Baseball and drinking go together like … pretty much any sporting event and drinking. Having a few beers at the stadium is great, but it can easily end up costing twice as much as the ticket. Plus, many stadiums stop selling beer long before the game ends. If you’re looking to keep it going after a pleasant night (or day) of baseball, most ballparks are within throwing distance of several drinking dugouts. So we picked out the best baseball bars, which we’re presenting by division. Today we have the best postgame baseball bars in the AL West.
Previously: The Best Postgame Baseball Bars: NL East, NL Central, NL West, AL East, AL Central.
SEATTLE MARINERS | SAFECO FIELD
The area around Safeco Field is filthy. Yes, the sidewalks are littered with the viscera of fish — there’s a market nearby — and hobos. But we mean it’s filthy with options for pre- and postgame drinking, the most beloved of which is probably Triangle Pub. Often likened to a Northeastern pre-game experience, this historic former brothel in Pioneer Square is shaped like it sounds and serves inexpensive booze.
Backup bar: Right across the street from Safeco, Sluggers Sports Bar is a crowd-pleasing alternative that’s big on game day atmosphere even if it’s not very big.
LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM | ANGEL STADIUM OF ANAHEIM
First of all, if we have to type the word “Anaheim” one more time, we’re going to lose our sh*t. Secondly, you can spend pre-game in Disneyland, two miles from the Big A, or at the OC Sports Grill, directly across the street. But the OC has much better daily specials, 65 televisions, 10 pool tables, and the lovely ladies pictured above. The downside? For as many puking kids as you’ll see outside the Teacups at Disneyland, you’ll probably see just as many puking drunks at the OC.
Backup bar: An even rowdier scene awaits you a free shuttle ride away at Throwback Sports Bar, which features 32 oz. beers, daily food specials (build-your-own-burger Mondays, all-you-can-eat taco Tuesdays, 25-cent wing Wednesdays, etc.), billiards, and beer pong.
TEXAS RANGERS | RANGERS BALLPARK IN ARLINGTON
Everything’s bigger in Texas! That’s just terrific for the Lone Star State, but the downside is that the entirety of Rangers Ballpark is more like the size of a national park — and so anything resembling an off-site bar starts a mile or more away. That said, we recommend bypassing the franchise flophouses of Lincoln Square in favor of the cheap drinks and honest vibe of Studer’s, which is a 20-minute walk south of the stadium.
Backup bar: Don’t feel like a walk? Corporate-sponsored stadium lounge to the rescue! The park has several, but the newest is the 9,000-foot Captain Morgan Club, home of the $26 Champion Dog, a hot dog that can feed three to four people. Oh, and our sources tell us they also serve rum.
OAKLAND ATHLETICS | OAKLAND-ALAMEDA COUNTY COLISEUM
Take a dash of Chernobyl, add a pinch of the Thunderdome, beat the hell out it with an ugly stick, and what do you have? Why, the Coliseum, of course! It has the most foul territory of any Major League park. Yes, we mean on the playing field, but we also mean outside the stadium, where a vast dystopian hellscape offers nothing more for drinkers than the occasional puddle of antifreeze. Your closest beer comes with a pesto sidecar at Francesco’s, a long-standing Italian restaurant with generous portions. But unfortunately, it’s two miles away.
Backup bar: Nearly twice as far, but thrice as festive, Drake’s Barrel House is a brewery taproom offering 24 delicious beers. Pay no attention to the fact that they’re brewed behind a Walmart.
