Back in 2018, we visited the Bronx to watch the Yankees play. Unfortunately, it was a cold and very wet day and a rain delay mean’t we didn’t see a ball thrown. Determined to catch a game this time, we booked tickets to watch the Vancouver Canadians v Tri City Dust Devils during our visit to Canada. As luck would have it, the weather was great, the sun was out, and so off we went to the Nat Bailey Stadium.
Who are they?
Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball team who play in the North West League and are an affiliate team of the Blue Jays. They last won their championship in 2017. The stadium is filled most game nights with an average attendance of just over 6,000 across the season.
Where is the stadium?
Located on 4601 Ontario Street, South of Vancouver City and just North East of Vancouver airport.
How to get there?
The closest metro station is King Edward on the Canada line, which is the line running from the city centre to the airport. This is the option we went for, but it also looked like there was plenty of parking all around the stadium.
How much are tickets?
As with most sporting events ticket prices depend on where you are sitting within the stadium. We opted for front row along the foul ball line, which in hindsight maybe wasn’t a great idea… as Nicola found out when she nearly came face to face with a flying baseball. A steward did warn us before the game started to keep our eye on the ball at all times. However. the view was great and the ticket price was low, so I would suggest maybe sitting a few rows back if you have young kids!
We purchased our tickets online at a total cost of C$66 for the 3 of us.
More info on tickets and schedule for the Vancouver Canadians can be found here.
Around the stadium
To be honest. our walk from the metro station to the stadium was through a housing area, so there wasn’t much available in the way of food or drinks. We had planned to hold off anyway until we got into the stadium, so it wasn’t a major issue for us.
Inside the stadium
By North American standards the stadium is on the smaller side. but inside there is so much to keep you occupied while you wait for the game to start.
Get a beer / Ice Cream
Our first task of the night was to find some food, grab ourselves a pint. and get some ice cream for Megan and Doggy.
Visit the museum
Under the main stand and in the concourse is a small, but informative museum about the Vancouver Canadians. For visitors like us it was a great way to learn a bit more about the history of the team.
Meet the mascot
Megan is on mascot watch at every sporting event we attend, so it was no surprise that when she spotted ‘Bob Brown Bear’ we had to go catch a photo with him.
Before the Game
As we entered the stadium, there was a fella handing out t-shirts to all the kids. We spoke briefly to him and started to walk towards the beer sellers. He called us back and asked Megan if she would like to deliver the game ball. Megan being Megan replied, no! But we weren’t going to let her miss out on this amazing opportunity, so with some encouragement she finally agreed.
She was so happy she did!
In front of 6,000 people her name was announced over the tannoy and she ran out the game ball to cheers from the stands. She couldn’t stop smiling.
Megan came back all excited and told us her arms and legs wouldn’t stop jiggling the whole time she was on the field. 🙂
This honestly made our night and was the perfect end to our trip.
The game itself
Being from Northern Ireland. we aren’t big baseball fans, but do enjoy experiencing different sports when we travel. However, we knew the basic rules and the aim of the game!
The game itself had its moments of excitement. There was a point during the game when all the bases were loaded and everyone was expecting the big home run shot, but sure. it never happened.
The match was a low scoring game with the Vancouver Canadians winning 2-1. All 3 runs during the middle innings.
Would we recommend?
100%. The family / community atmosphere in the stadium was just amazing. We had so much fun singing and cheering and really getting involved. We would recommend anyone to give it a go on match day.
Special Thanks
On arrival home we realised in all the excitement we forgot to buy a game programme on the night. A quick tweet later and a really helpful fella called Niall O’Donohoe, who is the announcer at the Vancouver Canadians, got in touch, posted us a programme and wouldn’t take a penny. A BIG THANK YOU to Niall.
Thanks for taking the time to read about our night at the Vancouver Canadians.
The Lewis Family.
For further posts about our time in Canada click here.