2025 Road Trip #5: The Grand Tour
How one could see all 30* MLB teams in 46 days this season (*but 29 parks)
It’s January, that lonely spot on the calendar between the World Series and Opening Day. Our swim from shore to shore is halfway done, and you can look back and see how far we’ve come, and then turn around and see how far we have to go. But! The 2025 baseball schedule is assembled, so why not cheer ourselves up with some vacation planning?
This is part 5 of 5 different road trip options for your planning pleasure.
In 1964, scientist Gary Flandro discovered that the outer planets of our solar system were moving towards a once-in-a-lifetime (well once-in-many-lifetimes, every 175 years, to be exact) alignment that would allow a spacecraft to visit all four planets in a fuel-efficient and relatively quick journey. The Grand Tour program led to the Voyager program, two probes that were launched in the late 1970s to take advantage of this opportunity. It took a lot of planning and a lot of money, but NASA and its contractors figured it out and made it work. We supercharged our knowledge of the solar system, got some awesome pictures, and the two spacecraft are still functioning today, 36 years and 13 billion miles after its final scheduled flyby of Neptune.
Fun fact about the Solar System: the Sun has 99.86% of the mass of the entire solar system. Of the remaining 0.14% of the total mass, Jupiter and Saturn contain about 90%. And the remainder of our solar system is comprised of Alex Rodriguez’s ego.
Baseball has a Grand Tour. Although you don’t need a rocket science degree to plan one, you do need time, money and perseverance to complete one. One thing to know about the United States… it’s big. If New York City is the “sun” of the baseball solar system, then the Mississippi River is the asteroid belt and everything west of there are the outer planets, increasingly further away and apart from each other. Which makes planning a road trip to see every stadium nearly impossible. It’s not for the faint of heart, or low of gas mileage.
There are people who come up with the best routes for these kinds of trips. And while those are fine options, the thing about a road trip to every MLB stadium is they’re all unique. You might have a different starting location than me. In 2006, I did one that started in the Bay Area but skipped Seattle and Miami. The plan below starts in Arizona. You might have your own limits on how far you’ll travel in a day. For me, my limit is 12 hours on the road, especially if solo. Then you’ve gotta decide how aggressive you want to be. Do you want to get it done as quick as possible? Are you willing to detour? Take flights?
If you’re planning a Grand Tour, I’d say there’s three questions you have the answer to before you leave your driveway:
Are you committed to finishing it? Every trip starts with hope and excitement. But 4 to 8 weeks on the road living out of a suitcase will make your home mattress seem like a royal throne. A road trip isn’t comfortable, it’s lots of idleness, long stretches of highway, different weather, different beds, questionable dietary choices (so many Wendy’s and Taco Bells on the road to a ballpark). There will come a time when you feel like doing a U-turn and heading home. Gotta push through and get that runner’s high.
Do you have the budget properly calculated? You can book hotel rooms months in advance, buy game tickets well before they might sell out and plan the most efficient route for your gas tank. You can plan out meals, car maintenance and souvenirs. Whatever you come up with, add 15%. When we did a trip in 2006, we had a high estimate of gas prices. And then early August, they spiked well over $3.00 a gallon for the first time and devoured the rest of our funds 2 weeks away from the end. Be ready, and be safe. It’s easier now than ever to avoid carrying cash everywhere, but you’ll still need to make sure you have storage and replacement options for things like medication, identification and bank/credit cards.
Are you flexible? One thing you can’t predict is the weather, or other acts of God. Summer and thunderstorms go together like Elly de la Cruz and throwing errors. Some stops you might only have one crack at, and if the weather isn’t cooperating you’re going to have to decide whether to wait it out or stay on schedule.
So with all that said, here’s the plan I would do. Now I just need to improve this substack to provide enough value to my audience to be able to fund such a trip. The stats and breakdown are below. I’ve broken it out by week. If you schedule by regions and find the best loop through different parts of the country, you’ll have the easiest time putting one together. (note: all start times are local time zones)
Week 1: May 26-June 1
Beginning on Memorial Day (the unofficial start of summer) gets the most people available to take a long road trip with kids out of school and maybe you can work remotely along the way. At least for us accountants, summers are always the slow season.
Monday, May 26
No travel
Diamondbacks vs Pirates, 5:10pm, Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Tuesday, May 27
Phoenix to San Diego: 355 miles, 6 hours
Padres vs Marlins, 6:40pm, Petco Park, San Diego, CA
Wednesday, May 28
San Diego to Anaheim: 94 miles, 1.5 hours
Angels vs Yankees, 6:38pm, Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA
Thursday, May 29
Anaheim to Lake Elsinore: 50 miles, 1 hour
Storm vs Ports, 6:05pm, Diamond Stadium of Lake Elsinore, Lake Elsinore, CA
Friday, May 30
Lake Elsinore to Los Angeles: 75 miles, 1.5 hours
Dodgers vs Yankees, 7:10pm, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Saturday, May 31
Los Angeles to Fresno: 218 miles, 3.5 hours
Grizzlies vs Oaks, 6:50pm, Chukchansi Park, Fresno, CA
Sunday, June 1
Fresno to Oakland: 178 miles, 3 hours
Ballers vs Jackalopes, TBA, Raimondi Park, Oakland, CA
Week 1 Summary:
7 games (4 MLB, 3 single-A)
Longest drive: Phoenix to San Diego, 6 hours
Total driving: 968 miles, 15 hours
This first week is relatively slow-paced, mainly because we have to wait to see the Angels and Dodgers. Road trips and off days mean it will be a couple days until both are available. I filled the wait with minor league games, but if you are a SoCal starter, you can just start on 6/1 with the Dodgers and go north from there since you can the Angels on the way back. We end with an Oakland Ballers game. MLB may be done with Oakland, but we’re not!
Week 2: June 2-June 8
This is the heavy lifting week where we need to get the distant planets of this tour out of the way.
Monday, June 2
Oakland to San Francisco: 30 miles, 1 hour
Giants vs Padres, 6:40pm, Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA
Tuesday, June 3
San Francisco to Sacramento: 84 miles, 1.5 hours
A’s vs Twins, 7:05pm, Sutter Health Park, Sacramento, CA
Wednesday, June 4
Sacramento to Eugene: 560 miles, 9 hours
Emeralds vs AquaSox, 6:35pm, PK Park, Eugene, OR
Thursday, June 5
Eugene to Seattle: 282 miles, 4.5 hours
Mariners vs Orioles, 6:40pm, T-Mobile Park, Seattle, WA
Friday, June 6
Seattle to Salt Lake City: 841 miles, 12.5 hours
Bees vs Express, 6:05pm, Ballpark at America First Square, Salt Lake City, UT
Saturday, June 7
Salt Lake City to Denver: 523 miles, 8 hours
Rockies vs Mets, 6:40pm, Coors Field, Denver, CO
Sunday, June 8
Denver to Colorado Springs: 70 miles, 1.5 hours
Vibes vs High Wheelers, UCHealth Park, Colorado Springs, CO
Week 2 Summary:
7 games (4 MLB, 1 triple-A, 1 single-A, 1 Pioneer League)
Longest drive: Seattle to Salt Lake City, 12.5 hours
Total driving: 2,278 miles, 35 hours
This will be the longest week of the trip, with three drives over 8 hours, including one at 12.5. The trip to Salt Lake City from Seattle, with the time zone difference factored in, you’d have to get on the road by 5am or so to make the first pitch. You could either get a head start and get as far east as possible after the M’s game, or just roll in when you can and if you miss a Bees game, not the end of the world. But we now have the two most remote teams in MLB done, and 8 teams overall.
Week 3: June 9-June 16
Monday, June 9
Colorado Springs to Lincoln: 502 miles, 8 hours
Saltdogs vs Redhawks, 7:05pm, Haymarket Park, Lincoln, NE
Tuesday, June 10
Lincoln to Kansas City: 211 miles, 3 hours
Royals vs Yankees, 6:40pm, Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Wednesday, June 11
Kansas City to St. Louis: 241 miles, 3.5 hours
Cardinals vs Blue Jays, 6:45pm, Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
Thursday, June 12
St. Louis to Minneapolis: 560 miles, 8.5 hours
Twins vs Rangers, 12:10pm, Target Field, Minneapolis, MN
Friday, June 13
Minneapolis to Milwaukee: 335 miles, 5 hours
Brewers vs Cardinals, 7:10pm, American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI
Saturday, June 14
Milwaukee to Chicago: 90 miles, 1.5 hours
Cubs vs Pirates, 1:10pm, Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Sunday, June 15
Chicago to Detroit: 288 miles, 4.5 hours
Tigers vs Reds, 1:40pm, Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
Week 3 Summary:
7 games (6 MLB, 1 AABL)
Longest drive: St. Louis to Minneapolis, 8.5 hours
Total driving: 2,225 miles, 34 hours
Another long haul of a week, as we have to get across the plains to Missouri and then north to Minneapolis The Twins and Cardinals leaving on extended road trips midweek means you have to sprint to catch them. You’ll have to try to get deep into Iowa after the Cardinals game and then finish the trip the day of the game to make it in time for the afternoon start. The good news is, after 21 days and over 5,000 miles, the travel times get a little smoother for a while. In the meantime, hope you have an Audible subscription.
Week 4: June 16-June 22
Monday, June 16
Detroit to Toronto, 234 miles, 4 hours
No game
Tuesday, June 17
No travel
Blue Jays vs Diamondbacks, 7:07pm, Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON
Wednesday, June 18
Toronto to Chicago: 515 miles, 8 hours
White Sox vs Cardinals, 6:40pm, Rate Field, Chicago, IL
Thursday, June 19
Chicago to Cincinnati: 291 miles, 4.5 hours
Reds vs Twins, 12:40pm, Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, OH
Friday, June 20
Cincinnati to Pittsburgh: 288 miles, 4.5 hours
Pirates vs Rangers, 6:40pm, PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
Saturday, June 21
Pittsburgh to Philadelphia: 310 miles, 5 hours
Phillies vs Mets, 7:15pm, Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
Sunday, June 22
Philadelphia to New York: 108 miles, 2 hours
Yankees vs Orioles, TBA, Yankee Stadium, New York, NY
Week 4 Summary:
6 games (6 MLB)
Longest drive: Toronto to Chicago, 8.5 hours
Total driving: 1,747 miles, 27 hours
Our first off day! Monday is a baseball-free day as you cross the border into Canada for the Tuesday start to the Blue Jays series. Then we have to double back to Chicago to pick up the White Sox before reaching the Atlantic Coast for the first time. 28 days in, we have 20 MLB parks done.
Week 5: June 23-June 29
Monday, June 23
No travel
Mets vs Braves, 7:10pm, Citi Field, New York, NY
Tuesday, June 24
New York to Cleveland: 474 miles, 7 hours
Guardians vs Blue Jays, 7:07pm, Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
Wednesday, June 25
Cleveland to Rochester: 258 miles, 4 hours
Red Wings vs Syracuse Mets, 1:05pm, Innovative Field, Rochester, NY
Thursday, June 26
Rochester to Cooperstown: 174 miles, 3 hours
No game - National Baseball Hall of Fame
Friday, June 27
Cooperstown to Boston: 239 miles, 4 hours
Red Sox vs Blue Jays, 7:10pm, Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Saturday, June 28
Boston to Wilmington: 336 miles, 5.5 hours
Blue Rocks vs Renegades, 6:05pm, Frawley Stadium, Wilmington, DE
Sunday, June 29
Wilmington to Baltimore: 70 miles, 1.5 hours
Orioles vs Rays, 1:35pm, Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD
Week 5 Summary:
6 games (4 MLB, 1 triple-A, 1 single-A, 1 Hall of Fame)
Longest drive: New York to Cleveland, 8.5 hours
Total driving: 1,549 miles, 24 hours
At least we get to stay the night in New York before catching the 2nd New York team in action. Then it’s a long drive doubling back across to Cleveland. But then we get to ease into Boston with stops in Rochester and Cooperstown before heading to the DMV.
Week 6: June 30-July 6
Ok we’re technically cheating. We’re boarding a plane to Florida.
Monday, June 30
Flight from DCA to TPA: 2.5 hours
Rays vs A’s, 7:35pm, George Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, FL
Tuesday, July 1
Tampa to Miami: 285 miles, 4.5 hours
Marlins vs Twins, 6:40pm, loanDepot Park, Miami, FL
Wednesday, July 2
Flight from MIA to DCA: 2.5 hours
Nationals vs Tigers, 6:45pm, Nationals Park, Washington, DC
Thursday, July 3
Washington, DC to Charlotte: 400 miles, 6 hours
Knights vs Jumbo Shrimp, 6:45pm, Truist Field, Charlotte, NC
Friday, July 4
Charlotte to Spartanburg: 73 miles, 1.5 hours
Spartanburgers vs Dash, 7:10pm, Fifth Third Park, Spartanburg, SC
Saturday, July 5
Spartanburg to Atlanta: 173 miles, 3 hours
Braves vs Orioles, 4:10pm, Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
Sunday, July 6
Atlanta to Biloxi: 396 miles, 6 hours
Shuckers vs Blue Wahoos, 6:05pm, Keesler Federal Park, Biloxi, MS
Week 6 Summary:
7 games (4 MLB, 1 triple-A, 1 double-A, 1 single-A)
Longest drive: New York to Cleveland, 8.5 hours
Total driving: 1,327 miles, 20 hours (plus 5 flight hours)
Okay, here’s the explanation. The next 4 teams to see are Washington, Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Miami. But Tampa leaves town too early to drive down and loop back. That loop via road trip is 24 hours and 1,800 miles; you’d have to burn a day in DC and then drive 13 hours after the Nats game to Tampa before they leave until after the All-Star break. It also lets us sneak out of DC before the Independence Day crowd.
Flying to Tampa, renting a car to Miami and flying back for the Nats game is the same cost as the gas would be, but relieves that crunch and keeps the schedule manageable. You won’t even need much luggage, so the $200 round trip flight is a bargain. Now we just have 2 parks left!
Week 7: July 7-July 10
We get to 29/30 here. The Rangers next home game isn’t until July 18. Also, we run into the All-Star break from July 14-17 after this week, meaning 4 days of zero baseball games besides, obviously, the All-Star Game. So unfortunately, Globe Life Field will have to wait, unless I want to spend 10 days in Texas (hint: I don’t). Take me home!
Monday, July 7
Biloxi to Houston: 414 miles, 6 hours
Astros vs Guardians, 7:10pm, Daikin Park, Houston, TX
Tuesday, July 8
Houston to Round Rock: 165 miles, 3 hours
Express vs Isotopes, 7:15pm, Dell Diamond, Round Rock, TX
Wednesday, July 9
Round Rock to El Paso: 583 miles, 9 hours
Chihuahuas vs Aviators, 6:35pm, Southwest University Park, El Paso, TX
Thursday, July 10
El Paso to Phoenix: 430 miles, 6 hours
Sleep
Week 7 Summary:
3 games (1 MLB, 1 triple-A, 1 double-A,)
Longest drive: Round Rock to El Paso, 9 hours
Total driving: 1,591 miles, 24 hours
This would be the end of my trip. Since El Paso is home all week, I don’t have to get the whole drive done in one day, I can see them a day later if necessary since that’s the final stop. I could wait for the Rangers, but it’s a cheap flight on Southwest from Sky Harbor. And I also learned from past experience.
In 2006, our last game was at Coors Field. From there we were still 24 hours away from home in the Bay Area. We had a chance to stop in Salt Lake City for a triple-A game, and also to head to Seattle for a Mariners game. A Bees game meant spending 12 extra hours in Utah when we could be driving. A Mariners game added 4 days to the trip. We were done, there was nothing short of a pot of gold that would’ve gotten us to go to Seattle by then. So I’ll have to head home with 29 MLB parks in 2025 on this trip.
Summary
That actually doesn’t seem as bad as I thought it might be. You start out getting the longest drives out of the way early when you’re still excited and optimistic. By the time you round third base in Atlanta and still have 25% to go, travel weariness sets in. This trip had two things I wouldn’t call idea. First, the flight to Florida. It just seems to defeat the “road trip” part of the exercise. But the time and money savings on that one little audible silences that little voice in the back of my head.
Second, there’s two rough backtracking trips, once from Toronto to Chicago, and another from New York to Cleveland. Unfortunately on the 2025 MLB schedule it’s hard to find much to make an efficient run through the Great Lakes and New England areas. And sacrificing that for a chance to get through the west in as few stops as possible is worth it. Plus if I leave my phone charger in Chicago, I’ll know I’m going back a couple days later.
Final tally:
46 days, 11,685 miles
29 MLB parks, 4 AAA, 2 AA, 6 A and 2 Independent League games (43 games total)
Estimated total cost: $10,000
Gas: $2,500-$3,000
Lodging: $4,600 max (if my friends don’t welcome me in)
Food: $2,000 (3 Taco Bell Chalupas a day)
Tickets: $1,000 or so
If you take one of these trips, send a postcard! If you have any trip questions, I’m here to be a resource.