chase stalled in 2025 -- I originally had planned to hit Atlanta, Tampa, and Miami in one road trip through the southeast, and then fly to Arizona and Seattle separately. However, because of the damage caused to Tropicana Field caused by Hurricane Harvey which booted the Rays to a minor league stadium, I had decided to put most of my plans on hold until the repairs were complete (my fingers are crossed the April 2026 estimate holds). I still managed to find time to fly to Phoenix, though, visiting an old friend from high school, Mark, in the process. With 115 degree heat, walking in the city felt like wearing a heated blanket I couldn't take off. Due to this regular scorching heat, Chase Field is a domed stadium. I've talked about domes in the past when I've visited them -- it feels like there is more pressure within the stadium and it is an "exciting" watch compared to open-air stadiums. Both have their pros and cons, but the dome echoing sound and allowing for isolated lighting make it feel like every pitch is that much more important, especially within a tight game.

Chase Field's lower concourse is an average-looking one -- non-branded food stands, merchandise in various spots, good views of the field in standing room sections. There are a few unique elements, however: there is a publicly accessible gym, with machines and weights, which I thought was pretty funny to look at. Within right field there is the crown jewel of Chase Field: the pool, which is visible from the concourse as well. When we looked, nobody was swimming in it, and I don't believe anyone stepped foot in it for the duration of the game. It's a cool thing to have at a ballpark, and created quite a memorable moment when the Diamondbacks used the power of friendship to will themselves to a 2023 NLCS championship and celebrated within the water, but I do wonder how much it actually gets used. Thanks to my holding of a Chase debit card from when I turned 14, I was able to get 25% off at the "Taste of Chase" stand, where Mark and I split a Soarian Dog and garlic parmesan fries. Both were tasty and quite affordable with the discount!

The upper concourse is also fleshed out, with plenty of artpieces and artifacts from the Diamondbacks' short history. Mark and I made our way to the seats in the upper deck, where the roof felt close and the air matched the importance of the game -- both teams have wild card implementations and position on the line. The game itself was a back-and-forth affair: Arizona took a lead in the first, then Cincinnati in the second, then Arizona in the third to make it 4-2 off of a Garbiel Moreno shot over the fence. After a lull in scoring and a few pitcher changes, Austin Hayes in the sixth and Elly De La Cruz in the eighth evened the game at 4 apiece. After a combined seven batters fell in the top and bottom of the ninth, we moved forward into the free baseball provided by extra innings.

In the top of the tenth, a bunt turned into a fielding error for Diamondbacks pitcher John Curtiss which caused new Red, former Pirate, and person with bobblehead on my desk Ke'Bryan Hayes to score as the ghost runner. The snakes miraculously found themselves a double play to get out of the inning due to a great tag at home, but then had to find a way to get the ghost runner of their own in. After a groundout, Ketel Marte and Reds pitcher Graham Ashcraft found themselves in an extremely engaging duel with one out. My friend who hadn't watched baseball in years was intrigued, even through the lecturing that I brought regarding pitch sequencing and the seam-shifted wake. On the 13th(!) pitch, Marte hit a short fly ball to center field which was more than enough to get the runner home and tie the game at 5 apiece headed into the eleventh. After an uneventful inning from the Reds featuring an Elly De La Cruz lineout into double play, a first-pitch line drive by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was more than enough for Corbin Carroll, the winning run, to glide across home plate and secure the 5-6 victory for the Diamondbacks. The next day, the snakes pounded down on the Reds 1-10, making the weekend a victorious series versus a direct wild card rival.

This game had everything that makes up the core of baseball: good hitting (Elly De La Cruz hit a triple), good pitching, good fielding -- and, of course, some bad hitting (Elly De La Cruz had two strikeouts), some bad pitching, and some bad fielding. The tightness of the game plus extra innings were icing on the cake, and I'm happy that I got to share the experience. As for Chase Field, it sits solidly in my "Good" tier -- I liked a lot of what it had to offer and loved being able to visit, but nothing stood out to me in an exceedingly memorable way.