One of the things I enjoy doing on vacation is going to baseball games, especially at stadiums I have previously never been to.  I also like to visit new states so that I can add to my total list of lifetime states visited.  Two weeks ago, I decided to take care of both things at once and add a new Major League Baseball stadium and a new state to my list.  Here is a recap of my recent trip to Minnesota.

Monday, June 19: Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Milwaukee Brewers.

Not wanting to make the 10-hour drive from Indiana to Minnesota all at once, I decided to make a stop in Milwaukee, which was about halfway in between.  This gave me a chance to see the Milwaukee Brewers in action against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night.  This was not my first visit to American Family Field.  I had previously visited Milwaukee to see the Brewers during my baseball vacation two years ago.  (You can read more about my 7-game, 6-stadium 2021 Midwest baseball tour here.)

I entered the ballpark just in time to see the Diamondbacks take batting practice.  Hoping to catch a batting practice home run and add to my lifetime collection of four game balls, I set up behind the left field wall with some other hopeful fans.  My best chance to snag a baseball came right away, as an Arizona player hit a batting practice home run right over my head.  However, I couldn’t get to it in time, and it hit the 10^th row just behind me, caromed back over my head and back onto the field.  Nobody else hit anything close to me for the rest of batting practice.  My quest for another baseball would have to wait.

As I mentioned in my 2021 review of American Family Field, this venue was the home of the Yeli Melt – the best grilled cheese sandwich I have ever had.  Remembering this, I visited the grilled cheese concession stand before the game, hoping to get another Yeli Melt.  However, it wasn’t on the menu, nor had the concession stand workers even heard of it.  Were these people new?  Was the stadium no longer serving it?  I never got the answers to these questions, but I did get get the grilled cheese sandwich that they had on the menu.  I can now say that American Family Field is now the home of both the best and the worst grilled cheese sandwiches I have ever had.  Seriously, the one I was served this time was hard and stale, and had probably been sitting there since their stadium opened in 2001.  If you ever go see the Milwaukee Brewers, try to get the Yeli Melt, but if they don’t have that specific sandwich, avoid the grilled cheese altogether.

American Family Field is a nice stadium with a retractable roof, so the game can be played indoors if it rains.  Although, it was a nice day anyway, so the roof was open for an outdoor game.  I had a good seat behind home plate, in what they call the Family Section, where alcohol and profanity are prohibited.  They designate certain sections like this, mainly for parents who want to take their kids to the game without exposing them to seeing alcohol or hearing profanity.  (Because apparently kids cannot see people drinking beer or hear any language from a few seats away in the very next section?)  Not many people were sitting in the Family Section, and these rules weren’t really a problem for me, and it was a great view, so I took a seat in this section behind home plate.

As for the game itself, it was supposed to be a good matchup featuring a battle between two first-place teams in their respective divisions.  However, the Diamondbacks ended all suspense early, scoring 6 runs in the first inning and never looking back.  That was more than enough for Arizona ace pitcher Merrill Kelly, who only allowed one run, and the Diamondbacks won the game going away, 9-1.

As for me, the highlight of my evening was getting a free souvenir T-shirt from the 8^th inning T-shirt toss into the stands.  I ended up with a shirt that says, “I caught this T-shirt at a Brewers game.”  Technically, I didn’t actually catch it, but the shirt says I did.  The shirt that was thrown in my direction landed in the row behind me, and someone else got to it first, but didn’t actually care to keep it himself, so he just gave it to me.  So I got a free T-shirt out of it.  Not a bad way to spend an evening.

Tuesday, June 20: Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Boston Red Sox vs. Minnesota Twins.

The next day, I drove to Minneapolis to see my favorite baseball team, the Boston Red Sox, visit the host Minnesota Twins.  The Red Sox were in town for a 4-game series from Monday through Thursday.  The Red Sox had already won the first game over the Twins 9-3 on Monday, and I arrived in time to catch the remaining three games.

My arrival in Minnesota made it the 34^th U.S. state I have visited during my lifetime.  Only 16 more states to go.  My visit to Target Field, home of the Twins, also made it my 12^th Major League Baseball home stadium out of the 30 total teams.  As Minnesota was the closest state I had never been to before, and the only new state within a 10-hour drive from home, I figured this was a good way to add to my list of states while also getting to see my favorite team play.

I got a good seat behind the Red Sox dugout along the third base line.  I was disappointed to see that neither team was taking batting practice before the game, reducing my chances of getting a souvenir baseball.  On the plus side, hot dogs at Target Field are only one dollar each on Tuesdays – so that’s a great deal if you ever go to a Twins game in Minnesota on a Tuesday.  As for the game itself, the Red Sox completely dominated, going ahead 10-0 by the 8^th inning.  Starting pitcher Kutter Crawford pitched five shutout innings to get the win, Christian Arroyo led the offense by going 5-for-5 with a home run, and the Red Sox ended up winning 10-4.

After the game, I went down behind the Red Sox dugout, where first base coach Kyle Hudson came out and gave out some baseballs from the game to a few fans who had gathered there, including myself.  (Thanks, Kyle.)  This baseball counts for my lifetime total, and now makes the fifth baseball from a professional game that I currently have in my collection, all within the past two years.  A Red Sox win and a souvenir baseball in a new ballpark – not a bad way to spend an evening.

Wednesday, June 21.

Among the things Minnesota is most known for – other than being way too cold in the winter – is the Mall of America.  Located in Bloomington (just south of Minneapolis), it is the largest mall in the country and one of the largest malls in the world.  If you ever visit Minnesota, you have to visit the Mall of America, so I made sure to take some time to go there on Wednesday morning and check it out.

I can now confirm that the Mall of America is indeed quite large.  It has four floors, with four main hallways on each floor.  Unlike most malls today which are going downhill and becoming mostly empty, this was a bustling metropolis of people, with not a single vacant store.  In the center of the mall was the Nickelodeon Universe, essentially a theme park for kids, featuring roller coasters and other rides.  Some notable stores were the M&M’s store, the Crayola store, the LEGO store, as well as some locally-based stores, such as I Love Minnesota and sports-themed stores dedicated to the Vikings or Golden Gophers.  Some places were really attractions rather than actual stores, such as an escape room in the mall.  There was also an aquarium in the lower level, which I was going to visit until I learned that you had to pay just to get in.  The mall even had a Walgreens in it.  It takes half a day just to tour it all, and even then, I probably missed some places.  My favorite store in the mall?  Chick Fil-A in the food court.

Wednesday evening, I was back at Target Field for another game between the Red Sox and Twins.  This was by far the most exciting game of my trip.  One of the more memorable moments came when the Twins manager was ejected in the fourth inning for arguing.  However, after he left, he decided he wasn’t done yet, so he ran back out onto the field, threw his hat, and argued some more, to cheers from most of the crowd. Unfortunately, I had been recording his argument until he went back in the dugout the first time, but then I thought he was done and stopped recording, so I missed the part where he came running back onto the field to throw his hat.

The back-and-forth battle eventually went into extra innings, tied 4-4.  This was the first time I ever got to see the new extra-inning rule in person, where each team gets to start the inning with a runner on second base.  The Red Sox failed to score in their half of the 10^th inning, which meant the Twins automatically had the potential winning run on second to start their inning.  After a controversial out call at first base on the first batter, Minnesota’s Kyle Farmer ended the suspense with a base hit to drive in the winning run with a final score of 5-4. Although the Red Sox lost the game, it was objectively the best game of the trip, as it was the only one that was close.  A disappointing but memorable finish.  The Red Sox had still taken two of the first three games of the series to that point, and the two teams would finish things out the next day.

Thursday, June 22.

Rather than the typical evening game, the final matchup of the series on Thursday started at noon.  This was just fine with me, as it gave me a chance to get a head start on my trip home right after the game.  It also meant that my seat along the third base line was in the sun instead of being in the shade as I had been during previous two games.  Despite Minnesota’s reputation as a cold-weather state, my visit there featured high temperatures in the 90s, so I would have to sweat this one out.  Fortunately, I was able to visit the 3^rd base lounge – an indoor air-conditioned concession area for people in the lower level where I was, to get out of the sun as needed.

Speaking of concessions, if you ever go to a Twins game in Minnesota, get the Cuban sandwich from Tony O’s.  With the delicious combination of ham, cheese, and pickles in their Cuban sandwich, it was the best ballpark food of my trip.  Highly recommend.

As for the game itself, this was not Boston’s day.  Minnesota pitcher Joe Ryan shut down the Red Sox for a complete-game shutout, as the Twins won easily, 6-0.  I missed an entire inning just waiting in line to get ice cream to stay cool, but there wasn’t much happening in the game anyway.  I did have two close calls in getting another baseball during the game.  One ball that went into the crowd glanced off the top of my glove then down a few rows, where a kid picked it up.  Then after the 8^th inning, Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers tossed a ball into the stands, just out of my reach, where a dad in the row behind me got it and gave it to his daughter.  So, both times, a kid got the baseball, which is probably how it should be anyway.  Plus, I had already received a baseball during the trip anyway.  But if one comes near me, I have to at least try to catch it.

The Red Sox and Twins split their four-game series, having won two games apiece, essentially solving nothing when it came to their respective playoff races.  Ironically, at the time this series was played (and still true today), the Red Sox had a record just above .500 but were in last place in their division, the AL East, while the Twins had a record just below .500 but were in first place in their division, the AL Central.  Can the Red Sox and Twins switch divisions, please?

I would also like to acknowledge how good Target Field is.  Opened in 2010, it is currently the fourth-newest stadium in Major League Baseball.  I found it a bit surprising that a cold-weather city such as Minneapolis would create an open-air stadium instead of an indoor stadium that could shield it from the weather when it gets cold, but they made it work.  Sitting along the 3^rd base line where I was provided a beautiful scenic view of the city beyond right field.  They also have a giant scoreboard in left field, as well as a “Win Twins” sign in center field that lights up when the Twins score or win.  Overall, the stadium has a nice personality to it.  Although, I am still biased toward the “retro” stadiums such as Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, Minnesota’s Target Field has a distinctive charm to it as well.  I might not want to go there in April when the weather is still cold though.

Friday, June 23.

Having attended four Major League Baseball games in the past four days, and having toured the most famous mall in the country, I started back home after the game on Thursday and stopped in Milwaukee where I had been on Monday.  Friday morning, I made sure to visit a local park in Milwaukee on the shore of Lake Michigan.  I had to get some pictures of the lake before completing the rest of my trip home.

All in all, it was a good road trip.  I got to spend a week away from work, I got a souvenir T-shirt and a souvenir baseball out of it, and for anyone who prayed for travelling mercies – they worked.  (No incidents on the road.)

For anyone who’s curious, now that I have been to 34 of 50 states and visited the stadiums of 12 of 30 Major League Baseball teams, I have made a list below of the states I have not been to (as this was easier than listing the states I have been to), along with the MLB teams whose home stadiums I have been to.  Will I visit all the states or all the ballparks someday?  Probably not.  But we’ll see how many I eventually get through.  In the meantime, have a happy 4^th of July, and I hope you are all enjoying your summer!

The 16 states I have yet to visit:

1. Vermont
2. New Hampshire
3. Maine
4. Connecticut
5. Rhode Island
6. North Dakota
7. South Dakota
8. Montana
9. Idaho
10. Nevada
11. Utah
12. New Mexico
13. Oregon
14. California
15. Alaska
16. Hawaii

Major League Baseball teams whose stadiums I have attended:

1. Cincinnati Reds.  Riverfront Stadium (previous stadium) – a few games in the early 1990s; Great American Ballpark (current stadium) – 2011, 2015, 2018, 2021, 2022.
2. Colorado Rockies.  Mile High Stadium (previous stadium) – 1994.
3. Philadelphia Phillies.  Veterans Stadium (previous stadium) – 1995.
4. Chicago Cubs.  Wrigley Field – 1997, 2021, 2022, 2023.
5. Detroit Tigers.  Tiger Stadium (previous stadium) – 1998; Comerica Park (current stadium) – 2021.
6. Cleveland Indians (as they were known at the time).  Jacobs Field (now known as Progressive Field) – 2004.
7. Seattle Mariners.  Safeco Field (now known as T-Mobile Park) – 2012, 2016.
8. Boston Red Sox.  Fenway Park – 2018.
9. Pittsburgh Pirates.  PNC Park – 2021.
10. Chicago White Sox.  Guaranteed Rate Field – 2021.
11. Milwaukee Brewers.  American Family Field – 2021, 2023.
12. Minnesota Twins.  Target Field – 2023.