Miller Park

Milwaukee Brewers, National League

9/10

The brick facade pre-game in 2017.

                                       

The Blue Jays celebrate a getaway day win

The interior looking in towards home, also in 2017.

I swung through Milwaukee for the first time in 2012 after driving from Indiana, back through Chicago(and it`s total gridlock) and up in time for a Saturday night game against the Washington Nationals. The gates opened pretty early, which gave me time to have a look around. The stadium is one of the few newer parks with a retractable roof, similar to Seattle`s Safeco Field or Marlins Park in Miami. I've heard complaints that it is somewhat cavernous, but I honestly enjoyed my visit.

I was looking forward most of all based off my multiple visits to Maryvale Ballpark, the Brewers' spring home. Maryvale has some of the best food and atmosphere you'll find anywhere and the Brewers home field is much the same. People were tailgating on a hot Saturday afternoon in the nearby parking lots and had clearly driven from all over the state to take in the game (as evidenced by stadium cups lying around at a rest stop a few hours away after the game).

The food at Miller was pretty good I have to say and by food, I mean Brats. You must have a Bratwurst at either Miller Park or Maryvale, they're easily the best at any ballpark anywhere. People also enjoyed their beer at Miller, I can't remember if I had one here, but Leinenkugel's is a favourite of mine from Spring Training that's popular in Wisconsin.

The game itself was Negro League night, with the Brewers taking on the colours of the Milwaukee Bears and the Nationals the Homestead Grays. I enjoyed it pretty thoroughly, people were into it and just seemed to really enjoy being there. I thought Miller did a relatively decent job of being an outdoor park with the roof open. Now, Safeco Field is still the best in that regard and I think Phoenix does better too, but Milwaukee is ahead of Toronto in this category for sure.

The only real drawback to my trip to Miller Park was the Parking. Getting in was easy. Getting out was almost an hour. Showing up early punishes you in the end. Also, leaving the game, Milwaukee had to be the most intoxicated crowd I've ever been around. Even getting out of the parking lot was an adventure, as a drunk thought he'd assist me in getting out by standing in front of me and giving me hand signals(not that hand signal, but still). Overall, I'd say Miller Park is slightly above average, the Brewer fans are some of the most fun to watch a game with anywhere and combining that with the food, I would absolutely go back to Miller Park. I likely will if I go back to Wrigley again in the near future.

Update 2016: This place could maybe factor into my summer travel plans. Looking back on it almost 4 years after the fact, the question is, if the atmosphere and food were both good points, why isn't Miller Park a 9 under the new rating system? I have no good answer for this. I have upgraded the rating here from 8 to 9.

Update 2026: This is now American Family Field as of 2020. I did make it back here in 2017, which means I finally have pictures to upload after my Camera ran away in 2012. It was a getaway day versus the Toronto Blue Jays, with a drive south to Beloit for a minor league doubleheader immediately after. Jose Bautista hit one off the underside of the scoreboard and Ryan Goins hit a grand slam as the Jays took it 8-4. This stadium is very enclosed with the high glass, but I do like this park. The Brewers recently agreed with the state government to upgrade the stadium, to keep the team here. Milwaukee's already lost big league baseball once and thankfully, it won't be happening again anytime soon.

Linescore
2012-07-28 
                        123     456   789     R H E
Washington       000    310    000    4 11 0
Milwaukee         000    100    000    1  6  0
Temp: 76F    Time: 2:41 Att: 41,890

2017-05-24

                       123   456  789   R H E

Toronto           000  215   000   8 10 0 

Milwaukee      001  003  000    4  5 0

Temp: 65F  Time: 2:51 Att: 26,607

AT&T Park

San Francisco Giants, National League

9/10

 

I replaced my exterior photo from 2013, with one from 2016 that's only a little better....

The view from the upper deck prior to a game at the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

The seats begin to fill for a late preseason game between the A's and Giants in 2016.

San Francisco marks the final of the 75 parks that I posted on the initial run through the blog, which took from July 2013 to February 2016, so about 2 and a half years, which is truly incredible looking back. At any rate, I saved a good one for the last one.

This place replaced the oft-maligned Candlestick Park and as if by magic, the Giants, who contemplated leaving the bay area a few times, saw their attendance slightly more than double. It was telling when I was in Oakland one night and the 1st place A's drew 18,000 and the last place Giants drew over 40. The reason, besides the much better, more accessible location is that the place is just a total gem. I have been here 5 times now, I went in 2009 to watch the Giants take on the Diamondbacks, then in 2013 for the two semifinals and final of the World Baseball Classic, then again in 2014, when me and my ladyfriend saw them play the Phillies. In all but the first game, I sat in the upper deck, which I highly recommend here, as there's a nice view of the bay that you can't really see from the ground floor. This park by the bay is well laid out, with the stereotypical redbrick exterior, but nestled in just the right spot. It's easily accessed by the Muni streetcar, or Caltrain from points south. The BART only runs to the area of the ferry building, so you'll need a transfer(or walk) the rest of the way. I drove straight here my first game and parked in a lot next door for 25 dollars(reminder: this was in 2009), which is particularly expensive, hence most people taking transit.

The 2nd neat thing here is the atmosphere. Giants fans love their baseball and after a few games in previous days with few people, or few interested people in attendance, it was great to see. People knew their players and were pretty vocal in their support of the team, which made the game that much more enjoyable.

The food here is pretty varied, with numerous options, including of course, the local "Anchor Steam" beer, which is an acquired taste, but I do like it. I was all ready to give it flying colours too, but I don't remember a whole ton about it, other than it being passable, so no points here. I did have a cheeseburger on one occasion and perhaps clam chowder another time, but I remember little else.

Overall, a tremendous park with a tremendous atmosphere. Not many memories about the food though and I could use a better shot of the entrance, so....9/10 for now. I may be back here in around a month, so I will take care of both issues then.

Update 2026: Well! The blog now has 113 stadiums this time through. San Francisco is the last one I've added linescores for. I've now been here seven times. Three MLB games, one exhibition and three games from the 2013 WBC. As of 2019, this is now called Oracle Park. Even just today a friend sent me a "top ten" list of parks and this one was on it(in 2nd!). 

Giants attendance has finally started to dip after years averaging over 40 thousand.  There's been no talk that I've seen about the Giants doing any major renovations, or looking to leave. It's the park they need, in a decent spot, so why do anything? This one could be up for a redo here soon. For now, it's still a 9.

Linescores

2009-08-27

                         123   456   789  R  H  E

Arizona            310   041   002  11 15 2

San Francisco  000   000   000   0  5   1

Time: 2:55 Temp: 70F Att: 28,575

2013-03-17

                      123  456  789  RHE

Puerto Rico   100  000  200  390

Japan             000  000  010  161

Time: 3:27 Temp: 55F Att: 33,683

2013-03-18

                                     123  456  789  RHE

Netherlands                  100  000  000  141

Dominican Republic    000  040  000   490

Time: 3:09 Temp: 57F Att: 27,527

2013-03-19

                                   123 456  789 RHE

Puerto Rico                000  000  000 030

Dominican Republic  200  010  00x  381

Time: 3:06 Temp: 58F   Att: 35,703 

Dominican Republic Wins the 2013 World Baseball Classic

2014 -08-15

                        123 456 789 10 R H E

Philadelphia     000 010 020 2  5 7 0

San Francisco  000 300 000 0  3 11 0

Time: 3:36 Temp: 60F  Att: 41,425

2016-03-31 

                        123  456 789  R H E

Oakland            000  000 100  1 3 2 

San Francisco  000  111  000  3 10 0

Time: 3:00  Temp: N/A  Att: 41,241

Exhibition-Spring Training

2016-05-09 

                            123  456 789  RHE

Toronto               102  000  000  370

San Francisco     000  001  000  140

Time: 2:52 Temp: 57F Att: 41,256

Kauffman Stadium

Kansas City Royals, American League

8/10

The crowd files in on a hot August night in 2022.

Photo stop on the upper deck in 2022.

The fountains pregame in 2015

I rolled into Kansas City in June 2015, coming from St. Louis and a trip earlier that day up the St. Louis Arch. The park is located on the eastern outskirts of the city, off of, or right next to I-70, and Arrowhead Stadium in the "Truman Sports Complex". The Royals were matching up against a divisional rival in Cleveland. I ended up staying at a hotel directly across the Interstate and just walked there. There's a bucket of parking around here, as besides the two stadiums, that's really all there is. The park has been recently renovated, with a bit more going in in the outfield, but still retaining some of the concourse.

I indulged in a brisket sandwich, or pulled pork or something like that, it was not too bad. Lines for concessions were relatively short.

The big plus here is atmosphere. In a strange way, KC feels like a big Triple-A park, but its not a bad thing. There's that kind of an intimacy between the fans and the players that you won't see too many places anymore. Doesn't hurt that this was a Royals team that would go on to win the World Series.

Overall, this is a bit of a quirky major league park with a minor league atmosphere(that's good, honest) and decent food. I'd give the park, food and atmosphere all half points, which would round down to an 8.

Update 2026: I made it back down here as part of a Midwestern loop in 2022. This was as far south as I went this trip. The hotel across the highway ended up being closed, so I stayed about 15 minutes away and drove in.

The park had been renovated since I'd been, with several open air bars in the outfield concourse that are open to the public. The waterfalls, were naturally still there. The parking ended up being 30 bucks prepaid. A half point for facility.

The food, like a lot of venues associated to MLB, was card only. Being KC, there was lots of BBQ and spinoffs (BBQ Nachos) plus ballpark staples. It seemed good enough. I'd give another half point. I did find the lines a bit wild, with about half the crowd as the first time.

The atmosphere was also a half plus. I noted it was definitely not a "Quadruple A" park anymore as the crowd got behind a Royals team that didn't last too long at all against a contending San Diego squad. I'd leave this one as an 8. I think it's one of the better parks in MLB for fans getting a good experience for the price of a ticket. One of the more "blue collar" parks in the Majors.

But, the only constant with teams and their stadiums is change. The Royals, in April 2026 announced plans to partner with the Hallmark corporation to build a new park, closer to downtown KC, to open for the 2030 season. Funding and whatnot is still getting lined up, but with the NFL's Chiefs already committing to build a domed stadium on the Kansas side of the river for 2031, expect local government to fully back keeping the Royals in KCMO. I'm not sure if I'll get a third and likely final visit to "The K" in, but I'm glad I got in two, especially the second one.

Linescores

2015-06-02

                    123  456   789  RHE

Cleveland    000   100   010  260

Kansas City 001   000  000  150

Time: 3:16  Temp: 74F   Att: 30,361

2022-08-26

                       123  456  789   R H E

San Diego      312  001  402   13 19 2

Kansas City    001  400  000   5 11  0

Time: 3:37  Temp: 88F Att: 16,479

Turner Field

Atlanta Braves, National League

7/10

Did not get a good shot of the outside here either. Sorry.

Batting Practice prior to game time.

I more or less crashed the gates here, I was ready I guess.

I rolled into "Hotlanta" in June 2012, after seeing an abbreviated day game in Jacksonville the night before and riding out a Tropical Depression in Lake City, FL. The interstate to Atlanta was rumoured to be closing and not wanting to take any chances, I made a dash north. The weather cleared near Valdosta and from then on it was a warm, clear, but humid day. After a trip to the Atlanta Cyclorama, I headed for Turner Field, to watch the Braves battle the Diamondbacks.

The big plus for Turner field, at least to me, is the fact that it was built to be the Olympic Stadium for the 1996 summer games, which took place here. After the games, rather than having just another white elephant in town, the stadium was partially demolished to become the new home of the Braves. The fact that anyone could show any foresight in this situation, as Atlanta already had the Georgia Dome, is kind of remarkable. But, the finished product is markedly average, with nothing too crazy standing out about it.  Egress from the parking lots across the road was disastrous, with a 20-25 thousand person crowd still turning into an hour, just to get out of the lot. People roamed the parking lots on large tricycles with coolers on them, selling water.

The atmosphere here was also nothing remarkable. Fans were mildly interested in the proceedings. On the concession side of things, I had a Chik-fil-a sandwich(or two) from a stand on the concourse, where I think the proprietors just bought them at a location and hauled them down. I don't remember a whole lot else in this regard.

The biggest shock of all regarding this place is that 2016 will be it's last season hosting the Braves. The powers that be had demanded renovations to Turner to keep the Braves around and after making no progress with a city that is already building the Falcons and a new MLS team a stadium. The Braves decided to move to the outskirts of Atlanta, 15 miles northwest of downtown. The new park is technically in suburban Smyrna, but will apparently get an Atlanta address prior to opening. The main complaints were evidently a bit of a dodgy neighbourhood and the park being about 2/3rds of a mile from any subway station. Still, the park only lasting for 19 seasons prior to closing is a bit of a letdown, especially given it's unique history. I honestly had not considered one more visit in the final year, however, if I do my cross country loop trip this summer, maybe it will have to get a stop.

Update 2023: The Braves moved on to SunTrust Park after the 16 season and I've since gone to a game there as well. This place got an extensive renovation and reopened for Football season in 2017 as Center Parc Stadium for Georgia State football. I'm glad it's still seeing use, but it's still mildly disappointing that the Braves left after only 20 years.

Linescore

2012-06-26

                         123   456  789  R H E

Arizona             001   000   000  1 8 0

Atlanta              140   000   21x  8 17 0

Time: 3:01  Temp: 88F  Att: 23,513

Chase Field

Arizona Diamondbacks, National League

9/10

Despite being here a few times, I never got a good shot of the outside.

Looking in, you can see how it looks a bit like a permanent dome.

Looking out, it's a whole different story.

Chase Field is a favourite of mine, for a lot of reasons. Right in the middle of the "Stadium District" in downtown Phoenix, right across the street from what is now the Gila River Arena, it's part of a downtown that has signs of life outside of banker's hours. There's tons of parking, right across the street from the Arena is my favourite. Light rail runs right past the venue and the freeway system for the whole area points right at downtown. I did 6 years of Cactus League baseball in the area as well, so I know it well and have lots of memories here.

This is a retractable roof ballpark with some retro-modern elements, like those dark green seats and wide open concourses with polished concrete. I did two games in here in 2011, Game 162 versus the Dodgers, where I spent most of the night watching the out of town scoreboard to see if I needed to leave for Texas or not, a 2nd Division series game against the Brewers where Paul Goldschmidt cleared the bases with a grand slam off Shaun Marcum, then a spring training game in 2013 against the Reds, and two more that September against the Blue Jays, for a total of 5 times.

For those of you that don't like domes, I have news, Phoenix has to have one. The days I went to see them play the Blue Jays, the mercury sat at 41 degrees Celsius(105 F). 41! In the middle of the summer, it can go even higher, so unless you want a repeat of the Houston Colt 45s playing in oppressive heat all season, this is the way to go. I did see a game with the roof open and it was about as good as can be, especially with the large panels along the exterior wall facing the outfield that will open up as well. I'd give it a half point as it succeeds a little better than other retractable roof parks in resembling an open air park when the roof's open.

The atmosphere here is a little above average, the game versus the Dodgers was a little quiet, as the D-Backs had already locked up the division, but the playoff atmosphere was raucous to say the least. Baseball is probably 3rd most popular around here as the Suns and especially the Cardinals are also on people's radars around Phoenix.  I'd still say the fans here are slightly above average as far as being into the game.

The big plus here is the food, there are Fatburger stands all over the park and as much as I like it, I haven't eaten at one of them yet. The pizza stand features the triple threat pizza, which might be the best pizza outside of Chicago, that I've ever had at a game. Cold stone creamery and I believe some subway rounds out the selection, which is very broad. There isn't really a food item that screams Phoenix, but a good selection of good options more than made up for it.

Overall, if you're looking for a place to cool off in the midst of a brutal Phoenix summer, look no further. A 9/10 from me.

Update 2023: I have not been here in nearly 10 years, but the layout of the park has not changed much at all. There's been nothing I've seen regarding a replacement, even as it is about to enter its 25th MLB season. It's served it's purpose well.

Linescores

2011-09-28

                             123   456  789   R H E

Los Angeles(NL)   101  201 200  7 12 0 

Arizona                 000  000  005 5 7 0

Time: 2:47  Temp: 94F(Roof Closed)  Att: 41,791

2011-10-04

                      123     456     789   RHE

Milwaukee     001   000     000    1  3 1

Arizona          201   050     000    8  11  0

Time: 3:01 Temp: 75F(Roof Closed)  Att: 48,312

Note: Game Three of Division Series

2013-03-29

                      123     456    789   RHE

Cincinnati      000   000      101  251

Arizona         000    010      000  180

Time: 2:33 Temp: 85F  Att: 14,839

2013-09-02

                      123     456    789   RHE

Toronto         020     000     002   450

Arizona        000      000     001  140

Time: 2:19  Temp: 76F(Roof Closed)  Att: 21,014

2013-09-03

                      123     456     789   R H  E

Toronto          140    010     013    10 15 2

Arizona         000    120     100    4  7  2

Time: 3:00  Temp: 77F (Roof Closed)   Att: 19,100

Tropicana Field

Tampa Bay Rays, American League

7/10

A relatively staid exterior is souped up with a giant banner of all the Rays' stars.

Behold, the dome in all it's beauty. It looks like it belongs in Japan, but being there, it didn't totally seem out of place for MLB.

Did not leave my seat the entire game here, so this is as good as I did.

I went to my first game at "The Trop" in 2012, having come from Pensacola the night before. I had heard a lot of negative feedback about the dome and I'm here to tell you it's a little overblown. Firstly, yes, the dome is a cave. There is a big white roof that does, thankfully let in some light and it will darken slightly when the sun goes down. There's a lot of white concrete and the backdrop is very boring, even for a domed stadium. That having been said, there was a pretty good downpour outside for about 3 innings, which we completely ignored, even a retractable design may not have been so fortunate. The parking here is actually really well organized too. It may have just seemed that way because of the lower attendance, but it flowed well, with cars coming down a big aisle in the middle to park and leaving via multiple exits onto the street on the opposite side. It was a welcome relief after "carmegaddon" a few nights prior in Atlanta. Still, the park is slightly below average overall.

The surprise here was the food. Pulled pork sandwich that wasn't bad, but there were about 10 kinds of BBQ sauce available, you pick AND self-serve. There seemed to be a lot of options, but the thing was the areas around the concessions were very large and removed from the concourse, to prevent crowding. Not sure how much trouble it saved at a sparsely attended park like this, but was welcome.

The atmosphere here was above average as well, with the Detroit Tigers as the visitors, a fair number of Tiger rooters showed up which barely saved this place from a 6/10. It gets the slightest 7 of all time, but even Tropicana Field manages to be average, in the end.

Update 2021: I have revised this one down to a 6. The atmosphere from the visiting/local Tiger fans was enjoyable for sure, but the home team generates very little. The facility is one of the bottom 3 MLB parks I've been to, although the concession was apparently ok. I still haven't been back here. Perhaps I'm due? Maybe if I did the very end of spring training, then into this.

Linescore

2012-06-28               

                        123   456  789  R H E

Detroit              002  101 001  5 15 1 

Tampa Bay       000  010  100  2 6 2 

Temp: 72F/Dome   Time: 3:05  Att: 20,532

Great American Ball Park

 Cincinnati Reds (National League)

9/10

I actually quite enjoyed the outside of this place.

The Easter Bunny showed up pre-game. You can see the smokestacks in right center.

Looking back on a mostly empty seating bowl. People apparently had places to be.

I headed here from a hockey game in Nashville the night before. As of time of writing in 2021, this is my most recent, brand new MLB park. It was Easter Sunday on the 1st of April, meaning lots of things were closed, including in Kentucky on the way up and downtown once I was here. The only thing I could find that was open in the downtown was a Walgreen's. I was quite surprised to find that attendance on the first Sunday of the year looked to be pretty limited, as it was just a bit over 10 thousand, which in an MLB park, felt like nothing. The temperature was barely into the 50s, which for this area, could be considered cool, but for the first day of April, was pretty nice by my more northern standards.

I really liked this park. The lack of crowd meant it was pretty easy to go explore and after a pretty bad night for pictures a few nights prior in Atlanta, I more than made up for it here. The exterior is actually glass panels and painted steel. It's pretty staid, but compared to the bricks you see on nearly every other park, it's quite unique. The park is right between downtown Cincinnati and the Ohio River, with the headquarters of the insurance company that the park gets its name from looms large over the first base side. There's an outfield concourse with two smokestacks reminiscent of the steamboats that used to be on the river. 

The food here was not too bad, I ended up going to Skyline Chili for a chili dog. I was eyeballing Big Boy pretty hard, but a co-worker at the time who grew up here for a time said that the chili dog was required, so I did. I'm not a chili guy at all, but I did like it. Lines were not a thing due to a tiny crowd. Atmosphere was flat, but so flat that individual voices in the crowd could be heard throughout the game, which meant that some individual subplots were interesting to follow. It was more of a Triple A experience than anything.

On the whole, this is a somewhat underappreciated park, due to a pretty marginal Reds team. The facility itself, like so many others is a massive improvement over what it replaced. The food was somewhat memorable and the atmosphere for a small-market, cannon fodder organization like the Reds was pretty neat as well. I'd give a point for facility and half each for food and atmosphere, which make this a surprising 9. 

Linescore

2018-04-01

                      123   456   789   RHE

Washington    200  001   201   680

Cincinnati      000   001  022   570

Temp: 50F  Time: 2:47  Att: 10,355

Rogers Centre

Toronto Blue Jays (American League)

6/10

There really isn't a main entrance to the dome, they all kind of look like this.

Roof is closed for a September matchup against the Cubs.

Roof is very much open for this contest in 2007 against the Nationals.

 This is the place I saw my very first Major League game in 1995. We were out visiting family in Ontario, when for my birthday, I got tickets to go down to Toronto to watch the Blue Jays play the Boston Red Sox. The pitching matchup was still one of the best I've seen, Roger Clemens for the Sox and Juan Guzman for Toronto. John Olerud stole home, I got my first glimpse of Shawn Green, who I hadn't heard of at that point and we left early to catch the last train out of town as the Jays won in extras 2-1. I went back in 2007 after a trip to some parks was aborted at the last second and took in 2 games against the Nationals. In 2014, I went back for my 4th game here, against the Cubs.

The Blue Jays are my favourite team and on the old website, I gave this place I think a 7/10 on my old site, but have lowered the rating to a 6. Why? The different system places more emphasis on areas where this place is behind the rest.

The stadium itself is a very staid, concrete dome. The concourse is like most others you'd see in the Majors, but the exterior lacks much character, other than some statues on the one side. The stadium is close to the lakeshore, right in the middle of downtown Toronto, making it easy to access via subway and GO Train(for regional commuters). Sadly, this is a dome. A roof of some kind is all but mandatory in a colder climate like Toronto, but this one completely encloses the stadium when closed, making it, in my opinion, even worse than Tropicana Field when closed, as that roof at least lets some light in. This stadium does hold some sentiment with me as Canada's de facto national baseball stadium, but it's at least in the bottom 3 in terms of visual appeal. When it opened, it was the class of the league, as it was the first retractable roofed stadium to actually work properly. Now, its a little behind the times and I don't imagine it will be long before the calls to replace it begin. Still, 2016 will mark the first year without CFL football at the dome, which will mean natural grass rather than turf, which should improve the look of the park somewhat.

The other big knock on this place are the concessions. It's partially just the exchange rate, but they're expensive. I.e., 5.25 CDN for a bottle of Coke Zero that costs 2.25 at the corner store across the road. My stepbrother, a temporary Torontonian, took me and a friend who came up from London(the one in Canada) to a Vietnamese-style sub place before the game. A good call, as for 13 or 14 bucks we got what would have cost around 20-25 inside. I've seen Coke Zero as much at some NHL venues in Canada, but not in the US, even with the exchange. I still couldn't get over how expensive food was, I hardly even looked after an initial survey and don't remember any prices.

The plus is the atmosphere, which after some lean years, is picking up, especially with the Jays making their first playoff run in a generation. The game we went to, I sat in the 500 level(upper deck) for the first time. View was not too bad. There were a few die hard, some randoms, and a school trip from Brazil of some kind, which tried to bring their sort of cheering into the mix. Fans are somewhat passionate about the Jays, as they have the whole of Canada to tap into, but locals are getting more interested in recent years, as the Jays success is the opposite of most Toronto franchises.

Overall, this is an adequate stadium which should be improved by natural grass, but a lack of visual appeal combined with expensive concessions will keep it in the bottom 5 of all but the most contrarian fan's list. 6/10.

Update 2021: Despite this being my team, I haven't been back here, I prefer to watch them on the road. They did install a dirt infield in 2016, instead of the previous dirt on turf. My experiences elsewhere since my last visit just continue to show how out of date the dome now is. There have been rumblings of a replacement facility, but that's all they've really been. Any replacement will be on the lakeshore within a few kilometres from here, but I can't see that happening until the back end of this decade at least. I added the linescores, it turns out the 1st game I saw here was actually in 1995, a year earlier than I'd thought. No idea when I'll be back to Toronto.

Linescores

1996-06-12

                   123   456   789   10  11 12  R H E

Boston       002   001    000   0    0   0    3 8 0   

Toronto      000   021   000    0   0   1     4 11 0

Temp: 20C  Time: 3:47   Att: 40,171

Note: My First MLB game ever, Aged 12.

2007-06-16

                      123   456   789  R H E

Washington  010   100   010   3 7 1

Toronto         104  200   00x  7 10 0

Temp: 27C  Time: 2:32  Att: 26,342

2007-06-17

                      123   456   789  RHE

Washington    020  110    000  470

Toronto           101  000   000  240

Temp: 26C Time: 2:14  Att: 28,867

2014-09-10

                        123   456   789  R H E

Chicago(NL)   000  000   100  1  5  3  

Toronto            001 003   52X  11 13 1

Temp: 20C  Time: 3:12  Att: 19,411

SunTrust Park

 Atlanta Braves  (National League)

8/10

The actual front doors are not the main point of entry for most fans, this is as good a shot as I got.

Pre-game finishing touches are put on the field, while some of the condo buildings of The Battery are prominent in right field.

It's hard to believe, but this is the 3rd best photo I got here somehow.

I stopped here in the early part of the 2018 season having come down from Baltimore. I'd already been to a Braves home game in 2012, when I'd been to Turner Field not far from downtown Atlanta. This new ballpark, opened in 2017 about 15 miles from there, in suburban Cumberland pretty much right next to the I-75/I-285 interchange. It's a pretty impressive building, in the middle of an entirely new neighbourhood called The Battery which includes a bunch of pre/post game bars and restaurants, as well as a fair number of condo buildings, some of which have a decent view of the field. The park has a wrap around concourse, with lots more open areas in center field. There's the usual museum displays, which for this franchise, given that the Atlanta area is it's third home, are pretty interesting. 

The food was not very remarkable either way according to my 3 year old memory. The fans were interested, and present, but it was early in the season and a bit cool for Georgia, so it was only so rambunctious. I neglected to bring a jacket and with the game headed for extra innings and temperatures approaching the 50 degree mark, it was time to leave. The game, the 2nd of the season-opening series against the Phillies, ended up going 11 innings. Make no mistake, this is a fancy new ballpark with all the amenities you'd expect and the area around the stadium is a lot more active than Turner, but it's all very artificial. I feel like there's something that's lost by the team moving outside of the city centre, but it could just be me. I'm racking my brain here, but I just can't think of another major league team that plays in the suburbs. Probably the closest in terms of where it's located is Oakland, but it's surrounded by parking lots, so not a great comparison. Still, I also remember sitting in a parking lot at the old ballpark for an hour, just waiting to get out, so it's not without merit that the Braves felt the need to move.

I'd give this place an 8/10, as the facility is pretty impressive, regardless of where it is. Food and Atmosphere were not bad, but not notable either. This place is now branded as Truist Park, as a bank merger caused the naming rights to change hands, but I don't bother trying to keep up with corporate sponsors. I'm not too sure when the southeast will see my shadow again, but with this place at a literal crossroads, I'm sure I'll find my way back soon enough.

Linescore

2018-03-30

                       123   456   789  10 11 R H E

Philadelphia    011  011   000   0  1   5 10 0

Atlanta            002  100   010   0  0   4  9  3

Time: 4:16  Temp:62F  Att: 35,123

Oriole Park at Camden Yards

8/10

Baltimore Orioles (American League)

These guys had a redbrick façade before it was cool.

Rolling out the orange carpet on the first day of the season.

The crowds file in with to watch the O's and Twins.

I headed over to Balitmore first thing in the morning on a Thursday in late March 2018, after catching a hockey game in D.C. the night before. I'd used a few hockey stops to fill in the few empty nights between spring training ending and Opening day. For me this meant seeing a Minnesota team that would miss the playoffs after finishing 2nd in the Central, versus a pretty bad Oriole team that would win 47 games. This was my first game ever in Maryland, so my first game here as well.

The ballpark is in downtown Baltimore, only a little ways off I-95. The neighbourhood has some restaurants and such, but overall, is a bit gritty. But that was just filler until the gates opened. I was very interested to see this place, as it's opening in the early 90's marked a big shift in ballpark design, even from Comiskey, which is a few years older. There's a wraparound concourse, the redbrick exterior and green seats that are common in Populous designed ballparks. Going there in 2018, this seems very pedestrian as according to Wikipedia, it's one of 17 parks in the majors they had a role in designing, not to mention the handful they were in charge of renovating. But in 1992, this place was groundbreaking, as it replaced a somewhat less appealing multi-purpose stadium. The pedestrian only section of Eutaw Street behind right field, forms a concourse during games and is gated off from the park afterwards. A former railway maintenance building behind right field has been converted into offices and is probably this park's most distinctive feature. 

Food was pretty unremarkable, but my 3 year old memory at this point doesn't help. Atmosphere was of course very lively, as Opening Day draws a big, excited crowd, who ended up seeing a tight game that only ended with the first pitch of the bottom of the 11th inning being hit out by Adam Jones. An opening day victory in extras for the home team was a neat moment for sure.

Overall, this park is a legend, if only because it was first, so I'd give the facility a point and a half point for atmosphere. Baltimore is a divisional opponent for my preferred birds, the Blue Jays, so I could easily end up back here someday.

Linescore

2018-03-29

                     123    456   789  10  11  RHE

Minnesota     000    000   002  0    0    280

Baltimore      000    000   200  0    1    350

Temp: 65F  Time: 3:31   Att:  45,469

Minute Maid Park

Houston Astros (National League)

8/10

A classic redbrick facade greets the Sunday afternoon crowd.

The humidity in Houston forced the game to be played under a closed roof, but there was still a good view of downtown through the giant windows in left field.

Looking back on the seating bowl from the right field corner, you can see video board on the wall, for the folks in the outfield. Nice touch.

This was the first of three new MLB parks on my June 2015 loop of 5 states. I had my first game in nearby Sugar Land nixed the day before, as I had travel issues and the game was cancelled anyway due to the massive downpour in the Houston area making the field unplayable. Apparently that same day at Minute Maid, drains in the outfield concourse were overflowing to the point they were shooting in the air. Anyway, Sunday was a much nicer day, hot with some humidity, causing the game to be played under a closed roof. This is one of three parks, the other two being Miami and Phoenix, in southern states, where most games in the middle of the season are played under a closed roof, because of uncomfortably hot weather outside. This park is right downtown, with the Arena, Football Stadium and Soccer Stadium all within about a mile of one another. The soccer stadium can be seen out the concourse windows, on the other side of I-69.

At any rate, that afternoon saw a red hot Houston Astros team, that I would see again later that summer in Oakland take on a mediocre version of the Chicago White Sox. The South Siders ended up taking it 6-0, after a run for Houston was called back upon video review. The ballpark is a relatively nice retro-modern park, with it's neat features being a small hill in centre field, with one of the three flagpoles in fair territory and a small train that runs above the left field concourse when the Astros hit a homerun. The food was average, although a mix up at a concession ended up with me having a Michelob Ultra, which is easily, without a shadow of a doubt, the worst beer I've ever had. The main plus here I found was the atmosphere. Texans are derided for being part-time baseball fans, who pack it in once football starts. While football may be king in the Lone Star State, baseball fans are very much into it here, which was surprising, given the lopsided game.

Overall, the atmosphere here is a plus, I'd recommend it and will likely end up here again in the future.

 Update 2020: Well, the Astros won their first World Series only two seasons after my visit, but it's now under a bit of a cloud. I'm planing to go to Texas hopefuly next year, so this could totally end up on the list.

Linescore    

2015-05-31

                         123    456    789   R  H  E

Chicago(AL)        013    001   100   6  10  0

Houston              000    000   000  0  10   1

 

Temp: 73F Time: 2:37 Att: 27,423

Busch Stadium

St. Louis Cardinals (National League)

8/10

The exterior of the ballpark the afternoon after the game I went to, before I headed out.

The StL skyline as Cardinals/Brewers is about to start.

The stadium the next morning, taken from the top of the Gateway Arch.

I first went to Busch Stadium(the current one) in June 2015. I had broken up the long trip from Houston by driving to Texarkana the night before and stopped at the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock before heading to St. Louis. This was a Monday night game, featuring a Cardinal team that would have the best record in baseball that season, against a Brewer team that would finish 32 wins behind them.

This Busch stadium, is a retro modern park built more or less in the heart of Downtown St. Louis. Light rail runs right beside the third base side of the stadium, this is how I got to the game from my hotel in the area of the Zoo. There is a good view of the skyline from the upper deck, including the Gateway Arch, as well as the old courthouse nearby. Right across the street from left field is "Cardinals Nation" a bar/restaurant type-place, which rakes in the money for the team before and after games. The only strange thing about this place is while the third level concourse has an unobstructed view of the field, the bottom one doesn't, with only a few pockets fit to stand and watch the game.

The big plus of this place for me, was the atmosphere. For a Monday night, usually the quietest of the week, against a lousier, but divisional opponent, there were an eyelash over 40,000 people here. It ended up being a 1-0 win for the Brewers, with the run coming in the top of the 1st and some tension in the bottom of the 9th, with a few video reviews. The fans were very much into the game, but not rabid, like in some other places. Cardinal fans enjoy a seemingly random reputation for being knowledgeable and well-behaved and I can't disagree after coming here. This place is up there with Wrigley and San Francisco in terms of atmosphere, at least according to me.

The slight knock, was the food. There didn't seem to be a whole lot you couldn't do anywhere else. I went to a Hardee's on the third base side of the upper deck and paid 17.50 for a burger, fries and drink, there's high-priced concessions, which are kind of the norm, and then there's this insanity. Only Toronto is worse, in my experience.

Overall, even gougy concessions can't take away from the increasingly rare pleasure of a big crowd, watching baseball for baseball's sake. Between that and the hotel(The Moonrise, on University Blvd.) I will be back in St.L at some point.

Update 2020: It's very hard to believe that it's been almost 5 years since I was here. I would love to update this place this year, but am not too sure about my summer schedule. St. Louis continues it's solid relationship with the Cardinals, finishing 2nd in attendance for 2019, averaging just under 43k a game. If you look up "Busch Stadium replacement" this place is it. Having only opened in 2006 and drawing good crowds, there's no talk of a new park and I wouldn't expect this to change for at least the next 10 years. A point for atmosphere and concession, with a minus for expensive food mean this place is a solid 8.


Linescore
2015-06-01
                          123     456    789    RHE
Milwaukee           100    000    000     160
St. Louis              000   000    000     081
Temp: 65F   Time: 3:05  Att: 40,689

Comiskey Park(II)

Chicago White Sox, American League

6/10

 

The crowds wait to file in for the afternoon start on the south side.

A Memorial day that I remember seeming hotter than it actually was saw a pretty good crowd take in an afternoon game against Boston.

From this angle, the park actually doesn't look bad.

I got into Chicago right around the start of a Memorial Day matchup with Boston. I'd driven into the early morning after a rain delay in Washington to make it to the outer suburbs of Cleveland, before driving into Wisconsin after this game. This ballpark, currently Guaranteed Rate Field, is located south of Downtown Chicago, near the overpass of I-94 and 35th street. It's built literally across the street from the site of the first Comiskey Park. The crowd here was a few thousand above average for the ChiSox in 2017, owing to Boston being in town and Memorial Day having some nicer weather.

This park was the last one built before Balitmore came along and changed everything. It was also built by Populous, the same architect as over two thirds of the current MLB stadiums, but they hadn't yet made their mold, so this place is missing a few things. The facade is NOT red bricks and only sort of resembles older ballparks. The upper deck has been chided for being a little too high and far from the field. The way the Sox ticket is that upper deck ticket holders cannot go onto the field level at all, so I didn't get to see any of that, but the upper deck didn't have a wrap around concourse, which meant there wasn't any way to see the game from there. I appreciate they've obviously got some kind of issue with people sitting where they haven't paid, but straight up banning the plebians to the upper deck seems harsh.

I ended up with a slice of pizza, which was not deep dish, like at Wrigley a few years before. This would have been ok, but walking on the enclosed concourse, a big gust of wind almost blew it right out of my hand. A helpful person manning some other kiosk yelled, in a Chicago accent, "Ya gotta protect ya slice!" Good to know. A lot of the upper deck concessions were closed and while I don't think any items weren't being sold, I do think the lower bowl had some other ones to choose from. This is another reason it would have been nice to go down there.

The atmosphere was not overly terrible, but still a little flat. The game was tight and the White Sox overachieved by beating the other Sox by just one run. It was only 76 degrees(apparently), but it felt closer to 90 and I think this sapped some enthusiasm.

Overall, the building itself and me being particularly annoyed that I didn't get onto the lower deck costs half a point and the same policy meaning food options were limited for half the stadium gets another half off. This place was the last one built before Camden Yards changed expectations for a ballpark and it shows, although the Sox have made lots of small improvments/adjustments over the last dozen or so seasons. There's no chatter I could find about replacing this place, so renovations would appear to be the way it's going. I wouldn't go out of my way to come back here, but I-94 is a common route for trips east and south for me, so it could work out that this is the best choice. I'll be buying a lower level ticket for sure.


Linescore
2017-05-29
                       123  456  789  RHE
Boston             100  210 000 440
Chicago(AL)    003 000  20x 550
Time: 3:16  Temp: 76F  Att: 27,148

Nationals Park

Washington Nationals

8/10

The front entrance isn't much to look at, mostly because most fans don't come in this way, instead entering through the baselines and outfield.

An overcast day in D.C., which soon provided some showers.

From this angle, you can see the gates had just opened and a break in the upper decks, like in San Diego.

I pulled into DC in May 2017, after driving straight in after an afternoon game in Philadelphia, having started the day in Pittsburgh. I stayed here the night before the game, taking in a nice morning run past the Smithsonian, onto the national mall and pretty much to the Washington Monument before heading back to get ready for the game. This was a Sunday afternoon contest against visiting San Diego. The Nats were due to play another afternoon game the following day in San Francisco, owing to Memorial Day.

The park opened in 2008, after the Nationals played at RFK stadium for a few seasons after moving from Montreal. It was hardly an improvement, but this place is. It's modernly laid out, with a particularly noteworthy outfield concourse(the team store is out there). The park is in a older neighbourhood that according to the local I spoke with, used to be light industrial with body shops and the like. Now, a bunch of mid-rise condo towers dotted the outfield. Food was to MLB standard, but not much more. As first pitch approached, a light rain started, but only started to intensify, until(I'm sure doppler radar had something to do with it) the game was held up as a heavier rain started. I and most everyone else there, moved up to the concourse to wait it out and I ended up talking with a newfound Nationals fan who had really only started following baseball in his retirement. He had a million questions and I had nothing but time, but, I started to worry that this would be a rainout of a new MLB park and that even if the game did start, it would push my arrival time back, as afterwards, I was driving into Ohio, to be able to make an afternoon start the following day for the Chicago White Sox.

Once the game did get started after a delay of over an hour, the chatting continued as a pretty low scoring affair, which the Padres ended up taking by a run. The fans were into it and the quirky atmosphere I'd seen earlier in the year in Palm Beach showed itself again. This is MLB's youngest fanbase, with most of the people there having cheered for other teams earlier in their lives. The cheers of "Nats, Nats, Nats, Woo!" after a run are somewhat unusual, but also endearing. It was certainly something I could live with two years after the fact watching this team and their fans enjoy their first title in 2019. The atmosphere is a plus.

On the whole, this is a relatively new park with modern amenities in a neighbourhood it has given a shot in the arm. The unique atmosphere and the bucket of attractions in the U.S. capital make this a good park to visit. My only advice? If you're just coming here, leave the car at home, parking's a hassle and public transportation is plentiful, with the subway coming right to the park. I ended up coming back the next year for a hockey game and enjoyed that visit as well. I'll be back here soon.


Linescore
                    123   456    789   R H E
San Diego     210   020   000   5 14 0
Washington   110  010    000   3 8 1
Time: 3:19  Temp: 65F  Att: 30,243
Note: Start of game delayed 1:20 by rain.