It was an evening exhibition of Minor League baseball, and appropriately we left for Chattanooga with the expectations of the noon forecast instead. We would soon find out what the late hours of Chattanooga, TN, had in store for us. Despite this, the visit out to the downtown venue was well worth it.
The Minor League Field
Nestled aside the Tennessee river, AT&T field is the home of the Chattanooga Lookouts. Established and first used in the 2000 season, the field is now seeing its final few years. With construction already underway, the Lookouts look to relocate to a new state-of-the-art stadium in the coming seasons. Although AT&T field is getting older, the minor league ballpark was not a bad spot to spend an afternoon in Tennessee. Should you come, make sure to make time for the historic sight surrounding it, including the captivating Ruby Falls.
Finding parking just outside of the stadium, we quickly were through the gates and within the concourse. Browsing the team-store first, and gaining our first subscriber from the vendor, we eventually found our seats sharply behind homeplate. The pre-game preliminaries underway, and a group of coaches huddled around home plate in discussion, gametime was getting close. First pitch fast approaching, the Lookouts prepared to host the Rocket City Trash Pandas, out of Huntsville, Alabama.
AT&T Field, Chattanooga Lookouts Minor League Baseball
The Game
Through the first couple innings, the only excitement to be found was hoping some clouds would find their way in-front of the sun. We sat subjected to a beaming 100-degree heat, with no cover in sight. This was until the Chattanooga pitching fell-through. First, a two-run homerun stirred the fans awake, followed swiftly by a nice display of hitting from the Trash Panda’s lineup. They ended the inning with 4-runs, meanwhile the Lookouts lineup remained quiet, as Rocket City’s pitcher worked through the order.
Taking a moment to endeavor in the concourse’s selection of ballpark food(Philly Cheese Steak Subs, and a Coney with Fries), we resettled into our seats as the evening drew on, and with it a brewing rain storm. Soon the rain poured in, and the remaining fans sought shelter in the upper deck. All the while baseball continued down on the field, as the Trash Panda’s maintained a sizable lead through the ninth.
With three final quick outs the game was ended, Chattanooga walking away with their second loss in the series. Everything considered, through the shine and rain, this first visit was a success. The food was great, the venue was exceptional, and the game saw its share of offense. Our first GameDay Travelers visit in the books, we look forward to many more as the Minor League Baseball season continues. Make sure to stay tuned at
https://www.youtube.com/@Gameday-Travelers
https://www.milb.com/gameday/trash-pandas-vs-lookouts/2024/06/26/750369/final/box