Baseball came to the desert in 1998, and with it came a brand new, multi-million dollar stadium named Chase Field. The ballpark located at 4th and Jefferson Street is one of the most unique venues in Major League Baseball and has served as the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the duration of its history.

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Due to Arizona’s arid and scorching climate, the stadium could not be built as a traditional open-roof baseball field and had to have a retractable roof included. This retractable roof at Chase allows for the venue to climate control the venue depending on what event is being hosted and the time of year it is occurring. 

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The stadium was funded as part of a collaboration between Arizona taxpayers and the Diamondbacks founding owner, Jerry Colangelo. Just a mere 3 years after the team’s founding, Chase Field hosted its first World Series games. The Diamondbacks ultimately won the series in a dramatic win in their founding home and cemented its spot in Arizona sports lore.

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In the years since, Chase has hosted other notable baseball events such as the World Baseball Classic in 2006, 2013 and 2023. Outside of its main function as a baseball field, Chase can also host other sports such as college football. The Guaranteed Rate Bowl was hosted at Chase from 2000-2005 and after a brief hiatus, returned to the venue from 2016-present. 

 

Chase Field has also hosted a number of musical artists during its history, including such legends as Billy Joel and Bad Bunny in 2019 and Elton John in 2022. Most notable from these concerts was the Bad Bunny performance as it was the highest attended and grossing concert in the history of Chase Field, raking in over $11 million per touringdata.com

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Despite these sales figures, the largest capacity crowd in Chase Field's history was actually the 2017 WWE Royal Rumble, according to Chase Field tour guide Josh Doak.

 

While the success of the Diamondbacks and revenue of other events has been enough to keep Chase Field open and profitable during its operations, there are looming questions about its future. The lease for the stadium ends in 2027, and while the Diamondbacks had the ability to opt into a 10 year extension, there are speculative reports that the team is looking to find a new Arizona home.

 

Diamondbacks Guest Relations team member Dallas Ligon said that, “I wouldn't be surprised if they looked for new places, but I don't think they'd leave the state of Arizona.”

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