Major League Baseball at Kaplan – Part 2: West Coast

Last month we looked at some of the baseball teams you can see play while studying with Kaplan on the East Coast or Midwest of America. This time we’re looking at the West Coast.

It’s always fun to see a local sports team play when you visit another city, and baseball is perhaps the most quintessential of all American sports. Whether you’re studying with us already, or are thinking about doing so in the future, take a look at some of the teams you can watch while you learn English at one of our US schools.

Los Angeles

Just as we have two schools in Los Angeles (LA Westwood and LA Whittier), Los Angeles has two Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. The first of these teams is the Los Angeles Dodgers, who actually first began in Brooklyn, New York. Unlike in most other countries, most American sports teams are a franchise, which means they can sometimes move to a completely different location. They now play at Dodger Stadium, which holds up to 56,000 people, and you can often get tickets on special offer for around $20.

The other MLB team in LA is the Los Angeles Angels. They have only won the World Series once, but in terms of historical attendance numbers, they are second in the country, only behind the New York Yankees. This is partly because ticket prices are so cheap – on some days, you can see the Angels play for as little as $4. If you study with us in LA, speak to your social coordinator, and they will be able to help you attend a game.

Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers

San Francisco

If you study at our San Francisco school, you’d be silly not to watch the San Francisco Giants play. It’s only about a 15 minute walk to the AT&T Park from the school, so when lessons are over you can head straight there in plenty of time for an evening game. Tickets start from $15, which is a great price to see the 2014 World Series champions. If you see an evening game and get the right seat, you can even watch the sun setting over San Francisco Bay, which is worth the entrance price alone.

The other San Francisco team are the Oakland Athletics. They are less successful in recent history than the Giants, but it’s possible you may have heard of them thanks to Brad Pitt. He starred as Billy Beane in Moneyball, a film (based on the book of the same name) about the Oakland A’s. ‘Moneyball’ refers to a sophisticated mathematical approach to scouting and analysing players, using specific data to inform player purchases. He implemented this method because of the financial constraints the team was facing. The idea has made its way into other sports as well, resulting in similar phenomena such as ‘Soccernomics’ (soccer and economics combined). A trip to the O.co Coliseum is half an hour on the metro from our San Francisco Berkeley school, and tickets start at $10.

Brad Pitt Moneyball
Brad Pitt as Billy Beane in Moneyball

San Diego

Although the San Diego Padres have never won the World Series, they can at least claim the honour of being only one of two Californian MLB teams to actually originate from California (the other team is the Angels). Our San Diego school is less than a ten minute walk away from the Padres’ stadium, Petco Park, which holds over 40,000 fans. With tickets as cheap as $15, it’s a great way to feel like a San Diegan.

San Diego Padres Petco Park
A night game at Petco Park

Seattle

Our final stop on this MLB tour is Seattle, home to the Seattle Mariners. They play at Safeco Field, which is a 25 minute walk down the waterfront from our Seattle school. Because Seattle is further north than the other MLB teams, the sunshine is less reliable and rain is more common. For this reason, the stadium has a retractable roof that can be used whenever rain is forecast. You can pick up tickets for around $15, whatever the weather may be.

Seattle Mariners Safeco Field
The roof at Safeco Field when fully retracted

If you’re a student at one of our schools, have a chat with your activities coordinator. They will be able to give you help with going to a game and may even be able to get you discounted tickets.

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