In an era of bat swings, pitch clocks and instant replay, many of baseball’s traditions are coming, going, fading.
Hidden in the corner of Dodger Stadiumhowever, a blast from the distant past.
An hour before first pitch of Thursday night’s game against the Texas Rangers, Vivid Seats Speakeasy is buzzing. Under the right field pavilion, behind a door guarded by ushers, is a cozy bar with seating for 99 people and a wall of windows with an up-close, ground-level view of the visitors’ bullpen.
“I like to come here when I get to the game early, have a few drinks, eat and then just walk around the stadium,” said Jose Barragan, a high school math teacher and former Dodgers season ticket holder. “It has a good atmosphere.”
You don’t need to be an agent to sniff out this speakeasy. The door is right next to a prominent storefront, a row of cabinets behind glass filled with Tommy Lasorda Artifacts. The family donated the contents of his office after his death in 2021.
“When you’re there as a fan and you see those lockers, we wanted it to be, ‘Oh, cool, locker, locker, locker, locker…’ and then, ‘Oh, there’s a blank one,’” Dodgers said. executive Janet Marie Smith, the country’s leading stadium designer. “And you go through the void and you’re in this surprise little speakeasy.”
It was all part of the central plaza built before the 2020 season. In part because of the pandemic, fans are still encountering the speakeasy for the first time.
In the 1920s, a special knock or secret password was required to enter a speakeasy. It’s simpler now. This requires an online booking secured by a season ticket holder using points acquired by spending money on food and merchandise.
Typically, people don’t hang out at the speakeasy for the entire game because, other than seeing the pitchers warming up in the bullpen, there is no live viewing of the game. But it’s on the TVs above the bar.
“They only allow a certain number of people here, so even if you have a reservation, you can wait a long time in line during the game, waiting for it to empty out a little so you can get in,” said season-ticket holder Todd Renfro, from Lakewood, who brought a group of friends.
“This is nice and cool and a little dark, so on hot summer days we’ll be here in the air conditioning for the whole game.”
There’s a nostalgic charm to it all, from the poster-size black-and-white photos of legendary manager Lasorda on the walls—the original idea was to call the bar “Tommy’s”—to the mid-century modern furniture that looks straight out of “Mad Men.”
From the ceiling hang golden ball-shaped chandeliers that look like exploding fireworks or perhaps a Kirk Gibson photo of the moon thrown into the stands.
The menu is a little more sophisticated than other parts of the stadium, with blackberry bruschetta, cheese fondue and shrimp cocktail among the items. Premium spirits include bourbons that range from $15 to $48 per glass.
Virtually everyone in the room is wearing a Dodgers T-shirt, hoodie or jersey, and most are holding Yoshinobu Yamamoto bobbleheads, the stadium’s offering of the night.
The Dodgers it used to play old music, and there was a 1970s TV that showed replays of classic games. These elements are now gone.
“I’ve learned over the years that not everything works out the way you expect,” Smith said. “As long as we had our nerdy techie friend there to fix the TV every time it stopped working, life was good. But I don’t think he could sit at the bar forever.”
It’s not uncommon for visiting players in the bullpen to peer through TV windows to check out other games, or even slip past the fence and into the speakeasy for a quick look. Some asked if their wives could watch from there the next day.
Even in an era of new traditions, Dodgers fans can still toast a bit of hidden history.
See more information: Willie Mays was Vin Scully’s favorite player despite ‘wearing the wrong uniform’
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the beginning of each series.
This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.
