Ask NYYSI - The readers get their Yankee ticket-buying questions answered

Over the past couple of months, fans from all over the country have written in with Yankee ticket questions, hoping that we here at NYYSI could help them out with some very specific ticket quandaries. Here are some of the questions and answers so we can help out more people who may have the same issues. If any readers of this blog have better answers to any of the questions, or can add to anything I wrote, please do so in the comments section!

Barbara asks:

Do you know when group sales tickets will be available for purchase? Also every year I purchase 100 tiks for the company I work for... Every year we are sent the worst tickets imaginable. Last year we ended up 4 rows from the top which made it very difficult for some of the older people to climb. Can you give me some advice as to how we can get better seats.

I believe that group tickets are available now, and if they are anything like the rest of the tickets, they are going fast. I can't pretend to be an expert on group tickets as I have never purchased them before. I have to be honest and tell you that your seats will probably be in a pretty bad location, if you can get them at all. The Yankees sell SO MANY seats (already approaching 4 million in advance sales) that they don't need to depend on groups anymore. My father used to go with a group every single season in the 80's to Opening Day at the stadium. Once the Yankee started winning in the 90's (and attendance rose dramatically), the Yankees stopped offering group tickets to Opening Day. It is a business and the Yankees want to get as many people to purchase FULL PRICE tickets as possible. For more group information, call 718-293-6000, email groups@yankees.com or go to http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/nyy/ticketing/group.jsp

Jake asks:

We are from Cincinnati and I am going to start the trip with the 6.20-6.22 series with the reds yanks. Now I am an average guy, looking to have a good time but not break the bank. I get the impression from what you say that the tier reserves behind the plate would be a best value for a guy like me. I understand that the bleachers can be rowdy, and I don't know how that would be as far as out of towners getting heckled or whatever. What are your thoughts on this? I pretty much just want a decent view of the field, and be able to walk around the stadium etc. as this will be our first/last time there and we are huge baseball fans. I also wanted to ask about the Sat. and Sun games that are day games. I am assuming in late June it will be blazing and I was curious if the tier reserve seats are shaded at 1:00 games, or what the best bet would be for not burning up.

I definitely think you should try to get tier reserved MVP or Tier box MVP (more expensive) for that series. Make sure you get the tickets behind the plate (sections 1-8 approximately). Unfortunately, because it is a weekend series, the tickets will be snatched up quickly no matter the opponent. The good news for you is that Yankee fans will have a lot of other games they are going to try to get tickets to before that one.

For a 1:05 game, the bleachers will be BAKING in the sun. I can't pretend to have much experience sitting in the bleachers. I have been a Yankee fan all of my life, and I have sat there before, but very rarely. Some people love the bleachers because they are lower down toward the field and they feel closer to the players. Personally, I like the tier because if you are sitting in the right sections, you get a great birds eye view of the action and you can tell what is going to happen on a ball hit up the middle before anyone else in the stadium. As for the sun baking you in the tier sections, if you sit in the tier reserved, you will have minimal time frying. If you get there early it will be in the sun, but the sun quickly goes behind the stadium.

My last thought is that if you sit in the bleachers, you don't have free reign to walk around the rest of the stadium. You are confined to the Bleachers. If you sit in the tier reserved, they are all the way upstairs, and it is a hike getting out of the stadium, but you can get there early and walk around as much as you'd like. Definitely try to get to the game AT LEAST an hour and 15 minutes early (or earlier) so you can go check out monument park. Even if you aren't a Yankee fan, you can appreciate the history of the players and how beautiful it is.

Heather asks:

Coming to to New York in September and will be going to the game on the 16th. Found tickets online in Tier Reserved MVP 10 in Row D... these are aisle seats which we need to have (and seem hard to come by). With that low a row will we have people constantly walking in front of us, assuming there is a concourse there? The price seems reasonable at $28 a piece. Any feedback you could give me on these seats would be much appreciated.

Row D is far enough up that the people in the walkway won't be in our way. The first couple of rows are bad, but Row D should be good. Those are within foul ball territory, so be alert! The price is definitely not bad!

Nick asks:

I am flying out to New York and am unfamiliar with Yankee Stadium. I am looking at purchasing tickets in the MVP Tier 2 Row S. Are these tickets (section/row) a good place to sit in Yankee Stadium? Thank you for your help.

Nick, the section is very good, and you will get a birds eye view. However, you will be about 7 or 8 rows from the VERY top of the stadium. The seats in the upper deck are on a VERY steep incline, and you will be almost all the way up. The fans are very good in that area, and the view is from right behind home plate, but you will be far away. 10 rows down would be great seats in my opinion, but those are still good if you like to get a view of the ENTIRE field of play.

So, be aware that you will be near the top of the stadium. However, like I mentioned in the article I think those are some of the best value seats in the house.

That being said, I wouldn't pay more than $25-$30 per seat for those seats unless it was a "premium" game. However, if the going rate is more than that, you may have to pony up the cash. I can't say that I have taken a peak at the going rate for games yet. This tends to be when the market is at its best for sellers and at its worst for buyers. If you wait another month, prices will start to trend downward.

Grant asks:

I'm coming out from Vancouver to make my first and only trip to Yankee Stadium. I am bringing my Grandfather, and his right leg is unable to bend do to a war injury. Therefore he needs a seat with an aisle on his right side and preferably not alot of steps to his seat. He does not need a wheelchair seat, but the aisle is critical. I was hoping to sit in sections 237 to 275. I need 4 seats total and was wondering how the sections are numbered and how many seats per row? I have not found a detailed seat by seat map of the stadium. If I bought say, sec. 255 row C(4 tix) would that get me the aisle seat I need?

Unfortunately, I am more familiar with Upper Deck seats, and even there I don't remember individual seat numbers.

I BELIEVE that seats in those sections go 5 across. Therefore, if you purchase 4 tickets, you are ALMOST guaranteed an aisle seat. However, I can't be sure of that. I would recommend calling 718-293-6000 and asking a ticket office representative. Be forewarned, they are cranky and angry in the ticket office, so it will take a little bit of luck to get a helpful person.

I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful and give more concrete info.

Good luck, and enjoy the stadium!

John asks:

I live in Cambridge, MA, and am planning on getting tix to the 7/20 day game. I fit into that category you mentioned - someone who needs to get to a game at The Stadium before it closes.

I found somebody willing to sell me tix in section 320 (down the LF line) for $130, which looks like advanced sale face value.

Do you know how the seats are in that section? Is there anything to avoid, as an example - the normal box loge seats (i.e., not field box) at Fenway sell for about $95 - however, if you have tix in one of the first 3 or 4 rows, the seating, in my opinion is horrendous, because it has the concourse that separates field box from loge box right in front of it, and you spend the first 2 innings watching a constant flow of fans, and it doesn't get much better. Ergo, I NEVER buy seats in those rows, I'd rather be further up in the grandstand - so, is there anything similar to avoid at Yankee Stadium?

Lastly, I will be going to the game either with my wife and 6 month old daughter, or with my 76 year old father - as the game is a day game in July, do you know how much direct sun box 320 gets in general, or is there shade cover from the Loge and tier levels? I can't have my daughter or my elderly dad bake in the July sun. If the 320 box section is not good, what sections do you suggest would be better - I imagine either the main reserve, which looks further back, or the loge level.

Anyway, thanks for any advice you can share.

Now, those seats that you are considering purchasing are indeed a good deal at face value from a cost perspective. However, like you mentioned about similar seats at Fenway, these seats face the same issues. If you are in low rows, you will have the annoyance of early inning foot traffic impeding your view. In addition, a lot of these seats down the line face left field instead of home plate, and you are stuck starting at Hideki Matsui's head the entire game, or contorting your body (and having other people's heads in your way) the entire game to see the action.

My expertise is more confined to the Upper Deck of Yankee Stadium, but I spend a lot of time in the area of the field you are talking about during batting practice and before games. I often comment how I wouldn't trade my nosebleeds for tickets in that section because of the poor seat angles/views. However, it all depends on the specific seat/section you are in. I would check out the official seating chart to get a view from the seats (as presented by the Yankees). http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/nyy/ballpark/seating_pricing.jsp

As for the sun issue, you would definitely be safest in the back rows of the main reserved, or anywhere in the loge level. The Upper deck is more exposed, and the lower levels of the main reserved and box seats are baking for most of the game.

I would recommend trying to get seats in the loge. Look in the section 20-30 range in the Loge level. Face value is actually cheaper, but you will be a little more protected from the sun. Especially if you get seats in the loge down the right field line.

Hopefully some of this has been somewhat helpful. I'd definitely recommend going onto Craigs List (http://newyork.craigslist.org) and seeing if you can find any good deals. However, since you have more specific needs in your seat location, I think that Stub Hub, while potentially more expensive, will give you the best choice and the most convenient method of finding the section you need. I hate to suggest Stub Hub because of the extensive fees, but I think it may be the best for your situation.

John asks (follow-up):

How is Loge Level down the left field line, near the pole? I think that as long as it is OKAY, and as mentioned below, probably eliminates the foot traffic that low rows in the Main Boxes have, I'd be happy. I really need shade - if I can be between the bases, great, but as long as the seats aren't horrible I'll be fine

From what I recall, those seats aren't terrible. I think they are probably better than the seats in the same stadium location on the lower level. Good luck, and before buying tix, check out this blog post I made:

http://nyystadiuminsider.com/2008/03/nyysi-saves-you-money-cheap-yankee.html

If you are buying on StubHub you can save $20 or $10 with the fancodes I provided in that post. Its really good stuff.

Brandon asks:

Have you ever sat in the main reserve location? It seems like this has a blocked view, and was wondering your thoughts. We are planning on going to a night game and then to a day game. I was thinking about buying bleacher seats for Saturday. Would two guys from Texas get beaten up if we sat out there?

It depends greatly on the section how good of a view you will have. The outfield sections tend to be worse of a view, because there are a lot of people's heads in the way and the seats face the wrong direction a lot of time. As long as you don't get drunk while wearing Texas Rangers garb and start talking trash about Derek Jeter, you will be fine.

Amy asks:

We are planning on our first (ever) Yankees game this year. We have been looking on StubHub for seats and found some in Main Reserved 24 Row A. They're cheaper than some of the other Main Reserved tickets and was just wondering if you knew if there's something about Row A that we don't know. Is there a bar in front of your face, etc., ? Are there any sections that you would absolutely not choose, unless you had to? Any other seating advice would be appreciated, like I said this is our first Yankees game.

Main reserve seats are tricky because they are actually tucked away in the back section of the 2nd half of the lower bowl of the Stadium. For example, there is a section of field seats that is closest to the field (obviously). Then, there is a walkway. Behind the walkway are the main box seats. There are about 20 rows of those seats (I am approximating here) and then there is a bar. Behind that bar is the main reserved section and there are about 6-10 rows back there. So, your main reserved, section 24 tickets are all the way out in the outfield, and all the way back.

A lot of these lower level outfield seats face in wacky directions, so I don't really recommend them. I would always prefer something in the tier box section between sections 1-10 over more expensive lower level seats in the outfield. On the other hand, those main reserve, section 24 seats are shaded for most of the game which can be a big deal in the dog days of summer. Of course, the air can also get pretty stagnant with the low overhang of the loge level, so on a hot day the shade isn't going to be much of a reprieve.

One more positive of those section 24 seats is that you are close to one of the main exits to the stadium, so you can get out quickly once the game is over. The closer to home plate you are, the longer it takes to slowly file out of the NARROW corridors once the game is finished.

Amy asks (follow-up):

We've narrowed it down to two areas -

Main Reserved MVP 6 Row H - $80/ticket
Tier Box MVP 612 Row F - $65/ticket

That really depends on your preference.

MVP 6 Row H you will be all the way back in the lowest deck, but out
of the sun and closer to the field of play. Plus, you will be able to
get out of the stadium at the end of the game quicker.

In the upper deck in 612, you will have a great birds eyes view and
will be in prime foul ball territory, but you will be exposed to the
sun and the elements and it will take a while to exit.

You can't go wrong either way.

If it were my money, I'd save the $30 and sit upstairs. However, if
budgetary concerns out of the way, I'd probably sit downstairs.

Chris asks:

I am looking at some bleacher seats and am wondering if the first row closet
to the field (on the wall) is row 1 or row A? Is it the same for the other
sections in the stadium too?

From what I know rows are always letters so there is no "Row 1". But in the
bleachers double lettered rows come first like AA-LL before Row A.

Therefore, row A may be the 13th row.

It is only like this in the bleachers, but in the rest of the stadium, certain sections have multiple rows that are A. For example, in the main reserved section in the outfield, row A is seats 1,2,3,4 and then a row back is row a seats 5,6,7,8.

Steven asks:

My girlfriend and I are coming to New York April 16th and would like nothing better than to check out the Yankees play Boston the 16th or 17th. Am I out of luck at getting tickets? Or do you have some last minute advice?

You are DEFINITELY NOT out of luck. Here are a couple of last minute suggestions:

1) Get to New York City early on the 16th and go to the box office. The Yankees offer a program for season ticket holders to trade in their tickets to a game up to a certain amount of time before a game if they can't make it. Usually more tickets are released day of game, but not always.

2) Hit up http://newyork.craigslist.org in the days preceding the game. A lot of times, season ticket holders find out they can't make the game on short notice and need to dump their tickets fast, so they take face value or less. Most of the time these people can email the tickets via their account with the Yankees, if you don't want to have to meet them in person (you would pay via PayPal).

3) Stubhub.com is ALWAYS an option. Obviously, you are going to pay a little more there, but if you read this post:

http://nyystadiuminsider.com/2008/03/nyysi-saves-you-money-cheap-yankee.html

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums!