In an offseason where the San Francisco Giants missed out on signing Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa, the team has made one move sure to satisfy fans: reducing domestic beer prices at Oracle Park.
Fourteen-ounce domestic draft beers will now cost $9 instead of $14 at Doggie Diner stands throughout the ballpark, as well as at Section 415, located behind the visiting bullpen beyond the fence in right-center field. There are 10 Doggie Diner stands on all levels of the park except the Suite level, said a Giants spokesperson.
“Coming out of two years with the pandemic, and the lockout last year, it’s kind of like our fans deserve a break,” team CEO Larry Baer told the San Francisco Chronicle (opens in new tab). “I mean, it’s been three tough years.”
It’s a small gesture sure to resonate well with fans who have otherwise complained extensively in recent years. The Giants have made the playoffs just once in the last six seasons and finished 81-81 in 2022, a 26-game drop-off from 2021’s unexpected successes.
Whether it’s because of heightened expectations after championships in the early 2010s, the stadium losing its luster after two decades or its need to compete with the Golden State Warriors and San Francisco 49ers for fan dollars, attendance has been on the decline at Oracle Park over the last six seasons.
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The team boasted a 530-game sellout streak (opens in new tab) that lasted from October 2010 to July 2017 (one that the team continued to boast despite visible swaths of empty seats (opens in new tab)), but declining on-field results and post-pandemic effects took their toll on the fanbase.
Even after the highs of 2021, the Giants placed just eighth out of 15 National League teams in attendance in 2022. They averaged 30,650 tickets sold per game, but drew far worse on weeknights against less notable opponents. Attendance for a May 9 win over the Colorado Rockies was listed at just 20,039, and with a Warriors playoff game going on at the same time, the actual number of fans in seats was far lower.
Lower domestic beer prices at select stands around the park won’t suddenly draw thousands more to the ballpark, but they should help bring in a couple more patrons who were on the fence about showing up, and those who do make their way to the stadium will certainly be happier.