See Every Pole at Wrigley Field (And Find Out How to Avoid Them)

Updated Feb 13, 2020 / by Tyler Perkowitz / Discussing Wrigley Field
Originally Published May 31, 2018

Updated: February 13th, 2020

It happens at every Chicago Cubs home game. Excited fans are eager to sit down and take in the Wrigley Field experience, only to find a pole in the way of their view of the game. The excitement quickly turns into frustration.

Avoiding the Obstructed Views

I've gone to many games in the 200 level sections at Wrigley, and every time I bought those seats I knew it was a gamble. Sometimes I had a clear view, and other times I might as well have bought a ticket to stare at a wall. If you are reading this blog post, you probably have had a similar experience as well, and are looking to avoid it this time around.

The good news is after changes were made in 2019 it became much easier to understand if the ticket you have or are looking at will be affected by a pole. Previously, Wrigley Field was split by the aisles and the aisle number would change in the middle of a group of seats. If that doesn't make sense to you, don't worry, that's why they changed it. The new numbering system is consistent with what most fans are used to with sections instead of aisles.

Seat numbers will start with 1 on the left side of the section and work their way up as you move right. If you are down the first base line, most poles will be in the front left of the section and down the third base line the poles will fall toward the front right.

Four Key Steps to Know if Your Seat Will Be Obstructed

There are four key steps to understanding if your seat will be obstructed.

Understand where your section is located in relation to the field
Figure out where the pole falls within that section from the photos below
Create a line on the map from home plate and pitchers mound that dissects the pole, going through your section (the seats behind the pole on this line will be the ones most affected).
Estimate the row and seat numbers on the line (the poles come in at row 7 and seat numbers start at 1 from the left side of all sections)

You can also understand what parts of the field will be obstructed by using a map to create a direct line from your seats through the pole onto the field. Some of the important areas to look out for besides home plate and the pitchers mound are first and second base where plays frequently happen.

Here at RateYourSeats.com, we do our best to bring transparency to the ballpark. There are a total of 49 poles that obstruct fan's views and below you will find a photo of every pole at Wrigley Field. Each photo will include the aisle, row, and seat directly behind the pole.