One thing I’ve always thought about doing is to take a vacation for one week and see how many Major League Baseball games in different ballparks I could attend.  Recently, I decided to actually try it.  Here is a recap of my “baseball vacation.”

This was the first actual trip I had taken anywhere since before the pandemic.  With society opening back up, and with me feeling better about being around people again, and with some vacation time to use, I thought this would be the ideal time to take such a trip.  Although there are no Major League Baseball (MLB) teams in Indiana where I live, the Midwest is an ideal location for being able to visit several different baseball stadiums within reasonable driving distance.  I ended up attending seven MLB games in six different ballparks involving eleven different teams over the span of eight days.

Friday, July 16: Cincinnati, Ohio.  Cincinnati Reds vs. Milwaukee Brewers.

I started my vacation immediately after finishing my last day of work on Friday.  The weather forecast called for rain, and out of concern for a possible rainout, I considered staying home Friday, starting my trip a day later, and probably cutting out one of the cities on my schedule.  But the day of the game, as the weather forecast was at least good enough that it appeared the game would not get rained out, I went ahead and drove down to Cincinnati to catch the Reds game against the Brewers.

Normally, Cincinnati is a 2-hour drive away; however, due to frustrating traffic in Cincinnati, it took an extra hour to get to the ballpark.  I arrived just in time to catch the start of the game.  The weather cooperated for the most part.  It did rain briefly during the game, but not enough to stop the game.  It didn’t affect me anyway – I was in the next to last row of the entire stadium, and top few rows were protected by an overhang, so I stayed dry.

This game carried some intrigue in the NL Central division standings, as the 2^nd place Reds hosted the 1^st place Brewers.  This was the first day of the 2^nd half of the baseball season as teams returned from the All-Star Break.  The Reds started out strong, carrying a 4-1 lead into the 5^th inning.  Unfortunately for the home team, bad defense and bad relief pitching spelled doom, as the Brewers dominated the rest of the game for an 11-6 victory.

This also took place on Fireworks Night at Great American Ballpark.  Following the game (plus a half-hour delay due to an emergency situation on the Ohio River), they set off a scheduled fireworks show, which provided more entertainment than the game itself.  Another heavy rain immediately followed, so they finished the fireworks just in time, but I had to run back to my car in the rain.

Saturday, July 17: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Pittsburgh Pirates vs. New York Mets.

I made the trip from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh on Saturday, driving through quite a bit of rain in the process.  The weather forecast once again called for rain during the day, but was supposed to be good for the game that evening.  Just like Friday night, it did rain briefly during the game, but not hard enough or long enough to matter too much.

This was the best game of the week.  The Pirates, in last place in the NL Central, hosted the Mets, in 1^st place in the NL East.  Although the Pirates were the home team, there were more Mets fans at the game than Pirates fans.  The entire left field bleachers were sold out with Mets fans in blue shirts and made it seem as if they were the home team.  The Mets jumped out to a 6-0 lead by the 8^th inning, and the Mets fans sitting behind me said, “Yeah, this game is over, we can go now.”  As soon as they left, the Pirates scored 5 runs in the 8^th inning to make it 6-5.  After the Mets scored another run to make it 7-5, the Pirates loaded the bases with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9^th.  Then this happened:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph8qACODpPQ

Final Score:  Pirates 9, Mets 7.  A game-winning grand slam makes this the best game of the week.  The moral of the story: a 6-0 lead is not safe.

Just like the previous night in Cincinnati, I happened to show up on Fireworks Night.  So, after shooting off fireworks to celebrate the game-winning home run, they shot off scheduled fireworks right after the game as well.  You can’t beat a combination of a game-winning grand slam and fireworks, so it was a good night.

Sunday, July 18:  Pittsburgh again.  Pirates vs. Mets again.

Since it was not practical to try to go to a new city between a Saturday night game and a Sunday afternoon game, I stayed in Pittsburgh to catch another game on Sunday.  This time, the weather was hot and sunny, and the threat of rain would no longer be a concern for the next several days.

It would be hard to top the excitement from the night before, but this was another interesting game.  This time, it was the Pirates who jumped out to a 6-0 lead, doing so in the very first inning.  This was thanks in large part to a boneheaded play by the Mets pitcher that made the highlight reels, followed by the Mets manager having a complete meltdown and getting ejected.

But, as we learned the previous night, a 6-0 is not safe.  The Mets would eventually cut it to 6-5 going into the 9^th inning, and finally take the lead on a 2-run home run in the 9^th.  This time, it was the Mets who came back from 6 runs down, winning the game 7-6.

After spending two games at PNC Park, which was a new stadium for me, I have to say, they have a nice park.  It seemed smaller than most stadiums, as there wasn’t a lot of seating in the outfield, but it also meant there wasn’t really a bad seat in the house either.  They have an interesting right field wall, with a scoreboard at the bottom, and then fans sitting above it, protected by a fence, and then the wall continues up even higher with fans sitting in the deck above it.  If you’re familiar with the Green Monster in Boston’s Fenway Park, just imagine if they cut out the middle of the Green Monster, put in a screen, and then put fans behind it.  To a smaller extent, that’s sort of what you get at PNC Park.

Monday, July 19:  Detroit, Michigan.  Detroit Tigers vs. Texas Rangers.

On Monday, I circled back west and made the trip from Pittsburgh to Detroit.  Yes, I realize that I skipped right past Cleveland, but they didn’t have a home game at the time, so the next logical stop was a visit to the Detroit Tigers for their game on Monday night at Comerica Park.  The Tigers, below .500 but not terrible, hosted the absolutely dreadful Texas Rangers.

I arrived early enough at the ballpark that I was able to watch the Rangers take batting practice.  I had a seat behind the right field wall, and I got to my seat early with my glove, hoping to snag a home run ball.  Since the stands were still mostly empty at the time, I eventually moved down from my seat in the 12^th row to just behind the wall, figuring I would have a better chance of catching a potential ball there.  About a minute later, one of the Rangers players actually hit a home run in my direction.  I watched as it sailed over my head and hit one of the seats in my section, in the 12^th row – the row where my assigned seat was – and bounce a couple rows down.  I ran back up to chase after it, had to race another guy for it, won the race, and grabbed the ball.  I had just retrieved my first official Major League Baseball from a game!  Granted, it was from batting practice and not from the actual game, but I’m still counting it.  I’m keeping it as a souvenir.

That was the highlight of my evening.  The game itself was rather boring, although that wasn’t the Tigers’ fault.  Detroit absolutely dominated the game and led 14-0 after 7 innings.  Although we’ve learned so far that a 6-run lead is not safe, I figured a 14-run lead was safe.  Since it was already after 10:00, and there was no suspense in the outcome, I didn’t see the point in sticking around to the very end.  My evening had already been made by grabbing my baseball souvenir anyway.  I apparently didn’t miss anything in the final 2 innings after I left, as the final score ended up being 14-0.  A good showing by the home team in front of a largely empty stadium on a Monday night.

Tuesday, July 20:  Chicago, Illinois.  Chicago White Sox vs. Minnesota Twins.

On Tuesday, I made the trip from Detroit to Chicago to see the White Sox.  Tuesday night’s matchup featured the White Sox, carrying the best record in the American League, hosting the Minnesota Twins.

The level of seat that I bought at each stadium during the week depended on how good a deal I could get.  If I happened to be able to get a great deal for a seat in a lower level, I would jump on it; otherwise, I was fine with getting a seat in the nosebleed section.  For this particular game, my seat was in the 500 level – the upper deck.  However, at Guaranteed Rate Field, they apparently check your ticket before even entering a seating level to make sure you’re not even entering a section of seating other than what’s on your ticket.  They did not do this in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, or Detroit, and I was a bit annoyed that they were doing it here.  What if I want to walk around down below before the game and visit the shops on the lower level?  What if I want to get a good view of batting practice before the game while nobody else is in their seat?  I was going to sit in my assigned seat for the game anyway, but to not even be allowed on the lower level at all before the game?  On one hand, I understand that they want to make sure people are sitting in their assigned seat, but to me, this seemed unusually oppressive.

One thing they did have on the upper level of the stadium was a pitch speed tracker.  People could get in line (or just walk up if there was no line), throw three pitches at a target, and have it measure your pitch speed.  Apparently, my fastball tops out at 47 miles an hour.  I’m guessing I don’t have much of a future as a Major League Baseball pitcher.

The actual game was pretty good.  The White Sox led for most of the game; however, the Twins came back to take a 5-4 lead going into the bottom of the 8^th inning.  That’s when the White Sox made their move, first tying the game, then re-taking the lead at 6-5, then hitting a 3-run homer to blow it open for a 9-5 lead.  The team also shoots off fireworks after every White Sox home run, so that’s always a plus.  The game ended in unusual fashion in the 9^th inning when a Twins batter was initially ruled safe on a close play at first base to keep their hopes alive, then after instant replay, the umpires changed their mind and declared him out to end the game.  Final score: 9-5 White Sox.  This prompted another fireworks display after the game.

Wednesday, July 21:  Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Milwaukee Brewers vs. Kansas City Royals.

On Wednesday, I made the trip up to Milwaukee for an afternoon interleague game between the Milwaukee Brewers (1^st place in the NL Central) and the Kansas City Royals (last place in the AL Central).  Although this was an afternoon game in Milwaukee right after a night game in Chicago, it still worked because it was less than a 2-hour drive away.  This was my first time to be in Milwaukee, and it just so happened that I was there the day after the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA championship in basketball.

The Brewers’ stadium, American Family Field (formerly known as Miller Park) is very nice.  They have a retractable roof, so games can be played outdoors, as this one was, but if the weather had been bad, they can close the roof and make it an indoor game.  That’s always a great feature in my book.  It also features a slide behind the left field wall for Bernie the mascot to slide down if the Brewers hit a home run.  Although, I never got to see this because the Brewers didn’t hit a home run.  The ballpark is also home to the best grilled cheese sandwich I have ever had.

I had a great seat in the 2^nd row in right field, and I was in the shade for the whole game.  It was an ideal place to catch a potential home run, but nothing was ever hit even remotely in my direction.  Still, it was a great view.

The game itself wasn’t very memorable though.  The Brewers surprisingly did not bring their “A” game, and the Royals won 6-3.  Five of the Royals’ six runs were unearned (the result of Brewers’ fielding errors), so better defense would have changed the result.  I had seen the Brewers on my first night of this trip in Cincinnati, and they had looked much better that night.  Too much celebrating the Bucks’ championship the night before?  The PA announcer’s mention of the Bucks got by far the loudest ovation of the game from the Milwaukee faithful.

One thing that did impress me was the attendance.  I figured that with a Wednesday afternoon game, and with it being the night after the Bucks game, there would be very few fans at the stadium.  However, the game drew a crowd of over 30,000.  I believe this was more fans than the Tigers game and the White Sox game combined.  It appears that the fans in Milwaukee love their Brewers.

Thursday, July 22.  Green Bay, Wisconsin.  Home of the Green Bay Packers.

It wasn’t practical to fit in a Major League Baseball game on Thursday, so I decided to take a break from baseball for one day.  The closest baseball game that day would have been to travel from Milwaukee to St. Louis for a Thursday night game immediately before a Friday afternoon game back in Chicago, and I decided it wasn’t worth it to stress myself out with the short turn-around travel time.  Instead, I added a football element to my baseball vacation.  I drove up to Green Bay on Thursday to take a tour of historic Lambeau Field, the home of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers.

Although I’m a Colts fan myself when it comes to football, and although I don’t have any strong rooting interests either for or against the Packers, I can at least appreciate their long and successful history and tradition.  Lambeau Field is just one of those historic landmarks that people have to see if they are in the area, and since I had a day to spend in Wisconsin, I figured I would check it out.  I was in a tour group with 30 other people who had come from all over.  We got to go up to one of the suites to view the field from above, and also got to go through the tunnel and down onto the track surrounding the field.  They wouldn’t let us on the actual grass or do the Lambeau Leap into the stands, but it was still an amazing view.  We also got to watch four people mowing the field, as it gets mowed every other day.  I also got to see the Packers Hall of Fame exhibit afterward.  But in case you’re wondering, no, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was not there at the facility.

Friday, July 23:  Chicago, Illinois.  Chicago Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondbacks.

After staying in Milwaukee another night on Thursday, I drove back down to Chicago for my final baseball game of the week.  This was a Friday afternoon game at Chicago’s historic Wrigley Field between the host Cubs and the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Although my baseball rooting interests lie with the Boston Red Sox, I grew up watching Cubs game on WGN, and I’ve always considered the Cubs to be my 2^nd favorite team.  Since I didn’t get to see the Red Sox play on this trip, at least getting to see the Cubs made it the highlight game of my week.  Plus, I hadn’t been to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field since I was in college, so it was good to get back there again.  With the Cubs having a down year this year, and with trade rumors surrounding their best players, particularly their star Kris Bryant, it also might have been one of the last opportunities to see the core of the Cubs team that won the 2016 World Series.  On this day, the Cubs were playing the Diamondbacks, the team with MLB’s worst overall record.  So, this was a game they were expected to win.

The Cubs jumped out to a 3-0 lead with a Javier Baez home run in the first inning, and they never looked back.  They extended the lead to 6-0 in the 3^rd inning as rain started falling over Wrigley Field.  Fortunately for me, I was in the upper deck behind home plate, which was protected by an overhang, so I stayed dry as I watched fans in the lower level heading for cover.  The rain wasn’t bad enough to stop the game though.  Although we learned in Pittsburgh that a 6-0 is not safe, two more home runs by catcher Robinson Chirinos added to their lead, and the Cubs cruised to an 8-3 win.

The game was played in front of 34,000 fans, which made the stadium mostly full, and made it the largest crowd of any baseball game I had been to all week.  The fans were into it the whole game, even though the game itself wasn’t that close.  Easily the best crowd atmosphere of the week.  It was a good game to end my trip with.

Postgame Awards

Now that I have returned from my trip, here are some postgame awards:

Best Stadium

1. Wrigley Field – Chicago Cubs.  The 2^nd oldest ballpark in MLB (behind Boston’s Fenway Park), Wrigley Field is a traditional landmark with a retro atmosphere.  It’s well-known for the distinctive ivy on the outfield wall.  Everything in the stadium – the seating, the manual scoreboard with the old-time clock, etc. – maintain the ballpark’s retro feel.  Interestingly enough, there are also apartments across the street from the park which have added seating on their roofs for people to go up and watch the game.  Wrigley Field had the best ballpark atmosphere overall.
2. American Family Field – Milwaukee Brewers.  On the other end of the spectrum from historic Wrigley Field, American Family Field is a very modern ballpark.  I debated between Milwaukee and Pittsburgh for 2^nd place, but ultimately, I’m going with Milwaukee because of their retractable roof.
3. PNC Park – Pittsburgh Pirates.  I like ballparks with distinctive features.  Pittsburgh has a nice stadium, and stands out to me because of their right-field wall that’s sort of a junior version of Boston’s Green Monster.

I actually liked all the ballparks I visited, but those are the three that stood out to me, for those distinctive features.

Best Game:  Saturday, July 17 in Pittsburgh.  Pirates 9, Mets 7.  The Pirates’ 6-run comeback, capped by Jacob Stallings’s game-winning grand slam with 2 outs in the 9^th inning, makes this the best game of the week.  Honorable Mention:  The Mets’ 7-6 comeback win over the Pirates the following day; the White Sox’ 5-run 8^th inning to beat the Twins 9-5.

Best Ballpark Food:  Milwaukee’s Yeli Melt.  The best grilled cheese sandwich I have ever had.  It lived up to Wisconsin’s reputation for cheese.  If you ever make it to a Brewers game, order the Yeli Melt.  Honorable mention:  Detroit’s value meal, which includes a hot dog, chips, and a drink for only $6.  I mention it because of the price.  $6 is crazy cheap for a ballpark meal, and it was just as good as anything else I could have gotten for $15.

Best National Anthem:  John Vincent at Wrigley Field.  This one isn’t even close.  It was probably the longest anyone has ever held one note in a song, ever.  For context, you can find some of his previous performances on YouTube, but I think he beat his own record on Friday for longest note.

Favorite Baseball Moments: 

1. Seeing the Cubs win, because the Cubs are my favorite team out of the teams that I saw play this week.
2. The Pirates’ game-winning grand slam, because it was the most exciting moment from a game that week.
3. Getting a home run batting practice baseball in Detroit, because it was the first one I have ever gotten from a professional baseball game.

I would put my tour of Lambeau Field somewhere on that list if it counts, as that was interesting as well, but as this was a baseball vacation, I’m limiting the above list to baseball moments.

Final Thoughts

Eight days and 1,700 miles after starting my journey, it was a good trip.  Just taking a week to go around to baseball games in different MLB ballparks was something I had thought about doing for a while, so now I can cross that one off my list.  If I had really wanted to, I could have tried for even more games in more ballparks by going to St. Louis on Thursday, or by going to Cleveland at the end of my trip, but I’m glad I didn’t try for any more games than I did.  I think I did enough driving for one week as it is.  For those of you who knew about my trip and prayed for “traveling mercies”, they worked.  1,700 miles of driving without any incidents on the road.

I know some of you reading this don’t follow baseball as closely as I do, and perhaps this is not how some people would have chosen to spend a week off.  That’s fine.  Sometimes you just have to do something to help you get away from it all for a week.  For me, as a sports fan, this is what worked, so I’m glad I did it.  It was also nice to even have the ability to do so, as such a trip would not have been possible last year.

Although I didn’t get to see the Red Sox on this trip, they’re having a very good year themselves, and I hope to watch them on TV this October as they win the World Series.  Regardless, having just seen eleven teams on my road trip, this will at least increase the probability that whoever plays in the World Series will be a team I am familiar with.  The White Sox, Brewers, and Mets are also currently first-place teams in their divisions, so perhaps one or two of those teams will be battling it out for the championship in October, and I will get to say, “Hey, I saw them play this year!”  We’ll see what happens.  May the best team win.

“Baseball is 90 percent mental, and the other half is physical.”  –Yogi Berra