Milestone Trip Coming Up!
It’s road trip time again!
On this trip, I’ll be …
– Throwing out the first pitch at a New York-Penn League game;
– Visiting my 50th different ballpark since 2010;
– And once again seeing Jeremy Nowak, who was the center of the coolest adventure I’ve encountered since starting The Ballpark Guide.
Sound good? I’d sure say it does, and I’m absolutely pumped to kick it all off!
On Saturday morning, I’ll be packing up and hitting the road once again for my fourth baseball road trip of the season and second trip of at least 10 days. On this 10-day trip, I’ll see 11 games in 10 cities across three states and will be having a ton of exciting adventures along the way.
Here’s the schedule:
Saturday, July 6: Jamestown Jammers at Auburn Doubledays 6 p.m.
Sunday, July 7: Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 1 p.m.
Monday, July 8: Bowie Baysox at Harrisburg Senators 12 p.m.
Monday, July 8: Mahoning Valley Scrappers at State College Spikes 7 p.m.
Tuesday, July 9: Auburn Doubledays at Williamsport Crosscutters 7 p.m.
Wednesday, July 10: Pawtucket Red Sox at Lehigh Valley IronPigs 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 11: New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Reading Fightin’ Phils 7 p.m.
Friday, July 12: Trois-Rivieres Aigles at New Jersey Jackals 7 p.m.
Saturday, July 13: Chicago White Sox at Philadelphia Phillies 4 p.m.
Sunday, July 14: Chicago White Sox at Philadelphia Phillies 1:30 p.m.
Monday, July 15: Hickory Crawdads at Lakewood BlueClaws 7 p.m.
The excitement begins in Auburn, N.Y. at Falcon Park. Way back in July of 2010, on my first-ever road trip for my website, I visited Falcon Park to watch the Auburn Doubledays and loved the experience. Here’s a pre-game picture of me in front of the park:
Although I don’t normally make a point of making repeat visits to ballparks, Doubledays general manager Jason Horbal sent me a tweet a couple months back out of the blue and said he’d enjoy showing me the changes made to Falcon Park since my last visit. We exchanged Tweets and emails and I’m super pumped to say I’ll be throwing out the first pitch before the Doubledays host the Jamestown Jammers.
I’ve wanted to throw out a first pitch for a long time, and although I’ve got a few butterflies in my stomach about doing this item on my baseball bucket list, it promises to be exciting. I’ll also get the chance to be interviewed during the game’s radio broadcast, if all goes according to plan and I’ll post further details closer to the game as they come available.
That’s a pretty good start to the trip, don’t you think?
Well, I’m also pumped for day two when I visit Moosic, PA to see the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. I visited PNC Field in 2011 and the park was closed for the entirety of 2012 for a major renovation project. Now that it’s open again, I’m excited to see the changes.
Day three promises to be a full day with two games in two cities. First, I’ll visit Harrisburg’s Metro Bank Park again. I wasn’t planning to include Harrisburg on this trip, but when I saw the Senators will play a matinee game within easy driving distance, I decided to visit the Eastern League park I last saw in 2011. Here’s the glorious view I had for part of the game:
Right after that game wraps up, I’ll hop in the car and zip to State College to watch the Spikes. I’ve heard good things about Medlar Field at Lumbrano Park, which is also the home field for Penn State’s baseball team. The State College game will be a milestone ballpark visit for me — the 50th different park I’ll have visited for a game since 2010, so I’m excited for that.
The next day, I’ll stay in Pennsylvania to check out the Williamsport Crosscutters, another NYPL team. The Crosscutters play at Bowman Field, which is one of the oldest parks in baseball. Williamsport, of course, is also home to the Little League World Series, and I plan to check out the parks used in that tournament if I have enough time.
When I was originally planning this trip, I thought I’d take an off-day on July 10 to catch up on blogging and rest, but after noticing the Lehigh Valley IronPigs are home, and considering how much I enjoyed my trip to Coca-Cola Park last season, I’ve decided to visit again for another game in this beautiful facility. Here’s a panorama I shot before the game:
A day later, I’ll visit Reading’s FirstEnergy Stadium, a ballpark that has somehow eluded me despite seeing several games around the state over the last couple years. I haven’t read too much about FirstEnergy Stadium, so I’m anxious to check it out.
On Friday, July 12, I’ll take my first sojourn outside affiliated ball when I travel to Little Falls, N.J., to watch the New Jersey Jackals host the Trois-Rivieres Aigles. I’m excited for this game because Jeremy Nowak is playing for the Aigles this season and it’ll be awesome to see him again. I saw him with Delmarva back in 2011 and Frederick in 2012. In both games, he hit a home run, so I have my fingers crossed that he hits another at the game I attend.
On Saturday morning, I’ll step up to the big leagues and drive to Philadelphia for two Phillies/White Sox games over the weekend. Citizens Bank Ballpark will be the eighth MLB stadium I’ll have visited since 2010 and I also plan to do a bunch of touristy things in Philly.
The last game of my trip will be a quick jaunt to Lakewood, N.J., to see the Lakewood BlueClaws in action. Last May, I drove about eight hours to Lakewood to kick off a road trip, only to end up missing the game because it was canceled due to rain. My fingers are crossed this visit will be a little sunnier.
I’ve got a ton to do before I set my sights on Auburn on July 6, but in the meantime, I’m still counting down the days until I hit the road. I’ll be blogging along the way, as always, as this trip’s lighter schedule means I should do a better job at getting each blog post up in a timely fashion. As always, you can follow me on Twitter for the latest updates and if you enjoy reading about my adventures, please visit The Ballpark Guide.
Otherwise, your visits to the website also support my trips, and if you’re planning your own baseball road trip in July, check out the site and see if I’ve written about any parks on your schedule. I promise you’ll learn something new that’ll help you get the most out of your visit.
The Ballpark Guide 
I hope you have fun when you go to Auburn (trust me on those restaurant suggestions.) I threw out the first pitch after my grandfather was honored on the Wall of Fame posthumously. I didn’t know I was going to until the last minute, when they said they wanted one of his grandchildren to throw it out. There was a ceremony for him and everything. It was all kind of sad, he had just witnessed the Doubledays get there first official NYPL Championship ever, and he passed later that winter.
That was when the Doubledays were under the Blue Jays management. I liked it better than because all of the people working there then were true Auburnians. When the Nationals came, a lot of the people were replaced.
Two season ago, they said they were planning a real brick wall of fame, instead of just signs honoring those on the 1B line fence (which they had the last time you visited.) When I went last season, I was a little dissapointed to find no new Wall of Fame. Hopefully the new additions he was talking about includes that. All I can think of that is new since the last time I went was the expanded play area.
If there is a new Wall of Fame, do you think you could take a picture of it?
Brendan,
I’ll definitely look for it and if it’s there, I’ll take a photo for you!
Malcolm
I’ll see you on Saturday the 13th
Sounds good!
Malcolm
Looks like fun. I hit my 50th ballpark in Greensboro in May! Congrats on that milestone! You’ll love Pawtucket if like the classic ballparks. It’s very unique with passionate fans, as you’d expect.
-Mike
Thanks, Mike.
I’m actually seeing Pawtucket on the road, but was at McCoy last year and it’s definitely memorable.
Sounds like I’m just behind you in hitting number 50 — congrats on your milestone, too!
Malcolm
I was in Harrisburg yesterday to see the Senators and found your write-up of Metro Bank Park spot-on: kudos. I grew up in Reading and may be around on July 11 for the Reading Phillies game. (No one who is not employed by the team will ever call them “Fightins.”) If you want suggestions beyond the usual I’d be happy to help. Keep up the good work.
Peter,
Thanks for reading and glad you enjoyed the Metro Bank Park guide. I appreciate the feedback. It’s a great place to enjoy a game.
Let me know if you’ll be around for the Reading game. Looking forward to checking out the Phillies!
Malcolm