Heading to the game -- any game anywhere -- and want to know what time you can enter the ballpark? If so, bookmark this page, as it's a guide to the gate opening times of all 30 major league ballparks.
The gate opening times that are detailed for each ballpark are when the general public can enter, as season ticket holders and premium "guests" (such as suite and other exclusive area patrons) are allowed inside a little earlier than regular fans at some parks.
Gate times are for regular season games, as when a ballpark opens to the public can be different during the playoffs and also on Opening Day, when many teams open their gates earlier than they do for their following 80 home games.
Note that not all gates open at the same time. For a few MLB parks, the gate that allows earliest entrance is a specific one, with all other gates opening a half-hour or so later. And when the gates open can vary depending on the day of the week and game time.
How soon prior to the game each team's ballpark opens is listed below, with the time and corresponding info posted in alphabetical order by a ballpark’s current name. To search by team, simply use the sidebar to the left.
Typical Gate Opening Times at MLB Ballparks
(accurate for the
2022 season, although times are subject to change)
American Family Field - 1½ hours
Gates open 90 minutes prior to the scheduled game time for 80 of 81 games (Opening Day, at 2 hours, is the only exception).
Angel Stadium - 1½ hours
The stadium in Anaheim has six gates any fan can use. All of them open 90 minutes prior to the scheduled game time.
Busch Stadium - 1½ hours (weekdays) or 2 hours (weekends)
Gate opening times in St. Louis depend on the day of the week. For Monday through Thursday games, gates open 90 minutes before first pitch. It's 2 hours before game time on Friday through Sunday.
Camden Yards - 1 hour
In Baltimore it's simple: "Gates will open 60 minutes prior to first pitch," the Orioles state.
Chase Field - 1½ hours or 2 hours (Friday and Saturday only)
For Friday and Saturday games, fans are allowed in 2 hours before the game begins. For the other five days of the week (Sunday through Thursday), ballpark gate opening time is 90 minutes before the game. However, there are some slightly modified exceptions. For example, gates open at 11:00 AM for games scheduled to start at 12:40 PM (which is 100 minutes beforehand).
Citi Field - 2 hours
All gates open 2 hours prior to each game.
Citizens Bank Park - 1½ hours or 1 hour & 10 minutes (as noted)
For home games in April, May and September being played at 6:45 during the week (Monday through Thursday), gates open at 5:35. For all other games, all gates open 90 minutes prior to game time.
Comerica Park - 1 hour and 40 minutes
Ballpark gates in Detroit open approximately 100 minutes (one hour and 40 minutes) prior to the scheduled game time.
Coors Field - 2 hours
A pair of gates allow entrance 2 hours prior to game time: A and E. However, fans entering those gates are required to stay in the left field pavilion area until the other gates open, which is 1½ hours before a game's starting time.
Dodger Stadium - 2 hours
Fans can enter the stadium via any gate starting 2 hours before game time. Additionally, the gates to the Dodger Stadium parking lot open 2½ hours prior to the start of the game.
Fenway Park - 1½ hours
Baseball's oldest ballpark opens its gates 90 minutes before every game begins.
Globe Life Field - 1½ hours (day games) or 2 hours (night games)
For night games, entrance is allowed two hours prior to the game. For afternoon games, all gates open 1½ hours before the starting time.
Great American Ball Park - 1 hour (weekdays) or 1½ hours (weekends)
The day of the week determines the gate opening time for the Reds. For games played Monday through Thursday, all gates open one hour prior to the scheduled start time. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday game dates have a gates open time of 90 minutes before the game begins.
Guaranteed Rate Field - 1½ hours
The gates normally open 90 minutes prior to game time at the park on Chicago's South Side.
Kauffman Stadium - 1½ hours
For weekday games, only gates A & E (the Outfield Experience gates) open 1½ hours prior to game time, as the other three gates (B, C & D) open just 1 hour prior to the scheduled start time when the game is played Monday through Thursday. For weekend games (Friday-Sunday), all gates open 1½ hours prior to the game. And regardless of day of the week, if there's a giveaway scheduled then all gates will open 1½ hours prior to game time.
Note: there is one select group of fans that is allowed entry into the stadium 2 hours before the game, as that's when Gate C (home plate entrance) opens to Crown Club ticket holders throughout the season.
loanDepot park - 1½ hours
According to the Marlins, "gates generally open to the public 90 minutes prior to first pitch." An earlier entrance time of 2 hours is permitted for those who have club or suite tickets.
Minute Maid Park - 2 hours
Ballpark gates in Houston open two hours prior to game time, with full ballpark access available when the gates open.
Nationals Park - 1½ hours
Access to the ballpark begins 90 minutes before the scheduled game time, when all gates at Nationals Park open.
Oakland Coliseum - 1 hour (weekdays) or 1½ hours (weekends)
For games played on Monday through Thursday, the Coliseum's gates open 1 hour before the starting time. Gates open 1½ hours before game time on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Oracle Park - 2 hours
The Willie Mays (home plate) gate opens 2 hours prior to game time. The park's other three gates open 90 minutes prior to game time.
Petco Park - 1½ hours
All entrance gates at Petco Park open 90 minutes before game time.
PNC Park - 1 hour & 35 minutes or 1 hour & 5 minutes (6:35 games only)
Gates open 95 minutes before all start times except 6:35, when they open just 65 minutes before game time. There is one other exception: the entrance for the exclusive Home Plate Club opens two hours prior to all games.
Progressive Field - 1 hour or 1½ hours (Friday & Saturday)
All gates open 1 hour prior to game time on Sunday-Thursday. For Friday and Saturday games, gates open 1.5 hours before the start time.
Rogers Centre - 1 hour & 37 minutes (Mon-Fri) or 2 hours & 7 minutes (Sat-Sun)
Gate opening times in Toronto are officially 97 minutes before the first pitch for games played Monday through Friday and 127 minutes for Saturday and Sunday games. For example, gates at Rogers Centre open at 5:30 for a 7:07 Friday night game and at 1:00 for a 3:07 Saturday afternoon game.
T-Mobile Park - 1½ hours and 2 hours (for The 'Pen)
The hangout spot that the Mariners call "The 'Pen," which is accessed via the center field gate, opens 2 hours before each game, although admission is supposed to be limited to 1,000 people there. All other gates allow fans to enter T-Mobile Park 90 minutes prior to game time.
Target Field - 1 hour (weeknights), 1½ hours (weekdays) or 2 hours (weekends)
During the week, meaning for Monday through Thursday games, gates open 1 hour before night games and 1½ hours prior to afternoon games. For Friday through Sunday games, the gates at Target Field open 2 hours before the game's starting time.
Tropicana Field - 1½ hours
The six gates at the Trop open 90 minutes before all games.
Truist Park - 2 hours
All gates open two hours prior to first pitch, except for Thursday day games (90 minutes before game time).
Wrigley Field - 1½ hours (6:40 games only) or 2 hours
With the exception of games that start at 6:40, fans are welcomed into the Friendly Confines two hours before game time. Wrigley's gates open just 90 minutes prior to 6:40 games, which are only played in April, May and September.
Yankee Stadium - 1½ hours
The Stadium has four entrance gates and each opens 90 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the game.
Ballpark Gate Opening Facts
2 hours is the earliest fans can enter any individual team's stadium for every game in 2022. That's always when all gates open at four ballparks: Citi Field, Dodger Stadium, Minute Maid Park and Truist Park. Two hours before the game is also when select gates open at three other parks: Coors Field, Oracle Park and T-Mobile Park.
The latest (or least early) that fans can enter any major league ballpark is 1 hour, which is the gate opening time for Camden Yards. Additionally, in 2022 four ballparks have a 1-hour beforehand gate opening time during the week (but not on weekends): Great American Ball Park, Oakland Coliseum, Progressive Field and Target Field.
Gates open at different times based on a team's schedule for 11 ballparks, with the variable scheduling factor usually being either whether the game begins at day or night and takes place on a weekday or weekend. For almost all ballparks in which those factors apply, their gates open earlier for night and weekend games.
A uniform gate opening time is the norm at just half of MLB's 30 ballparks, as 15 of them in 2022 always open all of their gates at the exact same time, regardless of the game date or starting time (although Opening Day is an allowable exception).
Batting Practice Information
The #1 reason fans arrive early to a ballpark is to watch batting practice. For those interested in doing that, the info below is especially useful:
Although times vary, batting practice usually ends a little less than one hour before game time and that's for the visiting team, as the home team takes BP first and they finish up anywhere from about 1½ to 2 hours before the game is scheduled to start.
The home team will usually have recently begun or are about ready to begin taking their batting practice 2½ hours before first pitch, so at ballparks where any gate opening time is 2½ hours fans will be able to watch all or most of each team's batting practice.
It's also worth noting that teams may not hit before every game, as batting practice can be cancelled due to weather or not held when a day game is played after a night game. Hence, teams often don't take BP on the field prior to Sunday afternoon games.
