We’ve watched plenty of baseball from the stands at Busch Stadium, but getting to actually step onto the field and play there is a completely different ballgame. Our first opportunity came in 2021, when Scott won a Schnucks contest that let us practice with former Cardinals, and we’ve since returned for the Cardinals’ Fans At Bat experience in 2025 and 2026. Somewhere along the way, though, these visits turned into a very specific mission: Scott wants to hit a home run at Busch Stadium. He sent three balls to the warning track during that first experience, came back in 2025 after learning that no fan had apparently homered during Fans At Bat, and reached the warning track yet again in 2026. What started as a lucky contest win has officially turned into our ongoing quest for the elusive Busch Stadium home run.
📚 Backstory: From the Stands to the Field
- Busch Stadium has been home to the St. Louis Cardinals since 2006, but special fan experiences occasionally give the rest of us a chance to step onto the field.
- Our first opportunity to play at Busch came through a Schnucks contest in 2021, followed by the Cardinals’ Fans At Bat experience beginning for us in 2025.
- We returned in 2025 and 2026 through the Cardinals’ official Fans At Bat program.
- Fans At Bat gives regular fans the pretty surreal opportunity to play baseball on the actual Busch Stadium field with former Cardinals helping run the experience.
- For us, it has also become an increasingly serious attempt to get one of Scott’s warning-track shots over the wall.
📍 Location: Playing at Busch Stadium
- Busch Stadium – Downtown St. Louis
- Rather than using a separate practice facility, the experiences put us directly on the Cardinals’ field.
- We’ve gotten to experience areas that feel completely different when you’re a participant instead of a spectator – including the bullpen, dugout, infield, outfield and home plate.
- One of our favorite parts is simply seeing Busch from field level, surrounded by thousands of empty red seats and realizing just how much bigger the outfield looks when you’re trying to hit a baseball into them.
✨ Highlights: Playing Like a Cardinal
- ⚾ Batting at Home Plate – The obvious highlight is stepping into the batter’s box and taking real swings from home plate at Busch Stadium.
- 🧤 Playing the Field – While other participants hit, we’ve gotten to field balls around the diamond and outfield – including Scott getting to play third base.
- 🔥 Bullpen Experience – Our 2021 Schnucks event included pitching instruction and warmups in the Cardinals bullpen, something that isn’t normally part of Fans At Bat.
- ⭐ Cardinals Alumni – Former Cardinals have hosted each of our experiences, including Kyle McClellan, Scott Terry, Scott Cooper and Cliff Politte.
- 🏟️ Major League Perspective – Sitting in the dugout, standing at third and looking toward the outfield from home plate gives us a completely different appreciation for Busch.
- 💥 The Home Run Chase – Scott hit three balls to the warning track during our 2021 experience and has continued flirting with the wall during Fans At Bat. After hearing in 2025 that no participant had ever homered during the event, becoming the first officially became the goal.
🎟️ Entry: Getting Your Turn at Bat
- Our 2021 experience was won through a Schnucks contest, so it wasn’t the same format as the current Fans At Bat program.
- For Fans At Bat in 2025 and 2026, we paid $135 per person for a one-hour session with approximately 20 participants.
- Experiences are offered on select dates rather than throughout the Cardinals season, and availability can be limited.
- Pricing, dates and the exact format can change, so check the Cardinals’ current Fans At Bat information when registration opens.
💡 Tips: Step Up to the Plate
- 🎟️ Book Early – There are limited sessions and spots, so don’t wait too long once dates are released.
- 👟 Dress to Play – You’re actually running, fielding and batting, so wear athletic clothes and comfortable shoes rather than your normal ballgame outfit.
- 🧤 Bring a Glove – You’ll spend part of the experience fielding while other participants hit, so come prepared to do more than swing a bat.
- 📸 Capture the Perspective – Some of our favorite footage has come from unusual field-level angles that show what it actually looks like to bat or play third at Busch.
- 🏟️ Look Around – Don’t spend the entire session focused on your next turn. Standing on an otherwise empty Busch Stadium field is a pretty special experience by itself.
- 💪 Swing for the Fences – Just be warned that the outfield wall looks considerably farther away from home plate than it does from the stands. Scott has three warning-track shots to prove it.
- Don’t Worry About Experience – You don’t have to be a serious baseball player to participate. I certainly wasn’t, and when I asked former Cardinal Kyle McClellan for batting advice during our first experience, he told me I didn’t need to change a thing.
⚾️ Visits: Chasing the Busch Stadium Home Run
2021: Winning Our Way Onto the Field
Our first chance to actually play on the field at Busch Stadium came in fall 2021 when Scott won a Schnucks app contest for himself and a guest – and I got the call-up. We practiced with former Cardinals Kyle McClellan, Scott Cooper and Scott Terry, starting with on-field stretching and playing catch before splitting into groups. Our group headed to the bullpen with Scott Terry, who shared stories from his Cardinals days and taught us some pitching techniques, then we rotated onto the field to shag balls. I stayed mostly in the outfield and made several catches, while Scott played third base and shortstop and fielded grounders. We each got roughly 15 swings at home plate, and while Scott didn’t get the homer he wanted, he crushed three balls to the warning track – including one that may have bounced over the fence near the foul pole. When I asked Kyle McClellan if he had any batting advice for me, he told me I didn’t need to change a thing, which I’m absolutely counting as my professional scouting report. 😆 We finished with a three-swing home run derby, but the seats remained safe. Still, it was an unforgettable way to experience Busch – and apparently the beginning of Scott’s home-run obsession.
🎥 Fan warming up in the bullpen at Busch Stadium
🎥 Fans entering Busch Stadium from bullpen
🎥 Fans playing outfield at Busch Stadium
🎥 Fan taking batting practice at Busch Stadium (Part 2)
🎥 Wife taking batting practice at Busch Stadium
2025: Fans At Bat – The Quest Gets Serious
On September 11, 2025, Scott returned to the field for the Cardinals’ official Fans At Bat experience, while I joined his dad as part of his cheering section and Steve Kelley joined Scott on the field. Participants booked a one-hour session to both play the field and hit, with Scott spending time at third base before getting two rounds of batting practice for 18 pitches total. Former Cardinals Scott Cooper and Scott Terry hosted the session and did the pitching. Scott had several solid hits but still couldn’t get one over the wall – and according to what we were told that day, no fan had ever hit a home run during Fans At Bat. Naturally, Scott took that less as trivia and more as a challenge. His new goal became pretty simple: keep coming back until he becomes the first. ⚾😂
🎥 FPV Batting Practice at Busch Stadium | Cardinals Fans At Bat – Round 1
🎥 Batting Practice at Busch Stadium | Cardinals Fans At Bat – Round 2
🎥 FPV Third Base at Busch Stadium | Cardinals Fans At Bat – Batting Practice
2026: Fans At Bat – Warning Track, Take Three
We returned for another Fans At Bat session in September 2026, this time as a gift for Scott’s dad, who joined both of us at the plate. Former Cardinals Scott Cooper and Cliff Politte ran the experience, with Politte bringing an extra St. Louis connection as a Kirkwood native who debuted with the Cardinals in 1998. It was especially fun getting to share the chance to bat at Busch Stadium with Scott’s dad, while Scott continued his now-familiar pursuit of the seats. Sure enough, he once again drove a ball all the way to the warning track – three separate Busch batting experiences, three warning-track shots and still no home run. At this point, the elusive homer has officially become our personal Cardinals side quest. ⚾😂
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