The Ultimate Ballpark Tour: A writer’s trek across North America to visit each MLB stadium
Bill Hughes attends an MLB game at Marlins Park in Miami on July 26, 2018. It was the 30th and last current MLB stadium for him to see a game at.
Submitted photo
Bill Hughes with his dad during pregame at Fenway Park on May 27, 2018.
Submitted photo
Cal U grads and good friends (left to right) Bill Rouse, Bill Hughes, Jim Grosik and Shawn Hagyari catch a Pirates game in Phoenix on July 31, 2014.
As another Major League Baseball season heads down the home stretch, it is hard to believe that PNC Park has been open for 19 seasons now.
It was instantly considered one of the crowned jewels in the MLB upon its opening and it still is.
Speaking from experience as I have watched games in all 30 of the current MLB stadiums and MLB games in 34 different stadiums overall, PNC is on my Mt. Rushmore of stadiums along with Oracle Park in San Francisco, Petco Park in San Diego and Camden Yards in Baltimore.
My stadium journey almost started by accident, and prior to 2013, the only MLB stadiums I had been to were PNC, Three Rivers and Progressive Field in Cleveland.
In late 2012, a couple of friends asked me if I wanted to head to New York City for WrestleMania 29 the next year.
They had never been to NYC and once we decided to go, they asked me to plan things to do while in The Big Apple since I was familiar with the city.
The Mets were home the same weekend of WrestleMania, so we headed to Citi Field, and the journey commenced.
By the end of 2013, I also took in games at both Chicago stadiums, Tampa Bay, Phoenix and Yankee Stadium.
The highlight of that specific run was riding the 鈥淟鈥� train to Wrigley Field and seeing it in the distance as we approached as it gave me a feeling of knowing I was about to enter a special place.
It also goes without saying that the 2013 Wild Card game at PNC was something special and something I will not soon forget.
In 2014, a West Coast swing with three of my closest friends from college took us to games in Denver, San Francisco, Dodger Stadium, San Diego and back to Phoenix.
It was only the second time since we all graduated from Cal U that Jim Grosik, Shawn Hagyari, Bill Rouse and myself were able to get together, and it was a great way to end the trip.
Oracle Park is absolutely beautiful and Petco has an underrated skyline that goes into town.
The trip also included private tours of the Rose Bowl, the L.A. Coliseum, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Arizona State鈥檚 football complex, the Grand Canyon and around the Cactus League stadiums in Arizona.
Later that summer, Milwaukee was knocked off the list as it was sandwiched the day before by a Packers preseason game at Lambeau Field and a return to Wrigley the day after.
During a two-week stretch in 2015, I was able to catch games in Philadelphia, Yankee Stadium for a second time and Fenway Park during a three-day swing and then the next week, a Midwest run included games in St. Louis, Kansas City, a minor league game in Indianapolis and Cincinnati.
Fenway stood out because of its history and Kansas City was a pleasant surprise despite its age.
In 2016, a trip to Texas for WrestleMania 32 at AT&T Stadium also included Final Four practices in Houston as well as exhibition MLB games in both Houston and Arlington (Texas Rangers).
Both stadiums were relatively full despite being exhibition games and had unique attributes as Houston has the train above left field and Arlington was one of the last stadiums built that has a 鈥渂igger鈥� feel.
Next up in 2016 was a quick 24-hour trip to Atlanta for the last season of Turner Field.
After hearing how solid of a stadium it was, I was disappointed in it as it had already practically been stripped down in the concourse area due to it closing after the season.
One highlight there was seeing the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame which was really impressive.
A flight to the Pacific Northwest included a stop in Seattle to see Safeco Field, which is now known as T-Mobile Park.
The trip included stops at the beautiful Multnomah Falls outside of Portland, Oregon and then at the Blue Field at Boise State in Boise, Idaho with Jim and Colleen Crow, the Space Needle and Mt. Rainier.
The game in Seattle provided a different perspective for me as I remembered the venue as being the host for WrestleMania XIX, but seeing a game there was a fun experience.
Also, hearing the perspective about the stadium from my 鈥淲est Coast鈥� nephews, Blake and Alex Coleman, was different, as they live close to Seattle and get to games when they can.
If their parents, my good friends Bryan and Lauren Coleman, had heard some of their sons鈥� views, they would still be laughing!
A two-day swing through Washington D.C. and Baltimore gave a unique perspective of both Nationals Park and Camden Yards.
A fun fact is that the only rain delay I faced during my stadium jaunt, once the games started, took place in Baltimore.
The game in D.C. was different as the fan base is still relatively new as the team has only been there for 15 years while Camden, despite now being one of the older stadiums in MLB, was simply breathtaking.
My last stop in 2016 was Detroit and Comerica is one of the better-looking stadiums on the outside.
It had its own special feel and the massive Ford Field is right next door.
A quick flight to Montreal kicked off the 2017 swing for an exhibition game between Pittsburgh and Toronto and then another West Coast swing ensued.
This West Coast tour started in Oakland before another stop in both San Francisco and Dodger Stadium for games and the swing concluded at an Angels game.
The brand-new SunTrust Park in Atlanta was the next stop and it is a beautiful stadium.
The prior year when I flew to Atlanta to see Turner Field, I went over to the construction site of SunTrust.
After seeing how built up the immediate area had become because of the new stadium, I realized how much of an economic boom the stadiums really are for cities.
The last stop of 2017 was Toronto and a pair of games at Rogers Centre.
Only two stadiums remained in 2018 to wipe out all of the MLB stadiums, but first was a quick trip back to Boston with my dad to see Fenway and to cheer on his beloved Celtics against LeBron James and the Cavs in Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
Target Field in Minnesota was the 29th current stadium I visited and it had a relaxed vibe.
Another stop in Tampa precluded a trip to Miami to see Marlins Park, the last current stadium on my list.
It was empty with maybe 5,000 fans in attendance, and my favorite attribute of the stadium was the bobblehead collection in the concourse area.
This June, I returned to Houston and Arlington to see regular-season games.
It was more so I could experience Global Life Park one last time before closing down at the end of this season.
My trip to Bowman Field on Aug. 18 for the MLB Little League Classic was my 34th stadium and while there were only 2,503 people in attendance, it provided the most unique experience of any of the stadiums I have been to.
Global Life Field in Arlington, Texas, which is literally across the street from the Rangers鈥� current home, opens in 2020 and I plan on heading there for a game early next season.
When I travel to the different stadiums, I always try to talk to locals to get a feel for their opinions, and it is amazing at how many share their love for PNC.
Its naming rights are up after the 2020 season, but regardless if it keeps its name or is soon called something else, the venue truly is stunning.
The only stadium I have ahead of PNC is Oracle Park, and those of us in the Pittsburgh area truly are lucky to have it a quick drive away.