18. Wrigley Field - August 10, 2018

Wrigley Field is a bit more difficult to get to. Regardless of the time of day, there will always be traffic heading up to the north side of Chicago. We ended up driving because we wanted to drink and eat before the game.

You can still do that, but I recommend either taking the train or catching an Uber. The city is crowded and parking, especially on game days, is expensive. We parked in some third-party corner lot that cost $40 and closed about 30 minutes after the game ends. The lot looked like Tetris the way the cars were parked. Of course, we parked first so we had to wait until everyone else arrived. Not ideal.

We went to a great sandwich place called Lucky's Sandwich Company. The game was at 1pm, so we had time to eat something beforehand and not spend money inside. Well, except for a hot dog of course. This place was amazing.

The classic front of Wrigley Field

On their menu, it says "All sandwiches come with tomatoes, fries and seasoned cole slaw served on them." My friends and I didn't see the "served on them" part, so when we got our sandwiches, we were a bit surprised. Regardless, one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten. I recommend this place if you're ever in Wrigleyville.

Walking into the stadium, I had the same feeling I did when I walked into Fenway Park - nostalgia. You can just feel the history of this stadium, the joy, the heartbreak and everything in between. Yes, the stadium has seen upgrades over the years but the heart is still there.

It's got a great look and it's no wonder why it took them so long to implement night games. Being here for an afternoon game was wonderful. The green ivy across the outfield wall. The old school scoreboard in center field. Even the structure was cool to look at.

Getting to our seats wasn't bad. People knew where they were going and getting up to the high level wasn't as bad as other stadiums. I didn't get to sit where I normally do behind home plate, but I did get a picture. We ended up sitting down the first base side a bit. Still a great view.

The craziest part was seeing the bleachers atop the apartments across from the stadium. They are run by a third-party company and span across the whole outfield. They come with access to a lounge, beverages, food and big-screen TVs. If you don't want to be in the stadium, this is a good alternative.

Besides the Yankees winning, this may have been the best game we saw on the trip. The Cubs defeated the Nationals 3-2 and it came down to the final at-bat. Every fan was on their feet when the final out was recorded.

Jeremy Hellickson started for Washington while the Cubs rolled out Kyle Hendricks. Neither pitcher lasted too long. Hellickson was pulled after 5.2 innings, giving up two runs on four walks with three strikeouts. Hendricks went six innings with two runs, eight hits and five strikeouts.

A field-level view

After that, it was a bullpen matchup. Both teams used a combined nine relievers for the final three innings. This is what the MLB is referencing when talking about the pace of play. I don't mind it as much but I get where they are coming from.

Nationals rookie Juan Soto drove in Trea Turner for the first run of the game in the first inning. They added their second run in the second when Adam Eaton drove in Daniel Murphy on a single. The Nationals would be held scoreless for the rest of the game.

Hellickson did a good job shutting down the Cubs. They had just one base runner after five innings. It wasn't until the sixth inning where the Cubs offense woke up.

After three straight walks, Jason Heyward hit a 2-RBI single. Anthony Rizzo walked in the game-winning run in the seventh inning as the bases were loaded.

After two outs, Pedro Strop had an error when covering first base, allowing Eaton to get on base. The crowd was electric. Everyone was on their feet, waiting for the third out. And they got it when Turner struck out swinging. If only I could have been here when they won the World Series.

Hot dog review: Nice crunch, yellow mustard, and grilled onions. Good stadium dog.

Wrigley Field is one of the most historic stadiums in the league. I don't care if you skip the other Chicago stadium, this is one you have to see.

17. Guaranteed Rate Field - August 8, 2018

Getting to Chicago was pretty easy. It's just a 90-minute ride between Milwaukee and Chicago. We could have stayed in Milwaukee if we wanted to. We actually stayed just outside of the city, a bit cheaper.

Guaranteed Rate Field was easy to get to. Right off the main highway. We could have taken the train but leaving our car in part of Chicago was not a good idea. We spent the extra time and gas to drive up to the stadium. Parking was annoying. There weren't many lots and the side street parking situation wasn't ideal. We paid $20 for parking. Not bad, I've paid worse.

The skyline, or lack thereof

Since we had plenty of time before the game, we went to this bar and grill right across from the stadium. It's called ChiSox Bar & Grill. They had a lot of beer on tap and their sandwiches were excellent.

If you don't have tickets for a game, you could spend all game in this bar. Highly recommended.

The outside of the stadium was nice. There were some statues of former players and a nice plaque display at one of the entrances.

We got into the stadium and there wasn't much to look at beyond the field. While there weren't three levels of seats in the outfield, there were LCD screens wrapping around the whole outfield. Guaranteed Rate Field does not have a skyline like the rest of these stadiums have.

The main LCD screen in center field is a nice display. It's not too big but provides enough information for both teams. There are these weird lollipop-looking things above the scoreboard. Not sure what those are about.

We got to our seats down the right-field line, near the foul pole. Like with Miller Park, my friends want to be as close to the action as possible. Not my choice. We had a good few of the action without having to turn our necks too much. The seats were angled a little bit towards home plate. But, with owners want to pack as many fans as possible, this is the compromise they made.

I don't remember what there was to do around the concourse. It's either because it wasn't memorable or because I'm writing this seven months after I visited this stadium. I'm going to go with the latter.

Giancarlo Stanton settling in the batter's box

What I do remember, though, is the Yankees winning 7-3. Luis Severino and Lucas Giolito served as each team's starting pitchers. Severino pitched seven innings and allowed three runs on seven hits and eight strikeouts.

Giolito, on the other hand, went just five innings and gave up seven runs on six hits and three walks while striking out seven batters.

The White Sox got out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning. Jose Abreu had an RBI double and Daniel Palka drove him home with a single. The Yankees quickly answered back as Austin Romine and Shane Robinson each had RBI singles. Two batters later, Giancarlo Stanton hit a line-drive grand slam.

It was smooth sailing for the next couple of innings. Aaron Hicks added the seventh run with a solo home run in the fifth inning. Tim Anderson hit his own home run in the bottom of the fifth and that would be the last run to score for the game.

This game we did stay until the final out. We had to celebrate the Yankees winning.

We got lucky this game. It was dollar hot dog night. Not the best quality hot dogs. Multiple condiment tables ran out of diced onions. I had to walk around half of the concourse to find some. The things I do for onions.

The south side of Chicago is not a place you want to hang out. You'd be better off staying either north or just outside of Chicago and traveling to the stadium. It's a basic park but is open enough that you don't feel cramped or closed in.

16. Miller Park - August 7, 2018

The next part of the trip was heading to Milwaukee. It was about a five-and-a-half hour drive. There is nothing in Wisconsin, outside of the major cities. I don't get how people live out here.

We finally made it to Milwaukee. Driving by the park the day before, the stadium is huge. The roof itself is big. Walking up to it, it looks like a football stadium. If you're visiting it for the first time, it's hard to miss.

The three of us stayed in this motel not too far from the stadium, right off the highway. The only good thing about this place was that there was a bar attached. One of us had a few too many drinks the first night we were there.

A view of the stadium and field

On game day, the gates opened 90 minutes before the game, a little late compared to other stadiums. I don't mind. I really don't need to see batting practice.

Getting to the stadium was fine, some traffic though. But that's too be expected when there's only one highway leading to the stadium.

Parking was cheap for the official stadium lots. $12 for a weekday game. They had a walkway from each parking lot leading to the stadium, making it easier to walk between lots.

There was no skyline because of the back wall being high for the retractable roof. While I didn't have seats in my usual section, I went up to the upper section behind the plate. It's a nice view but nothing to look at outside of the stadium.

The stadium is a little behind on travel between levels. There were few escalators, no elevators for the public and just long ramps. It was a terror walking down. Thank God I was able to sit for three hours to rest up.

There is a lot to do around the park for both kids and adults. They had speed pitch and running the bases for kids. There were a lot of different food choices compared to just the boring concession stands. Like Cleveland, I give Milwaukee credit for having unique food options.

My friends aren't fans of the seats I want to sit in. They want to sit as close to the field as possible. I appeased them here and we sat in the first row in right field. Well, technically not the first row because there's like an exclusive club of people sitting at ground level behind the fence, but we're right behind them.

A view of the field from center field

It was actually a cool view. Because of how many fly balls the Brewers hit, we ended up on TV a couple of times. We never caught a home run, though we were close.

The game featured two of the league's worst starting pitchers in Clayton Richard (SD) and Chase Anderson (MIL).

Richard pitched five innings and allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out three. Anderson gave up four runs on four walks and five hits and struck out four over 4.2 innings.

The game started off hot with two two-run home runs in the first inning from Jesus Aguilar and Mike Moustakas. The San Diego Padres scored two in the top of the third inning off of a Manuel Margot single. Moustakas had a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning. Those would be the only runs the Brewers score all game.

The Padres piled on for the rest of the game. Franmil Reyes hit a solo home run in the fourth. Margot hit his own solo homer in the fifth. He then hit a sac fly in the sixth. Reyes drove in two more runs with a double in the seventh. Hunter Renfroe hit a two-run home run in the eighth. Margot hit a triple in the ninth that brought home two more runs.

The Brewers went down in order in the bottom of the ninth. We did not stay for the final inning. We left after the bottom of the eighth. This is one of the few times I left a game before the last out was recorded. I didn't mind, the game was a blowout anyway.

Hot Dog Review: They had brown mustard and chopped onions at the condiments table. The hot dog itself was a little too juicy, no crunch but the toppings helped. Second-best hot dog of the trip.

There wasn't much to do in Milwaukee but the stadium was worth the trip.

15. Target Field - August 5, 2018

This was the start to the one and only baseball trip I made this year. I was joined by my friends Damian and Evan. Our other friend Chris couldn't make it.

We started by flying into Minnesota, driving down to Milwaukee and then over to Chicago before going home. Minnesota has a decent downtown but it's not a major city like a Los Angeles or New York.

We stayed in an inn just outside the city, in Roseville. Wasn't the best area but it was cheap, which is all I care about. The stadium was easy to get to. Just a couple of turns and onto the highway. There wasn't a lot of traffic for a gameday. Then again, the game was on a Sunday afternoon.

There were a lot of parking garages and for cheap, considering how close we were to the stadium. The garage we parked at was, I believe, $13 for 10 hours. Not that bad. It was also connected to the SkyWalk.

The Minnesota skyline

The SkyWalk is a cross-city elevated walkway that allows you to get to most of the major attractions without having to be outside. And, for it being August, this was a welcome treat to us. You could walk to US Bank Stadium, home to the Vikings, or Target Field and Target Center, where the Timberwolves (NBA) and Wild (NHL) play.

The negative about the area was that there weren't a lot of places to eat. Again, it could be because it was early Sunday, but we had to settle for Starbucks before the game. If you go see a night game, there are a few pubs and restaurants to eat at beforehand.

As for the stadium, I was very surprised. I was expecting a basic stadium, like Nationals Park. However, this was my second favorite of the trip.

There is a huge team store in the stadium. A nice open area near the right-field gate with benches and a bar to watch the game. An interactive area for kids.

I took my obligatory picture of the skyline from the upper levels behind home plate. It was a decent skyline with the downtown in the background. The seats were a little steeper compared to the other parks I've visited. There was a big scoreboard in left field and an extra level of bleachers in right.

The view from my actual seat was good. We sat down the third base line, a few sections after the away team's dugout. Seats weren't angled so you had to turn your body to see the infield. MLB did a good job keeping fans protected as the nets extended past the dugouts.

The game featured the matchup of Danny Duffy (KC) against Ervin Santana (MIN). Duffy lasted six innings despite giving up six runs on eight hits and a walk. Santana was pulled after 4.1 innings and three runs.

The view from our seats

The Royals scored first with a two-run home run by Lucas Duda. The Twins came back and took a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the second from a Jake Cave grand slam, the first of two we saw on this trip. The Twins scored two more in the fourth.

The Royals slowly crept back and added a run in the fifth and two more in the seventh after a Whit Merrifield home run.

Fernando Rodney, the relief pitcher that always seems to find a job, came in in the ninth and gave up two hits before locking it down and recording the save. For two bad teams, this was an entertaining game.

After the game, we drove to the Mall of America. This place is HUGE! We actually went back the next day to do some things we missed. There are four Lids stores, two mini-golf courses, an indoor go-kart and arcade place and much more.

And now time for the award-winning Hot Dog review. The dog I ate had a nice crunch, a lot of chopped onions. Had to use yellow mustard instead of brown. It was really good.

Overall, I enjoyed this stadium. It's very open. The concourse is nice. Good views up top. The lower level seats are angled towards the infield, making it easier to see the action. Definitely one to check out soon.

14. Progressive Field - August 24, 2017

Like Detroit, I stayed at a house just a 10-minute drive to the ballpark. I left the neighborhood and took one road all the way down. For the price, it was in a great location.

When I made it to the downtown, it looked like a sports complex dropped in the middle of the city, with Quicken Loans Arena right next door. Maybe because it was a Thursday, but it didn't seem that crowded for a popular matchup.

Trying to find parking wasn't that hard. There were a lot of lots and garages near the stadium. The downside was that even third-party parking lots cost $20. It could have been an effect of the two teams playing. There was a parking garage attached to the stadium with its own security entrance in left field. That was pretty cool.

The one weird thing about this game was that the gates opened just one hour before the game. Most of the other stadiums I've been to open their gates 90 minutes before start time. That doesn't give a lot of time to get peanuts, souvenirs and get to your seats.

The stadium view from my seat

Walking into the stadium, I got this high-end, fancy feel to it. There were a lot of unique places to eat like a Build Your Burger stand and crazy hot dogs, including one with pierogi and one with Froot Loops. Those prices were a little outrageous, the most expensive of the four stadiums, that I ended up getting food at a standard food stand.

Of course, I got a hot dog. I put this horribly tasting stadium mustard on it. I finished it but I didn't enjoy it. The hot dog itself was good though. I got a hot chocolate and fries later in the game.

There was a huge scoreboard above the left-field bleachers and third-level bleachers in right field, which wasn't used for this game, that blocked a lot of the backdrop. The only opening was behind center field but there were seating and dining. Not much of a view of the city.

Seating looked good for most of the stadium. Not a lot of obstructed seats. The only thing I noticed was a big overhang on the first base side that blocked a lot of the view for those sitting in the back rows. My seat, again, was behind home plate in the upper 500s section. I felt a little further away from the game compared to Cincinnati but it still wasn't that bad. It was worth the $30-something I paid.

The game featured a great pitching matchup, at least on paper, between Chris Sale of the Boston Red Sox and Trevor Bauer of the Cleveland Indians. Things didn't go well for either pitcher as neither of them lasted six innings. The final score was 13-6 Indians.

The Indians were first on the scoreboard with four runs in the bottom of the second. Roberto Perez, Giovanny Urshela and Francisco Lindor had back-to-back-to-back RBIs. They scored their fourth run on an error.

Indians starting pitcher Trevor Bauer

Mitch Moreland got the Sox on the board with a solo home run in the third but the Tribe scored two more in the bottom of the inning. Boston scored three more runs off of a Xander Bogaerts triple and Moreland single.

The Indians scored six more runs between the fifth and seventh innings, including home runs from Jay Bruce and Lindor and RBI doubles from Perez and Yandy Diaz. Moreland hit his second home run in the top of the ninth but it wasn't close to enough for the Sox.

I made my down to the field-level seats towards the end of the game. With the game being a blowout, most of the fans started to make their way home early. Again, I don't see why people sit this close. While everything is at eye level, you don't get the full view of the field. Being in the upper sections allow you to see pretty much everything.

Of the four stadiums I visited on this trip, this would be my least favorite. The backdrop, or the potential of one, was blocked by the scoreboard and bleachers. The area around the stadium wasn't anything special. I didn't see a city where you can spend most of the afternoon before going to the game. This truly felt like an "arrive, see game, leave" situation.

This was the last day of a 5-day, 4-game trip. Well, six days if you count the drive home. It was a great time. I'm pretty sure that crosses off all of the ballparks I can drive to and I'm thankful for that. Eh, I could drive to Toronto if I wanted to.

I have 16 stadiums left. I plan on doing 4 a year for the next 4 years. I'll figure that out in the offseason. This is it for 2016, though. So, with 14 stadiums down, I want to go over some fun facts.

I've seen the Washington Nationals play 3 times (so far).
The home team is 5-9.
The Pirates game on August 21 was my first extra-innings game.
I've been to 8 games in August, 2 in June, 2 in July, 1 in May and 1 in October.
The collective scores have been 60 (home) and 79 (away).

Thanks for reading and following along.

13. Great American Ballpark - August 23, 2017

For the next two cities, I didn't stay at a hotel/motel. I stayed in two Airbnb's. If you're not familiar, people list a room on the app. If you like it, you request it and if they accept, you're all set. Pretty much just staying in someone's house.

Now that that's over, let's get to Great American Ballpark. Getting to the park was easy, but tedious. Ohio drivers don't seem like they're in a rush to get anywhere. For a 7.5 mile drive to the park, it took about 20 minutes.

Cincinnati has more of a city feel than the previous two. It was very crowded and cars all over the place. Yet, it was still not as busy as New York. I don't think anything will. Granted, it was a Wednesday so that may have played a factor. The one thing that bothered me while driving around was how narrow the lanes are. They were a little wider than a car.

The view of the field and backdrop

I parked in front of Paul Brown Stadium in a third-party lot for $10. I didn't feel like driving so I took the first thing I saw. As I walked towards GAB, I saw other lots for the same price. I should have waited. Oh well. The walk was nice. There was a nice park with swings, benches and a great view of the Ohio River and Kentucky on the other side.

Around the stadium were high-end bars and eateries. Cincinnati is fancy as fuck. I waited until I got into the stadium, but I could see myself grabbing a beer or two before the game at one of these players. Once inside, it feels like an actual park. It was very open with fields, benches and great landscaping. There was even a kid's area with a play place and ball pit.

As I walked to my seat, the concourse was wide open. Like, semi-truck wide. It was great. I hate having to squeeze past people to and from the concession stands.

While my ticket said I was in the 500s, it felt just a little higher than the 300s in the previous two stadiums. Yes, I was a little higher but the view was just as good. I didn't feel too far away from the game. The steps were a little steep but I'd rather that than being a mile away from home plate.

The one thing I did notice was that there were cobwebs all over the seats in my section, and I assume in others as well. It was a bad season for the Reds, so they probably didn't have many fans going to the games let alone sitting that high up.

The view was great. The Ohio River wraps around the outfield with the Kentucky woods on the other side of the river. There is a center-field bar called The Pilot House. I never made my way over there. I was relegated to watching them on the opposite of the field.

A view of the mound visit during the game

The video board in left field extended the length of the bleachers. The right field side had fewer bleachers. There was a smaller video board over them but nothing too distracting from the backdrop.

The main thing Cincy is known for is the chili. Unfortunately, I didn't have any. I, of course, had a hot dog. They had Nathan's for a dollar more. No Thanks. Still no chopped onions. Do they not know what onions are in this part of the country?

After seeing the Chicago Cubs win the World Series last season, I was excited to see the young stars on this team like Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber and others. The Reds, on the other hand, have some talent. Guys like Billy Hamilton, Joey Votto and Eugenio Suarez come to mind.

The starting pitchers were Mike Montgomery (CHC) and Asher Wojciechowski (CIN). Not the best matchup of the four games. Montgomery pitched six shutout innings while Wojciechowski left in the fourth after allowing eight runs on eight hits and three walks.

The Cubs quickly got on the board with three runs in the first inning. Jason Heyward drove in another in the third. Schwarber hit a three-run homer and Tommy La Stella hit a two-run homer in the fourth.

I moved down to field level seats in the eighth inning. At this point, the crowd was mostly Cubs fans, which was weird. The Reds hit into a double play in the first and the place erupted with cheers.

The Reds were being shutout until the ninth inning. Votto, Suarez and Scott Schebler all hit solo home runs in the bottom of the inning. While everyone knew they weren't coming back from 9-0, seeing some of the Reds fans have hope was nice.

The field seats are angled towards home plate, which helps the neck during a three-hour game. But with the nice backdrop and fewer seats, I don't mind sitting up top.

I like the atmosphere of Cincinnati and there's a lot to do around the stadium. I don't think it's in my top 50 percent but it's definitely close. I have one more stadium to cover to end my 2017 trips.

12. Comerica Park - August 22, 2017

Getting to Comerica Park from Pittsburgh was a trek. Luckily, the distance between my hotel and the ballpark was very short, like 5 minutes. I could have walked but let's just say Detroit has a certain reputation.

As soon as I got to the hotel, again shout out to Comfort Inn, very deceiving, it started downpouring. I thought, "If I had to spend the day in Detroit and not go to a game, I'm going to be pissed." Luckily, it didn't come down to that. It cleared up a couple of hours before the game.

I took about a 10-minute drive to the downtown area and noticed a couple of things. One, they have like a monorail/tram service above the streets outside of the metro area and then is street level once you get downtown. I thought one of the cars was going to tip over.

I found a simple parking lot that cost $10. It wasn't too far away from the stadium. Most of the parking lots had different levels. I guess it's for the time of day. If you're there early it costs more to spend all day in Detroit than if you got there by 6:00 PM, it would only be $5 or $6. Lots closer to the field or Tigers' official lots were closer to $20 for parking.

The view of the field and skyline from my seat.

I had some time to kill, so I decided to walk around. The second thing I noticed about the city was how clean it was. It was modern, too, with the train system and businesses all around. I was expecting something completely different. I actually enjoyed walking around.

There were a lot of places to eat before the game. I was hungry beforehand so I caved and had a slice of pizza. That doesn't mean I skipped out on a hot dog. I couldn't go two games in a row without one.

Ford Field is right next to Comerica Park. That stadium looks huge from the outside. Back to baseball, I entered from center field again. I gotta stop entering from the complete opposite side of where I need to go.

There was a cool car display in center. The backdrop was pretty cool, too. The Detroit skyline was nice. I sat in section 329, off-center. The dirt around home plate was shaped like home plate. Not sure if I've seen that before. Most of the other stadiums have a dirt circle around the plate.

The left field video board wasn't as big as some of the other stadiums I've seen. I appreciate them not wanting to block the backdrop with a huge board but they could have made this one bigger.

The cool thing about this game was that I was seeing my team, the Yankees. I haven't been to a Yankees game in a couple of seasons and this team was fun to watch on TV. The offense was young and exciting and the bullpen was electric, especially after the trade deadline.

The small video board in left field.

This game was over before it even started. The starting pitchers were Matt Boyd (DET) and Masahiro Tanaka (NYY). Boyd lasted just 2.1 innings while Tanaka pitched a full seven innings. The Yankees won 13-4 in three hours and 14 minutes.

The Yankees got on the board early with a two-run home run by Gary Sanchez and then a sacrifice fly from Aaron Hicks in the first inning. They scored four more runs in the third and two more in the fifth. Hicks hit a solo homer in the seventh and Sanchez homered again in the ninth.

The Tigers scored on an RBI double in the third, two-run homer in the seventh by Nick Castellanos and inside-the-park home run from Castellanos two innings later. The Yankees pitchers prevented the Tigers from getting on base and scoring.

The next morning, I took a drive north to 8 Mile Rd. Yes, as cliché as it is, I had to. Now that is the part of Detroit I was expecting. Two completely different parts of the city. I then made my way down south to Cincinnati. Another four-and-a-half-hour drive. Fun.

Overall, it was a great visit. Comerica Park and Detroit as a whole surprised me. It could sneakily move into my top seven parks after I talk about the next two. I liked the stadium. Great views from the top and the seats in the lower deck didn't seem to be obstructed by the overhang. Definitely a park not to wait until the end of your trip to visit.