We are now starting the third leg of the Ultimate Baseball Road Trip. We start by coming back to the us after visiting Toronto in the second leg. We will visit seven teams and travel 1,742 miles in 30 days. The first stop is in Detroit, then we head to Chicago to visit the Cubs and White Sox. From there, we travel to Milwaukee and Minnesota before finishing in Missouri with St. Louis and Kansas City.
May 10: Comerica Park in Detroit, MI (230 miles, 4,619 total miles)
The Tigers host the Indians in the first stop on our third leg. Comerica Park opened in 2000 and has seen playoff teams five times, including two World Series appearances. Unfortunately, it has also seen three 100-loss seasons, like last season’s 114-loss debacle. They still managed to draw more than 1.5 million fans.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe park features a couple of rides, a carousal of tigers behind the first base area and a ferris wheel of baseballs located on the third base side. There is a water fountain in centerfield that produces a “liquid fireworks” display when a Tiger hits a home run. Unfortunately, they only hit 64 of them at home last season.
May 13: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL (288 miles, 4,907 total miles)
The Cubs host one of their rivals when the Brewers come to town. Wrigley Field is the oldest stadium in the National League. It opened in 1914 and housed the Chicago Federals of the Federal League. In 1916, after the Federals folded, the Cubs moved in and have been playing there ever since. The Cubs have drawn 3 million fans in each of the last four seasons.
Embed from Getty ImagesWrigley Field is best known for the brick walls with ivy growing on it throughout the summer. The Friendly Confines has seen its share of historic moments, such as when Babe Ruth famously called his shot, the 500th career home run of Ernie Banks, the 60th home run off the bat of Sammy Sosa in 1998 (and 1999 and 2001), and three All-Star Games (1947, 1962, and 1990).
May 17: Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, IL (11 miles, 4,918 total miles)
The schedule is forcing us to stay in Chicago for a few days before the White Sox host the Blue Jays. Guaranteed Rate Field started out as “New” Comiskey Park in 1991, replacing “Old” Comiskey Park, which was their home since 1913. The White Sox have drawn at least 1.6 million fans in each of the last 20 years.
Embed from Getty ImagesChampions Monument Plaza, located just outside the stadium, celebrates the 2005 World Series Champion White Sox. Inside the stadium, near the Fan Deck in centerfield, you can find statues of several important figures in White Sox history, including Charles Comiskey, Minnie Minoso, Carlton Fisk, Nellie Fox, and Frank Thomas.
May 20: Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI (97 miles, 5,015 total miles)
A short drive up I-94 takes us to Miller Park, when the Yankees come for a visit. The Brewers have been in the retractable roof stadium since 2001 and have drawn over 2 million fans in all but two years. In 2002 and 2003, when they lost a combined 200 games, they drew 1.97 million and 1.7 million fans respectively.
Embed from Getty ImagesMiller Park features a Walk of Fame and a Wall of Honor on the outside and the Selig Experience on the inside to pay tribute the Brewers history. Bernie Brewer has a chalet in left field and slides down 2 stories for every Brewer home run. There is also a statue of Bob Uecker in the upper deck with him sitting in the “front row.”
May 24: Target Field in Minneapolis, MN (335 miles, 5,350 total miles)
The White Sox catch up to us in Minnesota as they face the Twins. Target Field opened in 2010 and has seen the team finish in fourth or fifth half the time and first or second in the other half. The Twins drew almost 2.3 million fans in their 101-win 2019 season.
Embed from Getty ImagesTarget Field is an open air stadium, which is getting rare among the domes and retractable roof stadiums. The Budweiser Roof Deck The roof deck has a canopy and a large fire pit for the cold days, and offers a beautiful view of downtown Minneapolis. Target Field boasts one of the largest video screens in the Major Leagues.
June 2: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO (540 miles, 5,890 total miles)
Our next stop is St. Louis, where the Cardinals host the Blue Jays. Busch Stadium opened in 2006 and replaced … Busch Stadium. In fact, this is the third Busch Stadium that the Cardinals have played in. The Cardinals have made the playoffs in eight of the fourteen seasons in their new park, including two World Series Championships. That could help explain the more than 3 million fans that have attended games in each year since moving in.
Embed from Getty ImagesBusch Stadium is an open air stadium that has a spectacular view of downtown, including the famous Gateway arch. This is in direct contradiction to the last Busch Stadium, which was one of the cookie cutter stadiums that were popular in the 1970s. The Cardinals Hall of Fame is located across the street outside the Cardinals Museum.
June 5: Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO (241 miles, 6,131 total miles)
We cross Missouri to get to our last stop of the third leg as the Royals host the Indians. Kauffman Stadium, formally known as Royals Stadium, was opened in 1973. It has seen four World Series with the Royals winning two of them. Attendance has fallen every year since they set their record of 2.7 million in 2015. They failed to draw 1.5 million for the first time since their third consecutive 100-loss season in 2006.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe water fountains in centerfield are the largest privately funded fountains in the world. At night, the fountains are lit up with different colored lights. The Royals Hall of Fame has their two World Series trophies on display as well as their four ALCS trophies.
Now we are ready for the final leg of the Ultimate Baseball Road Trip.
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