Ballpark Road Trips in Review: 2018
Over the past nine seasons, I have visited 174 Minor League ballparks (many of them more than once). This is the final post in this series, which provided a season-by-season account of my “On the Road” Minor League Baseball experiences.
Previous posts: 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017
2018
In this, my ninth season on the road, I finally accomplished what I’d set out to do: visit every active affiliated Minor League Baseball ballpark. Going into the season, there were four ballparks I had yet to visit — SRP Park in North Augusta, Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee, Security Service Field in Colorado Springs and Suplizio Field in Grand Junction.
Over the course of the season I visited the heretofore elusive quartet, as well as 23 other ballparks for good measure. When it was all said and done, I’d finally #BenEverywhere.
Trip #1: Three Weekends in the Northeast
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Part I
5/4: Delmarva Shorebirds (Arthur W. Perdue Stadium)
MiLB.com: A familiar name in Delmarva (Ryan Ripken profile); Delmarva’s unique fan club
5/5: Bowie Baysox (Prince George’s Stadium)
MiLB.com: A bilingual boost in Bowie
Part II
5/10: Harrisburg Senators (FNB Field)
MiLB.com: Thirsting for glory in Harrisburg (1K Beer Race)
5/11: Lakewood BlueClaws (FirstEnergy Park)
5/12: Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Coca-Cola Park)
MiLB.com: Lehigh Valley wants LeBron
Part III
5/18: Trenton Thunder (Arm & Hammer Park)
MiLB.com: Trenton’s Pork Roll era begins
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Trip #2: Ohio, Indiana and All-Stars
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6/14: Lake County Captains (Classic Park)
MiLB.com: Finding love in Lake County
6/15: Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Eastwood Field)
MiLB.com: Peg Johnston knows the score
6/16: Toledo Mud Hens (Fifth Third Field)
MiLB.com: Weber is Mud Hens’ man behind the mic
6/17: Fort Wayne TinCaps (Parkview Field)
MiLB.com: TinCaps spark a Fort Wayne renaissance
6/19: Midwest League All-Star Game, hosted by Lansing Lugnuts (Cooley Law School Stadium)
MiLB.com: Lansing looks good at Midseason Classic
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Trip #3: Sweating in the South
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7/13: Florida Fire Frogs (Osceola County Stadium)
7/14: Daytona Tortugas (Jackie Robinson Ballpark)
MiLB.com: The Daytona Tortugas abide; Making history in Daytona
7/15: Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville)
MiLB.com: Cross words in Jacksonville
7/16–17: Augusta GreenJackets (SRP Park)
MiLB.com: Across the river, a new ballpark
7/18: Charlotte Knights (BB&T Ballpark)
MiLB.com: A close shave in Charlotte (Chase Baumgardner story)
7/19: Asheville Tourists (McCormick Field)
MiLB.com: Ballpark boss, ballpark dad (Brian DeWine profile)
7/20: Johnson City Cardinals (TVA Credit Union Ballpark)
MiLB.com: Reigning king says goodbye to Appy League (Lee Landers profile)
7/21: Bristol Pirates (Boyce Cox Field)
MiLB.com: Murphy’s triumphant return; Northam’s ‘Summer of Baseball’
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Trip #4: New York-Penn League Excursions
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8/8: Brooklyn Cyclones (MCU Park)
MiLB.com: Like a boss, Jefes take over Coney Island (Jae Canetti guest column)
8/10: Staten Island Yankees (Richmond County Bank Ballpark)
MiLB.com: A blowout in Staten Island
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8/19: Little League Classic at Williamsport’s Bowman Field (New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies)
MiLB.com: Williamsport gets called up to The Show
8/20: State College Spikes (Medlar Field at Zubrano Park)
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8/24: Aberdeen IronBirds (Ripken Stadium)
MiLB.com: Embrace the crustacean
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Trip #5: Colorado at Last
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9/2–3: Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Security Service Field)
MiLB.com: Goodbye to the Sky Sox; Overcoming tragedy in Colorado Springs (Rai Henniger profile)
9/4: Grand Junction Rockies (Suplizio Field)
MiLB.com: Painting the corners in Grand Junction (Jesse Stinnett profile)
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