The ultimate baseball road trip

[wphiii]

If one phrase could most accurately describe me, it'd probably be "baseball nut." Combining my love of baseball and road trips, I've always been curious to figure out how many games in different professional ballparks could be realistically attended in just one summer using only a car (no flying). With some spare time over the holidays, I sat down and actually played with the schedules to see what I could come up with.

For reference, in addition to the 30 Major League clubs, there are 160 affiliated Minor League Baseball teams, not counting the rookie-level "complex leagues" in Florida and Arizona who just play games on glorified practice fields (it's a bit arbitrary to cut these off, but for an endeavor that's already virtually a logistical impossibility, something had to be sacrificed). Of those 160, 40 play in "short-season" leagues that don't start until late June. So with all of that in mind, my focus was first on Minor League teams, only slotting Major League games in where they are convenient and don't preclude me from catching an MiLB stadium. Then, knowing some teams are still going to end up left out, I wanted to prioritize the full-season leagues.

It was a painstaking process, of course, but it helped that I was able to narrow down starting regions to areas that don't have a short-season league (to avoid extensive backtracking later). The first of these areas that I tried to open with was Northern California, and from there I was fortunately able to coax a reasonable itinerary that took me through all 5+ months of the Minor League season. The result was squeezing out 145-plus games (14 of the Major League variety) in 165 days. I'm sure this isn't actually the most optimal route out there in terms of maximizing the number of games (especially since about half of the teams haven't even finalized game times at this point), but getting this far already involved such mental gymnastics that I'm pleased enough with the result.

So without further ado, for anyone who wants a glimpse at the true depths of insanity, here's the trip I'd be taking this summer if around $20,000 suddenly fell out of the sky:


Sun, Apr. 3 - #1 - Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals (MLB)
Mon, Apr. 4 - #2 - Cleveland Indians vs. Boston Red Sox (MLB)
Tue, Apr. 5 - #3 - Milwaukee Brewers vs. San Francisco Giants (MLB)
Wed, Apr. 6 - driving
Thu, Apr. 7 - driving
Fri, Apr. 8 - #4 - Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland A's (MLB)
Sat, Apr. 9 - #5 - Tacoma Rainiers vs. Albuquerque Isotope (Pacific Coast League)
Sun, Apr. 10 - driving
Mon, Apr. 11 - #6 - Reno Aces vs. Albuquerque Isotopes (PCL)
Tue, Apr. 12 - #7 - Stockton Ports vs. Lancaster JetHawks (California League)
Wed, Apr. 13 - #8 - San Jose Giants vs. Visalia Rawhide (Cali)
Thu, Apr. 14 - off day (San Francisco)
Fri, Apr. 15 - #9 - Oakland A's vs Kansas City Royals (MLB)
Sat, Apr. 16 - #10 - Sacramento River Cats vs Salt Lake Bees (PCL)
Sun, Apr. 17 - #11 - Modesto Nuts vs. Stockton Ports (Cali)
Mon, Apr. 18 - off day (Yosemite)
Tue, Apr. 19 - #12 - Fresno Grizzlies vs. Salt Lake Bees (PCL)
Wed, Apr. 20 - #13 - Visalia Rawhide vs. Stockton Ports (Cali)
Thu, Apr. 21 - #14 - Bakersfield Blaze vs. Lake Elsinore Storm (Cali)
Fri, Apr. 22 - #15 - High Desert (Adelanto) Mavericks vs. Lancaster JetHawks (Cali)
Sat, Apr. 23 - #16 - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes vs. Visalia Rawhide (Cali)
Sun, Apr. 24 - #17 - San Diego Padres vs. St. Louis Cardinals (MLB)
Mon, Apr. 25 - #18 - Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Miami Marlins (MLB)
Tue, Apr. 26 - #19 - Lancaster JetHawks vs. Bakersfield Blaze (Cali)
Wed, Apr. 27 - #20 - Inland Empire (San Bernardino) 66ers vs. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Cali)
Thu, Apr. 28 - #21 - Lake Elsinore Storm vs. Lancaster JetHawks (Cali)
Fri, Apr. 29 - #22 - Las Vegas 51s vs. Tacoma Rainiers (PCL)
Sat, Apr. 30 - off day (Grand Canyon)
Sun, May 1 - #23 - Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Francisco Giants (MLB)
Mon, May 2 - #24 - Albuquerque Isotopes vs. Sacramento River Cats (PCL)
Tue, May 3 - driving
Wed, May 4 - #25 - El Paso Chihuahuas vs. Las Vegas 51s (PCL)
Thu, May 5 - #26 - Midland (TX) Rockhounds vs. Corpus Christi Hooks (Texas League)
Fri, May 6 - #27 - San Antonio Missions vs. Frisco Roughriders (Texas)
Sat, May 7 - #28 - Corpus Christi Hooks vs. San Antonio Missions (Texas)
Sun, May 8 - #29 - Round Rock Express vs. New Orleans Zephyrs (PCL)
Mon, May 9 - #30 - Houston Astros vs. Cleveland Indians (MLB)
Tue, May 10 - #31 - Frisco Roughriders vs. Midland Rockhounds (Texas)
Wed, May 11 - #32 - Tulsa Drillers vs. Arkansas Travelers (Texas)
Thu, May 12 - #33 - Springfield (MO) Cardinals vs. NW Arkansas Naturals (Texas)
Fri, May 13 - #34 - Mississippi (Jackson) Braves vs. Mobile Bay Bears (Southern League)
Sat, May 14 - #35 - Memphis Redbirds vs. Sacramento River Cats (PCL)
Sun, May 15 - #36 - Bowling Green Hot Rods vs. Lake County Captains (Midwest League)
Mon, May 16 - #37 - Nashville Sounds vs. Fresno Grizzlies (PCL)
Tue, May 17 - #38 - Tennessee (Kodak) Smokies vs. Birmingham Barons (Southern)
Wed, May 18 - #39 - Chattanooga Lookouts vs. Biloxi Shuckers (Southern)
Thu, May 19 - #40 - Gwinnett (Lawrenceville) Braves vs. Charlotte Knights (International League)
Fri, May 20 - off day (Atlanta)
Sat, May 21 - #41 - Rome Braves vs. Augusta Green Jackets (South Atlantic League)
Sun, May 22 - #42 - Birmingham Barons vs. Montgomery Biscuits (Southern)
Mon, May 23 - #43 - Jackson (TN) Generals vs. Chattanooga Lookouts (Southern)
Tue, May 24 - off day (New Orleans)
Wed, May 25 - #44 - New Orleans Zephyrs vs. Reno Aces (PCL)
Thu, May 26 - #45 - Mobile BayBears vs. Biloxi Shuckers (Southern)
Fri, May 27 - #46 - Biloxi Shuckers vs. Mobile BayBears (Southern)
Sat, May 28 - #47 - Montgomery Biscuits vs. Jackson Generals (Southern)
Sun, May 29 - #48 - Pensacola Blue Wahoos vs. Birmingham Barons (Southern)
Mon, May 30 - driving
Tue, May 31 - #49 - Lakeland Flying Tigers vs. Brevard County Manatees (Florida State League)
Wed, Jun. 1 - #50 - Bradenton Marauders vs. Palm Beach Cardinals (FSL) - 10:30 a.m.
                       #51 - Miami Marlins vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB) - 7 p.m.
Thu, Jun. 2 - #52 - Jupiter Hammerheads vs. Charlotte (FL) Stone Crabs (FSL)
Fri, Jun. 3 - #53 - St. Lucie Mets vs. Brevard County Manatees (FSL)
Sat, Jun. 4 - #54 - Palm Beach Cardinals vs. Dunedin Blue Jays (FSL)
Sun, Jun. 5 - #55 - Fort Myers Miracle vs. Daytona Tortugas (FSL)
Mon, Jun. 6 - #56 - Tampa Yankees vs. Charlotte Stone Crabs (FSL)
Tue, Jun. 7 - #57 - Clearwater Threshers vs. Tampa Yankees (FSL)
Wed, Jun. 8 - #58 - Dunedin Blue Jays vs. St. Lucie Mets (FSL)
Thu, Jun. 9 - #59 - Charlotte Stone Crabs vs. Clearwater Threshers (FSL)
Fri, Jun. 10 - #60 - Tampa Bay Rays vs. Houston Astros (MLB)
Sat, Jun. 11 - #61 - Daytona Tortugas vs. Palm Beach Cardinals (FSL)
Sun, Jun. 12 - off day
Mon, Jun. 13 - #62 - Brevard County Manatees vs. Palm Beach Cardinals (FSL)
Tue, Jun. 14 - off day
Wed, Jun. 15 - #63 - Jacksonville Suns vs. Biloxi Shuckers (Southern)
Thu, Jun. 16 - #64 - Augusta Green Jackets vs. Lexington Legends (SAL)
Fri, Jun. 17 - #65 - Charlotte Knights vs. Indianapolis Indians (Int'l)
Sat, Jun. 18 - #66 - Hickory Crawdads vs. Delmarva Shorebirds (SAL)
Sun, Jun. 19 - #67 - Asheville Tourists vs. Columbia Fireflies (SAL)
Mon, Jun. 20 - off day (Asheville)
Tue, Jun. 21 - #68 - South Atlantic League All-Star Game at Lexington, KY (SAL)
Wed, Jun. 22 - off day
Thu, Jun. 23 - #69 - Bluefield Blue Jays vs. Bristol Pirates (Appalachian League)
Fri, Jun. 24 - #70 - Kannapolis Intimidators vs. Delmarva Shorebirds (SAL)
Sat, Jun. 25 - #71 - Greenville (SC) Drive vs. Lakewood Blue Claws (SAL)
Sun, Jun. 26 - #72 - Columbia Fireflies vs. Augusta Green Jackets (SAL)
Mon, Jun. 27 - #73 - Atlanta Braves vs. Cleveland Indians (MLB)
Tue, Jun. 28 - off day (Savannah)
Wed, Jun. 29 - #74 - Charleston RiverDogs vs. Greenville Drive (SAL)
Thu, Jun. 30 - #75 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans vs. Potomac Nationals (Carolina League)
Fri, Jul. 1 - #76 - Carolina (Zebulon) Mudcats vs. Lynchburg Hillcats (Carolina)
Sat, Jul. 2 - #77 - Norfolk Tides vs. Durham Bulls (Int'l)
Sun, Jul. 3 - off day (Richmond)
Mon, Jul. 4 - #78 - Richmond Flying Squirrels vs. Reading Fightin Phils (Eastern League)
Tue, Jul. 5 - #79 - Durham Bulls vs. Syracuse Chiefs (Int'l)
Wed, Jul. 6 - #80 - Greensboro Grasshoppers vs. West Virginia Power (SAL) - 12:30 p.m.
                     #81 - Winston-Salem Dash vs. Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Carolina) - 7 p.m.
Thu, Jul. 7 - #82 - Lynchburg Hillcats vs. Salem Red Sox (Carolina)
Fri, Jul. 8 - #83 - Bristol Pirates vs. Elizabethton Twins (Appy)
Sat, Jul. 9 - #84 - Elizabethton Twins vs. Greenville Astros (Appy)
Sun, Jul. 10 - #85 - Pulaski Yankees vs. Burlington Royals (Appy)
Mon, Jul. 11 - #86 - Salem (VA) Red Sox vs. Lynchburg Hillcats (Carolina)
Tue, Jul. 12 - #87 - West Virginia (Charleston) Power vs. Augusta Green Jackets (SAL)
Wed, Jul. 13 - #88 - Eastern League All-Star Game (Akron, OH)
Thu, Jul. 14 - #89 - Morgantown Black Bears vs. Auburn Doubledays (NY-Penn League)
Fri, Jul. 15 - #90 - Altoona Curve vs. Harrisburg Senators (Eastern)
Sat, Jul. 16 - #91 - State College Spikes vs. Mahoning Valley Scrappers (NY-Penn)
Sun, Jul. 17 - #92 - Lehigh Valley IronPigs vs. Buffalo Bisons (Int'l)
Mon, Jul. 18 - #93 - Trenton Thunder vs. Portland Sea Dogs (Eastern)
Tue, Jul. 19 - #94 - Wilmington (DE) Blue Rocks vs. Lynchburg Hillcats (Carolina)
Wed, Jul. 20 - #95 - Lakewood (NJ) Blueclaws vs. Kannapolis Intimidators (SAL) - 11 a.m.
                       #96 - Delmarva (Salisbury) Shorebirds vs. Hickory Crawdads (SAL) - 7 p.m.
Thu, Jul. 21 - #97 - Bowie BaySox vs. Erie Sea Wolves (Eastern)
Fri, Jul. 22 - #98 - Potomac Nationals vs. Winston-Salem Dash (Carolina)
Sat, Jul. 23 - #99 - Frederick Keys vs. Salem Red Sox (Carolina)
Sun, Jul. 24 - #100 - Hagerstown Suns vs. Greensboro Grasshoppers (SAL)
Mon, Jul. 25 - #101 - Harrisburg Senators vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Eastern)
Tue, Jul. 26 - #102 - Reading Fightin Phils vs. Binghamton Mets (Eastern)
Wed, Jul. 27 - #103 - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders vs. Buffalo Bisons (Int'l)
Thu, Jul. 28 - #104 - Binghamton Mets vs. Portland Sea Dogs (Eastern)
Fri, Jul. 29 - #105 - Hartford Yard Goats vs. Harrisburg Senators (Eastern)
Sat, Jul. 30 - #106 - Connecticut (Norwich) Tigers vs. Tri-City ValleyCats (NY-Penn)
Sun, Jul. 31 - #107 - Pawtucket Red Sox vs. Scranton/W-B RailRiders (Int'l)
Mon, Aug. 1 - off day (Boston)
Tue, Aug. 2 - #108 - Portland Sea Dogs vs. Erie Sea Wolves (Eastern)
Wed, Aug. 3 - #109 - New Hampshire (Manchester) Fisher Cats vs. Akron Rubber Ducks (Eastern)
Thu, Aug. 4 - #110 - Lowell Spinners vs. Vermont Lake Monsters (NY-Penn)
Fri, Aug. 5 - driving
Sat, Aug. 6 - #111 - Vermont (Burlington) Lake Monsters vs. State College Spikes (NY-Penn)
Sun, Aug. 7 - #112 - Tri-City (Troy) Valley Cats vs. Brooklyn Cyclones (NY-Penn)
Mon, Aug. 8 - #113 - Staten Island Yankees vs. Lowell Spinners (NY-Penn)
Tue, Aug. 9 - #114 - Brooklyn Cyclones vs. Vermont Lake Monsters (NY-Penn)
Wed, Aug. 10 - #115 - Syracuse Chiefs vs. Rochester Red Wings (Int'l)
Thu, Aug. 11 - #116 - Auburn Doubledays vs. Connecticut Tigers (NY-Penn)
Fri, Aug. 12 - #117 - Rochester Red Wings vs. Scranton/W-B RailRiders (Int'l)
Sat, Aug. 13 - #118 - Buffalo Bisons vs. Pawtucket Red Sox (Int'l)
Sun, Aug. 14 - #119 - Erie Sea Wolves vs. Hartford Yard Goats (Eastern)
Mon, Aug. 15 - #120 - Lake County (Eastlake, OH) Captains vs. West Michigan Whitecaps (Midwest)
Tue, Aug. 16 - #121 - Columbus Clippers vs. Durham Bulls (Int'l)
Wed, Aug. 17 - #122 - Toledo Mud Hens vs. Syracuse Chiefs (Int'l)
Thu, Aug. 18 - #123 - Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox (MLB) - 1 p.m.
                       #124 - Dayton Dragons vs. Fort Wayne TinCaps (Midwest) - 7 p.m.
Fri, Aug. 19 - #125 - Louisville Bats vs. Indianapolis Indians (Int'l)
Sat, Aug. 20 - #126 - Fort Wayne TinCaps vs. West Michigan Whitecaps (Midwest)
Sun, Aug. 21 - #127 - Lansing Lugnuts vs. South Bend Cubs (Midwest)
Mon, Aug. 22 - #128 - Great Lakes Loons vs. Fort Wayne TinCaps (Midwest)
Tue, Aug. 23 - #129 - South Bend Cubs vs. West Michigan Whitecaps (Midwest)
Wed, Aug. 24 - #130 - Indianapolis Indians vs. Columbus Clippers (Int'l) - 1:30 p.m.
                        #131 - Chicago White Sox vs. Philadelphia Phillies (MLB) - 7 p.m.
Thu, Aug. 25 - #132 - Iowa (Des Moines) Cubs vs. Omaha Storm Chasers (PCL)
Fri, Aug. 26 - #133 - Clinton Lumberkings vs. Cedar Rapids Kernels (Midwest)
Sat, Aug. 27 - #134 - Quad Cities River Bandits vs. Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Midwest)
Sun, Aug. 28 - #135 - Peoria Chiefs vs. Burlington Bees (Midwest)
Mon, Aug. 29 - #136 - Arkansas (Little Rock) Travelers vs. NW Arkansas Naturals (Texas)
Tue, Aug. 30 - #137 - NW Arkansas (Springdale) Naturals vs. Tulsa Drillers (Texas)
Wed, Aug. 31 - #138 - Oklahoma City Dodgers vs. Memphis Redbirds (PCL)
Thu, Sep. 1 - #139 - Colorado Springs Sky Sox vs. New Orleans Zephyrs (PCL)
Fri, Sep. 2 - #140 - Colorado Rockies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB)
Sat, Sep. 3 - #141 - Ogden Raptors vs. Idaho Falls Chukars (Pioneer League)
Sun, Sep. 4 - #142 - Salt Lake City Bees vs. Las Vegas 51s (PCL)
Mon, Sep. 5 - #143 - Orem Owlz vs. Idaho Falls Chukars (Pioneer)
Tue, Sep. 6 - #144 - Idaho Falls Chukars vs. Orem Owlz (Pioneer)
Wed, Sep. 7 - #145 - Missoula Osprey vs. Great Falls Voyagers (Pioneer)
     Sep 8-13 - Northwest League Playoffs (TBD)



By League:

MLB - 15/30
International League (AAA) - 14/14
Pacific Coast League (AAA) - 15/16 (sorry, Omaha)
Eastern League (AA) - 12/12
Southern League (AA) - 10/10
Texas League (AA) - 8/8
California League (A-Advanced) - 10/10
Carolina League (A-Advanced) - 8/8
Florida State League (A-Advanced) - 12/12
Midwest League (A) - 10/16
South Atlantic League (A) - 14/14
Northwest League (A-Short Season) - ???/8
NY-Penn League (A-Short Season) - 9/14
Appalachian League (Rookie-Advanced) - 4/10
Pioneer League (Rookie-Advanced) - 4/8

[hm insulators]

It's interesting reading the team nicknames of the minor league clubs. (Montgomery Biscuits?)

[Jim]

Sounds like fun.  It would be interesting to track the list through the season to see how many end up getting rained out.  I can only think of one MiLB planned visit during a road trip that got rained out on me: a torrential downpour flooded downtown Charleston, SC, on the day I planned to see the River Dogs.  In MLB, car trouble on the way (family trip before I could even drive) caused me to miss my chance to see a game at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto a few seasons before SkyDome/Rogers Centre opened.  Of course, I've had plenty of games I planned to attend rained out but I can't think of any others that I never got a chance to visit because of otherwise inflexible travel plans combined with weather problems.

[Duke87]

Interesting line of thinking here. As of this writing I have been to a home game for 19 out of 30 MLB teams, and plans are already being drawn up for #20 and #21 on a trip to Texas this summer.

Minor league teams have always been kind of off my radar, though. I've only ever been to games for two of them.

This might be helped by the fact that my interest in baseball has always been driven in significant part by my interest in baseball cards, which do not typically depict minor league players.

[Super Mateo]

Wed, Aug. 24 - #130 - Indianapolis Indians vs. Columbus Clippers (Int'l) - 1:30 p.m.
                        #131 - Chicago White Sox vs. Philadelphia Phillies (MLB) - 7 p.m.

If you were to actually try this, I would advise against planning to go to Indianapolis and Chicago on the same day.  The commute between the two cities is about 180 miles and you would be driving during a Wednesday rush hour.  If the Indians game ends at 3:30 CDT, you'd have 3.5 hours.  There's a good chance you could miss a few innings of the White Sox game, especially if the earlier game runs long.

[Charles2]

Glad to see you would be working in a trip to Birmingham.  Regions Park is an absolute jewel of a minor league facility.  If you make it here, be sure to visit Good People Brewery across the street from the ballpark. 

[CVski]

Aug 31 Oklahoma City 700pm start
Sep 1 Colorado Springs 635pm start

That's 598 miles ballpark-to-ballpark, and less than half of that on Interstate highways. 

Was that the longest overnight segment, with no day off for driving?