How to Watch Batting Practice at Great American Ball Park [Cincinnati Reds]


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Watching MLB players taking batting practice can be very entertaining. Often times, players will interact with fans when they are not hitting. When players aren’t hitting, some may even come sign autographs. When they are hitting, you might get lucky and get a souvenir baseball from a players home run or foul ball. But what about Cincinnati Reds games at Great American Ball Park? Can you watch batting practice at Great American Ball Park?

Yes, you can watch batting practice at Great American Ball Park, although it’s worth noting that batting practice may begin prior to the stadium gates opening, so fans may miss some of the players taking batting practice. The official time that Cincinnati Reds batting practice is held can change, but in general, you can expect batting practice to begin roughly two and a half hours before game time. Typically, batting practice lasts 45-50 minutes per team.

The Reds will take batting practice first, since they are the home team. After that, the visiting team will take their batting practice. The length of batting practice can fluctuate day-to-day, but most teams stick to normal routines as much as possible. You can check out the Reds information guide to check out any updates.

Great American Ball Park gate times will vary. For games played Sunday through Thursday, gates will open 90 minutes before first pitch. Opening Day, Friday games, and Saturday games will open 2 hours before first pitch. The Reds will take batting practice first. The road team will begin batting practice after the Reds are finished. This means that likely the Reds will already by taking batting practice or might be finished when you get into the park.

Although batting practice is usually held, it is worth noting that there can be occasional exceptions due to weather or other circumstances. Batting practice time is at the manager’s discretion, but as I mentioned earlier, most teams stick to normal routines as much as possible.

Cincinnati Reds Batting Practice Time

Can You Watch Batting Practice at Great American Ball Park?

Yes, you can watch batting practice at Great American Ball Park. As we discussed above, the official time that Cincinnati Reds batting practice is held can change, but in general, you can expect batting practice to begin roughly 2 to 2.5 hours before game time.

The Cincinnati Reds will take batting practice first, since they are the home team. After that, the visiting team will take their batting practice. The length of batting practice can fluctuate day-to-day, but batting practice usually lasts 45-50 minutes per team.

For games being played Sunday through Thursday, gates will open 90 minutes hour before first pitch. Opening Day, Friday games, and Saturday games will open 2 hours before first pitch. The Reds will take batting practice first. Typically each team will take between 45 and 50 minutes to complete their batting practice.

The main takeaway is that even though, yes, fans are allowed to enter the stadium early to watch batting practice at Great American Ball Park, because the gates only open 2 hours or 90 minutes before first pitch the Reds will often be underway and possibly some Reds players may be done. The road team will then take batting practice after the Reds.

What Time do Gates Open for Batting Practice?

As we discussed above, Great American Ball Park gates open 2 hours or 90 minutes prior to game time depending on the time of year and game time. It is worth noting that gate times are always subject to change, but most teams stick to normal gate times as much as possible. It is always a good idea to check with the Reds if you have questions about potential gate time changes.

After the Reds complete their portion of batting practice, the road team will take the field and hold batting practice. For more information on stadium gates, visit our Great American Ball Park Gate & Parking Guide.

Do You Need a Ticket for Batting Practice?

You will, of course, need a game ticket to be able to enter Great American Ball Park and watch batting practice, but you don’t need an additional ticket to be able to watch batting practice.

If you need tickets for an upcoming Cincinnati Reds game, you can read more by visiting our article that discusses buying tickets at Great American Ball Park. If you are looking for other ways to get tickets, you can check out our article on the best places to find Cincinnati Reds Tickets.


Other Things to do Besides Watching Batting Practice at Great American Ball Park

When heading to the game, you may want to check out some of the other attractions near or in Great American Ball Park. Here are a couple popular attractions near Great American Ball Park that we think you might enjoy.

If you just can’t get enough baseball, we highly recommend visiting the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. It is less than a 10 walk from the Gate A entrance to the stadium. Here, you can enjoy a guided tour that takes you through the most historic Cincinnati Reds events and figures. You can see historic well-worn jerseys, tattered gloves, and other artifacts of significance.

If you’ve been to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum before, why not visit the two dominating sports stadiums that flank the Great American Ballpark? To the West, a short 10-minute walk away is the Paul Brown Stadium, home of the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals. To the East, just two minutes from the ball park is the Heritage Bank Center, home to the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones.

Also, going to a game isn’t complete without buying a jersey from your local team. If you are wanting to get a jersey of you favorite current or past Reds player, I would encourage you to check out our Authentic Reds Jersey article.

Cincinnati Reds Contact Info

This website (sportsfanfocus.com) has no affiliation with Great American Ball Park, the Cincinnati Reds, MLB, or any of the events hosted at this facility.

Any information is provided “as is” with no guarantee of completeness, meaning much of this information is subject to change, and although we do our best to keep these guides updated, we can’t guarantee accuracy at all times. For all official information, we urge you to contact the Cincinnati Reds staff. Contact information is below:

Joshua Lloyd

Joshua is lead content creator for basketball and golf at Sports Fan Focus. Golf is a passion of his and he enjoys both playing and watching golf in his spare time. To read more about Joshua, visit the SFF About Us page.

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