Day 1Tue, Jul 25, 2017 · Washington, DC
Washington Nationals
vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Mile zero. First pitch at 7:05, the car already packed. Everything west of this seat is the trip.
SEC 210 · ROW B · SEAT 7
A Baseball Road Trip
In the Summer of 2017 I attended 8 baseball games in 8 consecutive days. To a season ticket-holder that probably doesn’t sound like much… but I did it from coast-to-coast, Cannonball Run style, covering 2,700 miles. Along the way, I saw every level of professional ball: Rookie, A, AA, AAA, and MLB. It was like a Lewis and Clark x Bull Durham mashup.
SCROLL TO DRIVE ▼
vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Mile zero. First pitch at 7:05, the car already packed. Everything west of this seat is the trip.
SEC 210 · ROW B · SEAT 7
Washington, DC → Lynchburg, VA
vs. Frederick Keys
General admission bleachers. The ticket printed at $0.00 — the best deal of the next 2,500 miles.
SEC BLCH · GA · PRICE $0.00
Lynchburg, VA → Kodak, TN
vs. Montgomery Biscuits
Thirsty Thursday at the foot of the Smokies, against a team named after a breakfast item. Minor league baseball, fully itself.
SEC 113 · ROW 9 · SEAT 1 · $12
Kodak, TN → Memphis, TN
vs. Salt Lake Bees
Pregame in Memphis: great BBQ and one enormous beer, carried down Beale Street toward the ballpark. Some cities just know how to walk you to a game.
SEC 116 · ROW D · SEAT 18 · $16
Memphis, TN → Oklahoma City, OK
vs. Tacoma Rainiers
Past the halfway mark in miles, dead center in games. Saturday night in Bricktown, 106° on the dugout board.
SEC 110 · ROW C · SEAT 5 · $25
Oklahoma City, OK → Albuquerque, NM
vs. Iowa Cubs
The longest drive of the trip ends at a team named after a Simpsons bit, under a New Mexico monsoon sky. Worth every one of the 545 miles.
SEC CLB300 · ROW G · SEAT 3 · $26
Albuquerque, NM → Scottsdale, AZ
The bottom rung of professional baseball. No gate, no concessions, almost no crowd — just prospects, scouts, and 100-degree first pitches. There is no ticket for this game because rookie ball doesn't issue them.
NO TICKET ISSUED · ADMISSION $0.00
Scottsdale, AZ → San Diego, CA
vs. Minnesota Twins
Coast to coast, rookie ball to the big leagues, and the last seat of the trip is the first row of the 3rd Base Coaches Box. 2,700 miles earned it.
3RD BASE COACHES BOX · ROW 1 · SEAT 6