I've Seen an MLB Game at Every Ballpark, and So Can You
I had never really planned to set out on this journey. Baseball is a sport I am familiar with but don’t really follow. If I am visiting somewhere and there’s a game, I’ll go. Before 2023, I had already been to San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Oakland A’s, LA Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins.
2023 — The Trip That Started It All
In 2023, I took a boys trip in September with Tek, who had already started down this path of visiting all the ballparks, picking up a few each year. Tek had planned an MLB/NFL trip covering the Kansas City Royals, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Bears, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and Minnesota Twins. Heck ya. This trip was a lot of fun and got me hooked.
After this trip I had been to 13 MLB stadiums — why not finish the journey? What else am I doing? The only bad thing was the White Sox game got rained out, so we went to Milwaukee early and listened to Aaron Rodgers get hurt on the 2nd play with the Jets on the car radio. Oh Jets…
Impressions
Kansas City Royals — (Ballpark 10/30)
Kansas City BBQ is good, but Smoking Pig here in San Jose is just as good. Ya, I said it. I also don’t have comments on my blog so nobody can refute it. The Royals and Chiefs ballparks are in the middle of nowhere — you basically have to drive. As someone who doesn’t drive and relies on public transit, I’d put this stadium near the bottom just for that reason. However, the fans were very nice. This is only one of two ballparks where we managed to get free tickets to the game by hanging out near the box office and a group walked by and said “we have two extra tickets!”, and they were great seats. Thank you industrial HVAC guys! Also, the fountains in center field are definitely memorable.
Detroit Tigers — (Ballpark 11/30)
Downtown Detroit didn’t seem to support the local sports teams. The Lions were good at the time too, but no “Go Lions” in the shop windows or anything like that. Stadium was OK, apart from the statue out front I dont really consider it too memorable.
Toronto Blue Jays — (Ballpark 12/30)
We crossed the border from Detroit to see the blight in Windsor and took a train to Toronto. I enjoyed everything about Toronto, even Tek and Pozzo pushing the limits to watch them close the dome. The nearby Hilton at the ballpark holding our bags was a nice touch too. Top tier ballpark.
Milwaukee Brewers — (Ballpark 13/30)
I liked this stadium a lot. The Brewers also have the coolest logo in baseball — the “M” and “B” forming a glove with a ball. Same problem as Kansas City though: you have to drive.
Minnesota Twins — (Ballpark 14/30)
We found good parking nearby, but we also had to fly back after the game. Nothing particularly remarkable stands out about this one.
2024 — The East Coast Amtrak Run
I had some catching up to do. I started looking at a stadium map and what cities are connected directly by train and by direct flight. I hadn’t spent much time on the east coast and realized everything over there is connected by Amtrak. Legit. I used baseball-roadtrip.com to plan a trip starting in DC, then Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York Mets, and Boston.
Pro tip: If you’re taking Amtrak, book your seats early. I didn’t realize how expensive it gets and how much I could have saved with more foresight.
Impressions
Washington Nationals — (Ballpark 15/30)
I went in early July and caught July 4th fireworks on the National Mall. I’d been to DC when I was 15 but had a lot more appreciation for history as an adult — spent 3 days there before the baseball leg. The bike share program is legit. The ballpark is easy to get to via public transit, has cool bars nearby, and when I went a second time we walked the upper levels during a rain delay and found the sightlines were solid everywhere. There was some kind of beer special on small cans too. Honestly an underrated ballpark and one of my favorites.
Baltimore Orioles — (Ballpark 16/30)
A short train ride north of DC, but there’s no train connection from Amtrak down to the stadium. Strike one. Pickles Pub was fun. Camden Yards itself though — pretty overrated. Cramped seats, not cheap, congested corridors. I get that it’s historic, but it’s not Wrigley or Fenway. The food was hyped up but didn’t blow my socks off.
Philadelphia Phillies — (Ballpark 17/30)
Got into Philly on Amtrak early in the morning, took a wrong turn out of the station, eventually dropped my bag at the hotel and grabbed a ticket on the Philly Phlash — great deal that hits all the spots a tourist would want. Walked through Eastern State Penitentiary, got beers at the bar Rob McElhenney owned from It’s Always Sunny (now closed, and it was hot in there anyway — no AC). Took the subway to and from the game. Easy. Not a lot going on outside the stadium, but inside is pretty good. Found a solo seat at the back of the lower section on SeatGeek. Really liked Philadelphia overall — I’d consider moving there. It’s between DC, New York, and Atlantic City.
New York Mets — (Ballpark 18/30)
Tek and I had already been to a Yankees game (a doubleheader, no less). The Mets stadium is about 45 minutes by train from Manhattan, which felt longer than the Yankees. Stadium itself is nice but nothing particularly special going on inside, and nothing going on outside. They did have a bag truck in the parking lot though which was super helpful for storing our luggage. Borderline top 15.
Boston Red Sox — (Ballpark 19/30)
Boston was a lot farther from New York than I expected — over 4 hours on Amtrak. A lot of fun once I got there though. Biked from my hotel to and from the game on the bike share. The stadium is cool and historic. Liked it.
2025 — Texas and LA
At the start of 2025, I had 11 stadiums remaining. Tek and I took two trips: one to LA to see the Angels and Dodgers (I already had Dodgers), and another to Texas to see the Astros, Rangers, and San Jose State football in Austin.
Impressions
Houston Astros — (Ballpark 20/30)
I don’t like when the Chick-fil-A girl steals my beer. Also I don’t like the Astros. Nice stadium though. Houston is bascially parking lots and so spread out I can’t imagine the public transit is good.
Texas Rangers — (Ballpark 21/30)
The nicest stadium I can remember. Wide corridors, no line for the bathrooms. I did a 9-9-9 here and have evidence. Public transit probably not great.
LA Angels — (Ballpark 22/30)
Not a great ballpark, but a few cool bars to pregame. We got tickets through Costco which came with a drink voucher, though some stands wouldn’t let you redeem it for beer mostly because they didn’t know how to ring it up in the register. They did have cheap cans though, and for that reason alone I’d put it mid tier instead of bottom.
LA Dodgers —
What a great ballpark. Love hanging with the LA Brus. We went hard in the paint that night.
2026 — The Final Push (and a Race Tek Didn’t Know He Was In)
I had 8 stadiums left. Tek only had one left but he can’t have fun anymore. I had to beat him to the finish line. This was a race he didn’t know we were doing and wasn’t able to prepare for — which is the only way I can win.
I planned a day trip to Seattle and a separate trip covering Cincinnati, Atlanta, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis, and Tampa.
Impressions
Seattle Mariners — (Ballpark 23/30)
I love Seattle. Fun day trip: early morning flight, public transit from the airport to downtown, lunch, bar hopped, met an old friend and we went to the game. Best food of any stadium and easy transit back to the airport. A+.
Cincinnati Reds — (Ballpark 24/30)
From the airport there’s a bus that takes you to downtown Cincinnati for $2. Deal of a lifetime. Outside the stadium is like a block party with lots of cool spots. There was also a happy hour inside — this was the best deal in all of baseball. Like $5 for a 22 oz Bud Light. I got there early, got two, did a lap, got two more, and took my seat. Bottom of the top tier.
Atlanta Braves — (Ballpark 25/30)
The area around the ballpark is awesome. Lots of food and drink options, great vibe overall. You’d probably want to stay nearby though — driving in and out likely sucks. I didn’t even consider public transit because it showed multiple stops from the airport at 3x the Uber time.
Cleveland Guardians — (Ballpark 26/30)
Maybe it’s because I expected the worst, but it met those expectations. Every conversation I overheard from locals and bar staff was about how they couldn’t wait to get out of Cleveland. Took the train from the airport downtown — full of crazies. Stadium wasn’t anything special, though credit for being in a downtown location. Long lines to get in. I had planned to drop my bag at a local hotel and take Amtrak to Pittsburgh, but called an audible at 10pm when the train got delayed until 4am. Grabbed a last-minute hotel room instead. Keep your head on a swivel in Cleveland.
Pittsburgh Pirates — (Ballpark 27/30)
Actually legit. Had two days there, saw the Pirates twice, and got to walk around a bit. The ballpark is near downtown and very walkable, with great views and good sightlines throughout. Definitely a top stadium.
Chicago White Sox — (Ballpark 28/30)
Everyone said Rate Field was terrible but it actually wasn’t bad. There’s a train stop nearby that takes you straight to downtown Chicago. Easy. Bag storage truck in the parking lot was perfect since I wasn’t spending the night. This one gets rated lower than it deserves.
St. Louis Cardinals — (Ballpark 29/30)
Took Amtrak from Chicago right after the White Sox game — about 5 hours, easy. St. Louis had the best BBQ and the Gateway Arch was cooler than I expected. The Cardinals stadium is downtown with plenty of bars around it for pre-gaming. Beer specials on Saturdays inside if you go up to the rafters to find them. Rows aren’t too long and the views are great. Got a free country concert after the game. Top 5 stadium. Only downside is traffic if you drive.
Tampa Bay Rays — (Ballpark 30/30)
Parts of this stadium feel like a bus terminal. But it is unique — no other team has live animals in the outfield, and my nephew had a great time. Cool to see a home run hit the catwalks. The game was a blowout, but they can’t all be competitive. There was a country concert here too, though the artist wasn’t as good as the one in St. Louis the night before.
Final Thoughts
With that, I’ve visited all 30 stadiums and had a great time doing it. Most importantly, I beat Tek! What’s next? NFL? F1? Who knows.