We are now starting the second leg of the Ultimate Baseball Road Trip. This leg starts in Cleveland, where we left off at the end of the first leg. It will take us to seven ballparks in 20 days for a total of 1,580 miles. It starts by traveling to Philadelphia, then heads south to Washington and Baltimore before heading back north to New York. After seeing the Yankees and Mets, we travel to Boston before finishing this leg in Toronto.
April 21: Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA (435 miles, 3,244 total miles)
We start the second leg in Philadelphia to see the Phillies host the Rangers. This will be the first time the Rangers have visited Citizen’s Bank Park since 2011. The park has been home to the Phillies since 2004 and saw five consecutive first place finishes from 2007-2011. In spite of a fourth place finish, Philadelphia finished 6th in the league by drawing over 2.7 million fans.
Embed from Getty ImagesCitizen’s Bank Park features a beautiful view of downtown Philadelphia. The Liberty Bell rings 100 feet above street level every time the Phillies hit a home run. There is artwork throughout the park depicting famous Phillies and Philadelphia Athletics, as well as statues of Connie Mack, Richie Ashburn, Robin Roberts, Steve Carlton , and Mike Schmidt.
April 23: Nationals Park in Washinton, D.C. (147 miles, 3,391 total miles)
The Dodgers are in Washington in a rematch of the NLDS last season, a series that the Nationals won on their way to the World Series Championship. The Nationals moved into Nationals Park in 2008, their fourth season after leaving Montreal. They have finished in 1st or 2nd in the NL East in each of the last 8 years, and the fans have rewarded them with more than 2.2 millions fans in each of those seasons.
Embed from Getty ImagesNationals Park is the first major stadium in the US accredited as a LEED Structure for its green design. In 2015, the Nationals dedicated a Chair of Honor to military personnel taken as prisoners of war or were deemed missing in action. This reserved seat remains unoccupied. Don’t forget to watch the racing presidents during the 4th inning.
April 25: Oriole Park in Baltimore, MD (37 miles, 3,428 total miles)
The Blue Jays travel to Baltimore in this late April matchup. The Orioles have finished in last place in the last three seasons, and this has had an adverse effect on Oriole Park attendance. They failed to draw two million fans in 2018 for the first time in seven years, and drew just 1.3 million last season.
Embed from Getty ImagesOriole Park has seen some historic moments, including Cal Ripken Jr. playing in his 2,131st consecutive game to pass Lou Gehrig in 1995. There have been three American League Championship Series there. The most unique and eye catching feature is the B&O Warehouse located 439 feet from home plate in right field.
April 30: Yankee Stadium in New York, NY (202 miles, 3,630 total miles)
The Tigers come to the Bronx as we continue our journey. The Yankees lost to the Astros in the ALCS in two of the last three years and their fans are anxious to get back to the World Series. The last time they made it that far was 2009, the first year of this incarnation of Yankee Stadium. They have drawn over 3 million fans every year in their new ballpark and have not dipped below that mark since 1998.
Embed from Getty ImagesNo trip to Yankee Stadium would be complete without checking out Monument Park or the New York Yankees Museum. Monument Park had its origins in the original Yankee Stadium, the House that Ruth Built. Those monuments were transferred over and new ones have been added. Derek Jeter is the latest Yankee to be honored there, with both his number being retired and a plaque installed.
May 1: Citi Field in New York, NY (10 miles, 3,640 total miles)
The Braves invade Queens as we head across town to visit the home of the Mets. The team may have dipped below .500 several times, but their attendance has not been below 2 million sinc 1997. Citi Field opened in 2009 and replaced Shea Stadium, the Mets’ home since 1964.
Embed from Getty ImagesFans can get their picture taken with the famous Mr. Met during the second inning in the Fan Fest area in centerfield. Speaking of centerfield, the Mets installed a new Home Run Apple, opting to put the original outside the stadium when they moved from Shea Stadium.
May 3: Fenway Park in Boston, MA (203 miles, 3,843 total miles)
We see the Rangers again as we visit the oldest stadium in Major League Baseball. Fenway Park has been the home of the Red Sox since 1912. Over 2.5 million fans have gone through the turnstiles each year since 2000.
Embed from Getty ImagesEvery baseball fan will want to see the Green Monster, the 37-foot tall wall in left field. The scoreboard at the base of the Green Monster is one of the few manual scoreboards still in use. It was installed in 1934. All of the seats at Fenway are green, except one lone red seat. This seat is located in right field and signifies the landing spot the longest home run hit there, a 502-foot monster off the bat of Ted Williams.
May 6: Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON (546 miles, 4,389 total miles)
We finish this leg of our trip north of the border as we see the Orioles visiting Toronto. The Rogers Centre, originally called the SkyDome, has been the home of the Blue Jays since 1989. It was the first retractable roof stadium in the Major Leagues and ensured that the games would not be postponed. The Blue Jays made it to the ALCS in four of the first five years in their new stadium, including World Series Championships in 1992 and 1993.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Toronto Marriott City Centre is the only hotel located in a major sports stadium in North America. The hotel has field-view rooms where you can catch a game from your room. With an apex at 310 feet, the Rogers Centre is the tallest stadium in the Major Leagues.
Stay tuned for the third leg of the Ultimate Baseball Road Trip.
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