June 21, 2025
Louisville Slugger Field (Capacity: 11,522)
Louisville, KY
Louisville Bats vs Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
Final Score: 3 – 4 (10)
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Our vacation to explore the Bluegrass State began here in Louisville and this is a fun place built on Bourbon and fixtures in American Sport. The ‘Ville is the home of Muhammad Ali, the Kentucky Derby, the Louisville Slugger and a Power Four Basketball team with a deep history. The Commonwealth’s largest city (population of 633,000) sits on the Ohio River that divides Indiana and Kentucky. Midwestern and Southern culture combine here and for the uninitiated, it’s called “Lou-ee-ville” or “Lou-a-ville”. I first learned of one of those pronunciations watching NFL Primetime as a kid when I would mimic Tom Jackson yelling “From….Louisville!” during a highlight. Over to a different sport, baseball. The Louisville Bats were born in 1982, however minor league baseball was a part of the city before that and for much of the 20th century. The Bats is a great duel nickname as it is an ode to the famous manufacturer down the road, plus you can do plenty with the mammal for merch and what-not. Louisville wasn’t always the Bats as the franchise started as the Redbirds when affiliated initially with St. Louis. They became the RiverBats in 2001 and then Bats a year later. Around this time, nearby Cincinnati started as their MLB partner. As members of Triple-A, Louisville has won four league titles, their last coming in 2001. Since then, it’s been a terrible run on the field: Just one winning record since 2012 and it has been 15 years since a playoff appearance. Games are played at Slugger Field, a ballpark that opened in 2000 and scores well in almost every category.
Prestige Ranking: 3 out of 5
Location
Slugger Field is downtown, though a mile away from Louisville’s most popular attractions. It’s a pretty long walk if you have the stamina to try it. The core of the city features quite a bit: the Frazer History Museum, Muhammad Ali Center and the Evan Wiliams Bourbon Experience. There’s plenty of other establishments down Whiskey Row that specialize in the area’s most celebrated spirit. This Bourbon District is a beacon for those that love it. For another fabric of Louisville, Churchill Downs is about 15 minutes to the south. Back downtown, one must see place if you are coming for baseball is of course the Louisville Slugger Museum where you get a tour on how their iconic bat is made (you’ll also get to take personalized mini one home!). There’s some cool displays as well. As for the immediate area around the ballpark, it sits in a corner nook of I-64 and I-65, which unfortunately sections it off from the pleasant Waterfront Park and the Ohio River. Don’t get me wrong, you can still access it, it’s just not as harmonious as it is up the river in Cincinnati with their stadium/park/river location. On the other side of Main Street from Slugger Field are some low-rises and parking, nothing special. Plans are in place to create a mixed-use project that would fill in this area and connect it better between downtown and NuLu. For now, the only close-by food choices are a Mexican Restaurant and a McDonald’s. Really though, there’s only one option you should try before the game and that is Against The Grain, which is actually attached to the stadium. Decent food and several of their uniquely-named beers are brewed in house.
Location Ranking: 7.5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
There are three parking lots on each side of the ballpark and one of them is quite expansive. Beyond that is a garage if necessary, so parking is not an issue. The closest lot along the first base entrance says that it opens 15 minutes before game time to the general public (before then it is for season ticket and club seat holders only), however it was available well before that when we arrived. There is plenty of interstate access to Louisville as I-64, I-65 and I-71 all converge on the city. Although 64 and 65 go by the ballpark, the exits do not and you have to make sure to not miss a downtown exit or you could be on your way to Indiana. I honestly found downtown Louisville difficult to drive in as quick entrances with little warning, one-way streets and twisty highways kept me uncertain and on edge. At least traffic wasn’t terrible and getting out after the game wouldn’t have been bad if it didn’t coincide with the Kentuckiana Festival ending around the same time.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 6.5 out of 8
Exterior
The main face of the building is the front behind home plate where a century-old former train depot acts as the entranceway. It’s a great introduction as the plentiful red-brick along with green awnings give a real classy look. This rectangular building masks the rest of the ballpark exterior (which is also brick) and that’s completely ok. As you head towards the outfield entrance, there is a gray brick wall and the back of the scoreboard.
Exterior Ranking: 9 out of 10
Concourse
That massive entryway into the former train warehouse doesn’t have a ballpark feel, but it is mighty impressive. The towering wood-paneled roof and the brick outlines is such a cool arrival as you head towards the ballpark entry. There’s an East Gate, a central area for suites/clubs and then a much larger West Gate, which acts as an event space. It also is a good spot for autograph sessions. Once past ticket scanners, you’ll walk into a much more typical concourse. Open to the field and covered above, there is a clean look with brick walls, green beams and seemingly spotless floors. This ballpark does not feel 25 years old. The concourse has an enclosed vibe because when looking towards the field, the upper deck dips down and protrudes outward by a lot. Space is generally ok, though roped off lines and portable carts can jam things up. Space quickly opens in the outfield corners with lots of area to roam and a variety of bars and other seating areas. The playground also in the vicinity is really impressive and would even be adequate as a standalone in a park.
Concourse Ranking: 5 out of 5
Food
Slugger Field has enough variety to either take a stroll around on the concourse or look at the website menu to see which option interests you. My recommendation by far would be a separate food truck called “Frickled Pickle Express”. While being known for their fried dill pickle chips, there is so much more. Ten different meal options range from Pulled Pork to Cod to Grilled Tomatillo Chicken. Infield offerings aren’t bad either with Fried Bologna and Porkchop being the more interesting of the sandwiches. Missing are some true KY specialties like a Hot Brown (probably tough to make at a ballpark) and Derby Pies (much easier sell), plus Bourbon wasn’t highlighted as much as it should’ve been. Beer was good and I tried the “Home Run Hops” from Falls City Beer. The other local product, Against The Grain is brewed in the building. Last thing to try at Slugger Field is The Cookie Lady. Elizabeth Kizito has been a vendor since the stadium opened, often selling homemade cookies while carrying the basket on her head. She came to the States from Uganda and is so beloved, the Bats honored her with a bobblehead a few years ago. Stop by her stand in the concourse and get a cookie. Special treat and special woman.
Food Ranking: 7.5 out of 8
Interior
Louisville has a large minor-league park as the expansive 100-level seating goes from left-field to foul territory on the right field line (a general admission lawn is beyond that). Around the infield, the seating bowl has a nice curved approach around home plate and then sections go straight-down the line, with no turning of the seat towards the infield. There’s about 20 rows and the incline is terrible as the sightlines aren’t ideal overall. Several parts of sections also extend into the concourse, which is unnecessary and should be removed for standing room/more space. Chairs are green and spacious. There is an upper-deck here at Slugger Field and it’s both good and bad. Start with the negative…you need a ticket to get into this area and each entrance is guarded by an usher. On the positive, advanced tickets are only $20 – $25, plus they include access to the Stadium Club AND $5 towards concessions. It’s a great deal and well worth it. The view is much better from here and the deck protrudes out over enough of the lower deck to bring seats closer. Other premium options include the On-Deck Club and Humana Cabana tiered group seating. The outfield look has peaks of the JFK Memorial Bridge in the distance. If you’re into skylines, you’ll need to stand in the right-field corner for the best visual of downtown Louisville. Both are just glimpses and not as up front as I like.
Interior Ranking: 9 out of 14
Scoreboard
Two large video screens are used at the ballpark and their left-center / right-center positioning makes it easy to view (there is also game info on the infield façade). These screens are clear and player stats are plentiful. My complaint is in the ads, in that there are a lot of them. Sides and more importantly the top (where team logo or stadium name should be) have large advertisements. Both of these scoreboards have video capability, just don’t expect to see a game replay.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3 out of 4
Displays
The cavernous entryway is called the “Hall of Fame Pavilion”, a little misleading given that there isn’t much of an HOF here. I guess the small spot with plaques on the wall for “Kentucky Hall of Famers” counts. There is an effort to highlight Louisville baseball history, however the glass wall display cases are not well lit or easy to peer through. At least championships get pennants in this area, plus the wall murals of former players is impressive. Where these are located near the East Gate, also check out the impressive Louisville Slugger bats from the game’s biggest stars. More former player honors are found with banners overhead on the concourse. The most significant player piece is the statue outside the main entrance of the stadium for Pee Wee Reese. who was a Louisvillonian(?) through and through.
Displays Ranking: 4.5 out of 6
Cost
It’s a mixed bag for overall cost, starting with the somewhat pricey $10 parking charge. There’s even a $20 option if you want to be right across from the entrance (not necessary). Tickets aren’t bad at all, ranging from $9 – $18 if bought in advance. Those cheap seats are for corners and outfield. I also think the $20 – $25 club seats in the 200s is a great deal. Concessions on the other hand are not as items are priced at a major league level. $7 for a Hot Dog, $7 for a small soda, $6 for candy and $11 – $14 for a beer.
Cost Ranking: 6.5 out of 8
Fan Support
The crowd (or lack thereof) was telling because it was peak attendance season. Saturday Night in late June with fireworks. Sure, it was hot, but nothing out of the ordinary during a Kentucky summer. By looks, my attendance guess would be 2,000 – 3,000 for the game we saw (way lower than the paid number of 6,023). The team in recent years has been ranked 15th / 16th out of 20 for league attendance.
Fan Support Ranking: 3.5 out of 8
Atmosphere
In spite of my disappointment at the turnout, fans were attentive and involved in the game. There were some good reactions to most plays as I particularly noticed the pop for a double play. The ballpark size and spread out nature of the crowd in the seating bowl meant that nothing got overly loud. It still was a nice sporting atmosphere and I also appreciated the sound effects not reaching an overbearing point. A long-time organist is welcomed as the frequent musical accompaniment.
Atmosphere Ranking: 9 out of 14
Other Stuff
This was a rare ballpark to allow backpacks and bottled water. Yay! It’s common sense and courtesy and really does not add that much more time to a security check….Louisville was the first team to surpass 1 million for attendance when they did it in 1983 as they drew big crowds to the large Cardinal Stadium. They shared that home with University of Louisville Football until both teams built separate new places between 1998 and 2000……I saw one of the best between-inning promotions during this game. Kate Flannery (Meredith from The Office) was in the house and along with doing autographs, first pitch, etc. she came on the field for a kid race against the mascot. To help the kid win, she put a bag over the head of Buddy Bat and if you watched The Office, this was so on point!
Game
It was a well played game and Louisville kicked things off in the 1st inning with a two-run double by Jack Rogers. We thought that might hold up as the teams traded a run here or there. Then with two out in the Top of the 9th, Scranton’s Brendan Davis crushed a solo homer to tie the game at 3. A parent’s worst nightmare as it meant the Fireworks show would be put on hold. In the 10th, the RailRiders brought their automatic runner home from 2nd, while the Bats did not. 4-3 Scranton / Wilkes-Barre.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
