Longtime Cubs fan finds heaven in the Wrigley Field bleachers

By Alex Aguilera

A summer evening in the bleachers at Wrigley Field is hard to explain. The experience itself is something to witness in person and is done no justice being written about.

And yet here is an attempt to describe one of baseball’s most iconic seating areas.

Experiencing the bleachers was a long time coming for me, and it was worth the wait.

The Wrigley Field bleachers provided the most captivating view of the 105-year-old ballpark, from the press box, where an image of Harry Caray lives, to the outfield just beyond the green ivy.

It gives any fan the closest feeling to watching backyard baseball on a major league level. Given that baseballs often find a way into the bleachers, fans wait in line hours before the doors open.

You can smell bratwurst grilling alongside onions as you walk down the stairs toward the concourse area.

No matter where you look there is a mix of different people throughout the bleachers. It can range from kids trying to catch a baseball to families enjoying the game and everything in between.

Each one of those fans has something to cheer about, one way or another.

Even during a game when the Cubs were losing big to the Athletics, the fans in the bleachers found a way to celebrate and cheer for anything during the game.

Fans always got excited when Albert Almora Jr. threw a ball into the bleachers in between innings. Even a Kris Bryant home run made the bleachers erupt as if the round-tripper put the Cubs back in the lead. Of course when the A’s hit a home run a fan did not hesitate to carry on tradition and throw the ball back.

If there was one thing I didn’t expect, it was for the benches to be a little uncomfortable.

Reminding yourself to sit up straight next to a bunch of people in 90 degree weather can be a little bit of a task. Once you get settled in and the first pitch is thrown, the last thing to worry about is good posture.

It should be no surprise either that everybody sits shoulder to shoulder next to each other.

Anybody who ever sat at the Wrigley Field bleachers has a story to tell, whether it was seeing Sammy Sosa hit a ball onto Waveland or Javier Baez pull off another no-look tag.

The bleachers will always be a good time at the ballpark regardless of the final score. It is one of the purest ways to enjoy a baseball game.

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