My friend, Reggie, asked me to post this for him. He is blind and this website is hard for him to with the equipment he uses to 'read'. Meg

ON September 10, Major League Baseball released the 2014 master schedule. While a change or two might take place, 99.9% of the games will not be impacted and so with that, time for the annual fall report that details various options for the ultimate baseball tour, all 30 ballparks in the majors, in 30 days.

Before going through the options, a look inside the madness that is planning such a trip and how I organize these ventures for your consideration.

The goal was to design various schedule options that are as ideal in every way possible when considering the order of travel. Understanding how teams tend to schedule day games is helpful, especially since more than half of the teams have not yet set starting game times. The effort is made to put as many natural short back-to-back trips together as possible. While the ideal schedule for 30 straight days would feature every single sensible combination, often such scheduling is not possible because the schedule used for MLB games simply does not work in such a manner. The most obvious parings are the Giants and Athletics on consecutive dates, the Cubs and White Sox either on consecutive dates or if possible, heading up to see the Brewers for a game on the day between visits to the pair of Chicago ball clubs. While it would be preferred to see the Nationals and Orioles on consecutive dates and doing the same with the Mets and Yankees, it is almost impossible to do without making a return flight back east, so while trying for those options is certainly considered, any combination of those four teams plus the Phillies and Red Sox for a six day trip is by far the preferred outcome. Going back to California, one tries hard to get three straight dates with the Angels, Dodgers and Padres and if possible, link that with the two days in the San Francisco Bay area. Another factor out west is to figure out when to see the Rockies, Diamondbacks, and mariners. All of these teams require a flight in and a flight out when traveling on such a trip, so the preferred method is to use the mariners as a bridge between dates in northern California or as a way to link those visits to the teams in southern California. Similarly when dealing with the teams in southern California, a trip to the Diamondbacks can be a preferred bridge before heading north and if necessary though not preferred, a similar detour to the Rockies can put the puzzle together. The Rockies are the ideal bridge stop as you work your way west or as you begin to head back east, depending upon the ultimate arrangement of possible travel options.

Other obvious combinations you try to pair together, the Astros and Rangers, the Royals and Cardinals, the Rays and marlins. The Tigers and Blue jays work well as a pairing, though Detroit can also work at the front or back end of the Chicago and Milwaukee tour. The same holds true for the Minnesota Twins, but because Minneapolis is a good bit further from Milwaukee than Detroit is from Chicago, it’s almost always going to be a fly in and fly out with the Twins no matter what, so they are one team you can be more flexible with in terms of scheduling. The same is true for the Blue Jays, unless they were used in combination with Detroit, then you have eliminated a flight on one end which is helpful in cost saving when flying internationally to Canada. The Braves are the one team back east that are a fly in and out no matter what you do for a trip like this, so while the ideal plan is to see them before heading to or after leaving from Florida, it truly makes no big difference if you can pull that arrangement together or not.

Finally, Detroit can also be done as a driving combo with Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. Detroit is closest to Cleveland, Cleveland is closest to Pittsburgh, While Cincinnati is equal distances from all three locations. My preferred method would be to start in Pittsburgh, then go Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit or Cleveland, Detroit, Cincinnati.

Pittsburgh can also work as a bridge coming from the east coast, so naturally one could finish the northeastern six-pack in Philadelphia, before making the trip across Pennsylvania to the Steel City.

As an example, here again was the order of my 30 ballpark tour from 2012 on 30 consecutive dates from Sunday April 29-Monday May 28. Rangers, Astros, Braves, Cardinals, Royals, Rays, Mets, Nationals, Orioles, Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox, Twins, Diamondbacks, Athletics, Giants, Dodgers, Padres, Angels, Blue Jays, Tigers, Rockies, Mariners, Brewers, Indians, Reds, Pirates, Marlins, White Sox, Cubs. Note that because of family considerations, I took this particular schedule due to obligations my wife and I had later that summer. The ideal schedule for me would have been less of a crisscross and would have been a bit less taxing, as you will now see in the options provided below. If you want to contact me for assistance in planning your dream trip, particularly if these options cannot fit what you are looking to do, I am willing to help. Drop me an email at tx1996aggie@gmail.com and give me your dates of travel and I will try to put together a workable ballpark journey. Note that the options are numbered in order based on start and finish dates. No trip is perfect, it depends on the preference of the traveler. Enjoy!

Option 1, games Tuesday May 20-Wednesday June 18.

This 30 day tour of baseball begins in Atlanta and ends 30 days later in Washington, DC not all that far from your Georgia origin. The Braves are the host team for the opening game as they face the visiting Milwaukee Brewers in game 2 of their scheduled series. In all probability, this is going to be a night game, anticipate a start of no earlier than 7:00, most night games in Atlanta on Tuesday the past several seasons have started at 7:10 ET. The next morning brings a flight to Kansas City and an extra hour of time as you drop back into the Central Time zone. The Royals and White Sox conclude their series on Wednesday May 21 and while the odds favor a night game, there is a chance that this could be a day game as both teams then leave town. If it is a day game, the start would most likely be at 1:10 CT, there is no reason for this game to start any earlier. If it is a night game, the typical start would be at 7:10 CT, though it could be earlier as the Royals on rare occasions will have a 6:10 CT start during the week. You will then be able to have a relaxing trip across Missouri either Wednesday night or Thursday morning, depending on when that afore mentioned Royals game gets underway. On Thursday May 22, the Cardinals host the Arizona Diamondbacks for a slightly earlier start for evening contests at Bush Stadium, as first pitch is scheduled for 6:15 CT in St. Louis.

Friday May 23 takes you further west and the swing through the west coast begins with a stop in the Pacific Northwest, at 7:10 PT the Mariners host the Houston Astros at Seattle’s Safeco Field. The next three days are spent in southern California. Saturday May 24, the Padres host the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park in San Diego, the earliest start time being at 1:10 PT, but likely the start will be no earlier than 5:40 PT. Sunday the 25th, go up I-5 to Anaheim, the Angels host the Kansas City Royals in what is probably a 1:05 PT start. You move a bit further up the interstate on Memorial Day May 26, the stop on day 7 is Dodger Stadium where Los Angeles hosts the Cincinnati Reds at a special holiday start time of 5:10 PT at Dodger Stadium.

The second week of the tour moves to northern California. You can go in either order and it just depends on how you want to schedule your time. The Athletics host the Tigers Tuesday May 27 through Thursday May 29, the Tuesday and Wednesday games at Oakland will start at 7:05 PT, the Thursday game would be the day game as you are leaving California. The Giants meanwhile are hosting the Cubs and the start times are set for the games on that side of the bay, 7:15 PT on Tuesday and 12:45 PT on Wednesday. If one would like to enjoy a nice evening in San Francisco, this would be a very viable option. So my recommendation would be to fly sometime around mid-day on Tuesday May 27 from Los Angeles to Oakland and see the Tigers and Athletics that evening, at 7:05 PT. You would then be able to go across to San Francisco and rest for the night there, get up later in the morning on Wednesday and have plenty of time to get a bite before heading to AT&T Park for the Giants game against the Cubs at 12:45 PT.

After spending a nice evening in San Francisco following two games in the bay area, time to begin prep for your next journey, a Thursday flight to the desert southwest. At 6:40 MT Thursday evening, (which is the same as PT in California in this case), the Diamondbacks host the Cincinnati Reds at Chase Field. Remember that Phoenix stays on standard time and so it is equal to Los Angeles rather than Denver during the summer months. Following this game, the journey is at the
one-third marker.

Friday May 30 is an early travel day and a major loss of time, the travel route takes you from Phoenix to Toronto. The Blue Jays play host to the Kansas City Royals at 7:07 ET that evening. Saturday May 31 brings a longer flight as well though you do stay in the Eastern Time zone. The travel is from Toronto to Miami and at 4:10 ET that afternoon, the Marlins host the Atlanta Braves.

Sunday June 1 through Tuesday June 3 brings about a return to the Midwest and after June 3, the trip is 50% complete. Later on Saturday evening May 31 or early Sunday morning June 1, fly from Miami to Chicago, then that afternoon take in the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field as they host the San Diego Padres. This game will almost for sure be a 1:10 CT start. Monday After a restful night and morning in Chicago, take the train up to Milwaukee for the Monday evening game on June 2 at Miller Park, the Brewers host the Minnesota Twins at 7:10 CT. Tuesday June 3, train back to Chicago and visit Wrigley Field for the Cubs game against the New York Mets at 7:05 CT.
Wednesday June 4, take a fairly short flight from Chicago to Cleveland, then catch the Indians at home against the Boston Red Sox. This could be a day game and many Indians games on get away day can start as early as 12:05 ET, so you will want to plan for an early flight out that can get you to Cleveland by 10:00. If the game is later then you are not so rushed and in either event, you can then say goodbye to air travel for a few more days. Thursday June 5 takes you across Ohio to Cincinnati as the Reds play their final game in a series with the San Francisco Giants. Now this is not get away day for the Reds, so it is more likely that the start will be at 7:10 ET. But it could be an early game at 12:35 and so if the Cleveland game is a night start the prior evening, it will mean a very early start as it is a good 5 hour drive to Cincinnati. One will hope that both games are at night if at all possible and that if the Cincinnati game is a day game, the Cleveland game is as well.

Friday June 6 brings about another choice, go from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh and then on to Detroit, or go from Cincinnati to Detroit and then on to Pittsburgh. While times are not set in Detroit, both games should start at 7:05 Friday, while both games are likely day games on Saturday for national TV, Pittsburgh is already scheduled at 4:05 ET on Saturday afternoon. For this reason and given the air travel that follows, I’ll opt for Friday evening in Pittsburgh as the Pirates host the Milwaukee Brewers. Then on Saturday June 7, it’s a rematch of the ALCS as the Detroit Tigers host the Boston Red Sox, probably at 4:10 ET. Sunday June 8 brings a flight and a drop back into the Central time zone, game #20 of the journey is in Minnesota as the Twins host the Houston Astros at 1:10 CT.

The final third of the trip begins with game #21 on Monday June 9 under the dome in St. Petersburg, the Rays host the Seattle mariners and this is the final game of a Friday-Monday four-game series. For this reason, the start could be early at 12:40 ET, so get some rest in Minnesota before an early flight back to Florida, or travel for the second time on the same day and get in late Sunday evening. IN any event, you will have time to rest either Sunday night in Minnesota or Monday evening in the Tampa region. Tuesday June 10 brings a flight and a gain of 2 hours as you head out to Colorado, the Rockies host the Braves at 6:40 MT in Denver. Wednesday and Thursday June 11-12 are spent in Texas. Wednesday the 11th is a stop at Arlington for the Rangers home game with the marlins, the final of a two-game series. Both teams are off the next day, which means that this is almost certainly a 7:05 CT start. Thursday the 12th takes the tour to Houston for the Astros game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the final of a four-game series which is split into a pair at Phoenix before the pair in Houston on days 3-4. This has the potential to be a day start at 1:10 CT in Houston, though it could very easily be later.

The final six games on the trip feature the swing around the northeastern US corridor. Friday the 13th brings you to game #25 in Baltimore, the Orioles host the Toronto Blue Jays in what should be a 7:05 ET start. Take the train up to Philadelphia for the game on Saturday the 14th, the Phillies host the Chicago Cubs at 3:05 ET that afternoon. Later that evening or on Sunday morning, head further north by train to New York, the Mets host the Padres on Sunday June 15 at 1:10 ET at Citifield. You then have some choice on when you travel, but ultimately the next journey is via train up to Boston. ON Monday June 16 in what should be a night game around 7:10 ET, the Red Sox host the Minnesota Twins. Tuesday June 17 brings a return train trip south to New York, the Yankees will be your 29th ballpark visit as they host the Toronto Blue Jays at 7:05 ET. Finally, head south again via train to Washington and close out the tour on Wednesday June 18, the Nationals host the Houston Astros in the final game of a two-game set. This game could be a day time start as early as 1:05 ET, so it may mean an early train ride to Washington, or you could go over night to DC after leaving Yankee Stadium and get some sleep on the train, plus several hours at the hotel before going to the final game on the tour.

Option 2
Games Friday June 13-Saturday July 12.

This tour begins Friday June 13 in Baltimore and concludes 30 days later on Saturday July 12 in Houston. IN terms of the flow of the schedule of games, this may be my favorite option out of all five that I present here.

The first six games on this trip are the exact six that conclude the schedule for option 1. See the information above for more details for the games of June 13 at Orioles, June 14 at Phillies, June 15 at Mets, June 16 at Red Sox, June 17 at Yankees, and June 18 at Nationals. June 19, fly from Washington to Tampa and in what will surely be a 7:10 ET start or somewhere around that time, enjoy the action at St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field where the Rays host the Astros. While you won’t be on the same flight with the Houston club, you will see them as the visitor on consecutive dates in two different cities. Friday the 20th, stay in Florida and make a nice drive from Tampa to Miami, the Marlins host the Mets at 7:10 ET that evening.

Saturday June 21, fly west and gain three hours of time as you go from Miami to Phoenix. The Diamondbacks play that evening at 7:10 PM against the San Francisco Giants. Days 10-11 of the trip take you to the bay area, Sunday June 22 takes you to Oakland where the Athletics host the Boston Red Sox. This could easily be an ESPN game and if so, the start would be at 5:05 PT, otherwise plan for a 1:05 PT start as is currently noted on the schedule. The next evening over in San Francisco, start the second third of the tour at AT&T Park as the Giants host the San Diego Padres at 7:15 PT. Tuesday June 24 brings a flight north to Seattle, the Mariners play at home that evening against the Red Sox at 7:10 PT. finish the first half of the tour with a return to California Wednesday June 25 to Friday June 27. ON the 25th, the angels host the Minnesota Twins in Anaheim for what should be a 7:05 PT start, followed on the 26th at 7:10 PT in Los Angeles as the Dodgers host the Cardinals. Friday June 27 takes the tour south to San Diego, the Padres host the Arizona diamondbacks in what should be a 7:10 PT start.

Saturday June 28 is a relatively early start as you then fly east, the flight to Chicago takes about three hours. The Cubs host the Nationals that afternoon at 3:05 CT, so the trip is certainly doable. You then get a restful night in Chicago before a Sunday morning train ride up to Milwaukee, the Brewers host the Colorado Rockies at 1:10 CT on June 29. Monday June 30, back to Chicago if you didn’t train down on Sunday night the 29th, the 18th game of the tour features the White Sox at home against the Angels and the start time should be at 7:10 CT. Tuesday July 1 is an early start but the flight is relatively short to Toronto. The Blue Jays host the Brewers in a 1:07 ET start on Canada Day. That evening, fly back to Minneapolis and get a good night of rest in the twin cities. Wednesday July 2, the Twins host the Kansas City Royals at 12:10 CT. this game concludes the middle third of the tour.

Game 21 and the final third of the tour is in Detroit on Thursday July 3. The tigers host the Tampa Bay Rays and while this is likely a night game, given the holiday the start time could be outside the normal 7:05 ET time frame. Friday July 4 brings about travel to Pittsburgh and with this being a special start time of 5:05 ET, you will have plenty of time for the drive, but not as much as you would for a typical Friday night in Pittsburgh, as this start time is two hours earlier for July 4, as the Pirates host the Philadelphia Phillies. Saturday July 5 will require a short flight from Pittsburgh to Atlanta, the Braves host the Arizona diamondbacks and there is no need in guessing the start time, which is not set at this point. Sunday July 6 brings the tour to Cincinnati, the Reds host the Milwaukee Brewers in what should be a 1:15 ET start. The flight is relatively quick from Atlanta to Cincinnati.

Monday July 7 brings about more ground travel across Ohio to Cleveland for the Indians game against the New York Yankees, the start time should be at 7:05 ET. July 8, fly west to Denver and at 6:40 MT, the Rockies host the San Diego Padres. The final four dates are then spent in the central time zone. Wednesday July 9 after a two hour flight from Denver to St. Louis, the Cardinals host the Pirates in what is an evening start at 7:15 CT, though it could be an hour earlier if national TV carries this game. The next day, train across Missouri and catch the Royals at home against the Detroit Tigers, likely a 7:10 CT start on July 10 in Kansas City.

Finally, it’s down to Texas for games Friday July 11 and Saturday July 12. You can obviously go either order on this final leg, start times are not set for either of these matchups as the Rangers are hosting the Angels, while the Astros are hosting the Red Sox. Both Friday games should be in the evening and the series with the better chance of having an afternoon start on Saturday would be at the Rangers and Angels.

Option 3
Games Friday June 13-Saturday July 12.

While the dates for this particular set of games are exactly the same, this is a more challenging trip. I only present this in the event that someone finds the set of games more appealing or that the travel works better for them than the above scenario.

This tour begins in Chicago and ends in Denver. Friday June 13, the opening game in Chicago is on the south side as the White Sox host the Kansas City Royals, the start should be at 7:10 CT. Then head west and on Saturday the 14th, see the mariners host the Texas Rangers, the time is yet to be announced for this game. June 15-16 takes you to northern California, the Giants host the Colorado Rockies at 1:05 PT on Sunday the 15th, the Athletics host the Texas Rangers at 7:05 on Monday June 16. June 17 takes you to Phoenix, the diamondbacks play the Brewers at 6:40. June 18-20 brings about the swing through southern California, the Dodgers host the Rockies June 18, the padres host the mariners June 19, while the Angels host the Rangers June 20. The dodgers game is a 7:10 start, the padres game could be either an afternoon or evening start, and the angels start time while TBD is very likely at 7:05 PT.

Saturday June 23 brings a flight to Minneapolis. The time is not set, but one hopes that this is a night game, otherwise it means a red eye flight and little sleep. The Twins host the Chicago White Sox. Sunday June 22 is a quick but early flight to St. Louis, the Cardinals host the Phillies in what should be a 1:15 CT start, though it could be later if ESPN picks up this game.

Monday June 23, train across to Kansas City, the Royals are home against the dodgers in a likely 7:10 CT start. June 24 takes you to the Tampa area, the Rays host the Pirates in a likely 7:10 ET start. June 25-26 takes the tour to Texas, Wednesday June 25 at Houston for the Astros and Braves, June 26 at Arlington for the Rangers and Tigers. Both of these could be either night or afternoon starts. Friday June 27 brings about a flight to Toronto for the Blue Jays game against the Chicago white Sox at 7:07 ET.

Saturday June 28 brings about a flight from Toronto to Miami, the Marlins host the Athletics at 4:10 ET. From there, the northeastern corridor tour begins Sunday June 29. From Miami, you travel into Philadelphia, the Phillies host the Atlanta Braves at 1:35 ET that Sunday afternoon. June 30, train to New York for the Yankees home tilt with the Tampa Bay Rays, a 7:05 ET start. July 1, train to Boston and what should be a 7:10 ET first pitch features the Red Sox at home against the Cubs. The start time for the game July 2 is not set, so this could mean a train ride or a flight from Boston down to Washington. The Nationals are home July 2 against the Colorado Rockies. The next day on Thursday July 3, head to Baltimore to see the Orioles host the Texas Rangers at a time TBD, followed by a train ride back to New York for the game Friday July 4, the Mets hosting those same Texas Rangers at 7:10 ET.

July 5 features a game that matches the previous option, the Braves home to the Diamondbacks in Atlanta, start time TBD. July 6 then brings you to Pittsburgh, the Pirates host the Phillies, a 1:35 ET start time unless ESPN takes this game. July 7, make the short trip over to Cleveland for what is likely a 7:05 start for the Indians and Yankees, another matchup that matches the schedule on the prior option. Tuesday July 8, head for Cincinnati for the Reds home game with the Chicago Cubs at what should be a 7:10 ET start. Staying with ground transit, July 9 brings you to Detroit for the Tigers home tilt with the Los Angeles dodgers. This could be a day game, so it may require an early start out of Cincinnati. Thursday July 10 brings a certain day game and a stop in Milwaukee for the Brewers and Phillies at 1:10 CT. Friday July 11 brings yet another day game and a return to Chicago for the Cubs and Atlanta Braves at 3:05 CT. Finally, the tour concludes in Colorado as the Rockies host the Minnesota Twins at a time TBD on Saturday July 12.

Option 4
Games Friday July 18-Saturday August 16

This post All Star Break tour begins Friday July 18 in Toronto and ends Saturday August 16 in Miami. Other than a more difficult than normal western swing that requires more flights, this is certainly a very doable schedule and it features no major swings across the nation from coast to coast on consecutive dates.

The first game on July 18 at 7:07 ET is in Toronto, the Blue Jays are playing host to the Texas Rangers. The next morning is a short flight to Detroit or you can drive to the Motor city. The Tigers are hosting the Cleveland Indians and the starting time is not set. Likely this is no earlier than a 4:05 ET start, but the Tigers do have the rare 1:05 ET Saturday game, though usually not during the summer months. From here, fly to Minneapolis and pick up an hour of time. On Sunday July 20 at 1:10 CT, the Twins are home to the Tampa Bay Rays. After a restful night in Minneapolis, Monday July 21 you can fly, bus, train, or drive across the upper Midwest from Minneapolis to Milwaukee. The Brewers are home to the Cincinnati Reds at 8:10 CT. From here, train down to Chicago for your next two games, stops 5-6 on the tour. The Cubs are home to the Padres both July 22-23 at 7:05 CT, the White Sox are also home both dates for the Royals. The White Sox have not set their start times, but it is almost for certain that the game on the 22nd would start at 7:10, the game on the 23rd could also be a night game or an earlier start at 1:10 CT.

From here, you journey west where you will hop around the region for the next eight days. Stop 7 on the tour is Thursday July24 at Oakland, the Athletics host the Houston Astros at 12:35 PT. The Giants and Athletics are both on the road for the weekend, so July 25 takes you to Seattle, the mariners host the Baltimore Orioles at 7:10 PT. Then on Saturday July 26, fly to Denver for the Rockies game with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the time is not yet set for this date. Sunday July 27 takes you back to California for the Angels home date with the Detroit Tigers, the time is not set and though it could be as early as 12:35 PT, this could be a later start if ESPN takes the broadcast. The second third of this journey takes you back to northern California for the Giants home game on Monday July 28, a 7:15 PT start against Pittsburgh. The padres and Dodgers are both off on this particular date. You see those clubs the following two days, July 29 and 30 in either order. The Dodgers host the Braves for 7:10 starts either night, the Padres host the Cardinals and these too should be 7:10 starts but San Diego has not set their starting times as of yet. On Thursday July 31, you conclude the western swing and the second week of the tour with a stop in Phoenix, the Arizona Diamondbacks host the Pittsburgh Pirates at 6:40 Thursday evening. The third week of the trip begins with the 15th game of the tour on Friday August 1 at St. Louis, the Cardinals host the Milwaukee Brewers at 7:15 CT. The flight from Phoenix to St. Louis should be only a little over a couple hours, though you do lose two hours in the time change. You lose another hour on Saturday August 2 as you travel from St. Louis to Boston to begin the second half of the trip, with the travel through the six teams in the northeastern corridor. The Red Sox game is likely a 4:10 ET start as they host the Yankees. Some FOX starts are later, so watch the schedule closely for the start time. Flying from St. Louis to Boston fortunately is not an overly difficult process. Sunday August 3, probably requires a short flight, because the longest road trip in the northeast is Boston to the Baltimore and DC region and the game on Sunday happens to be in Baltimore, the Orioles host the Mariners in what is likely a 1:35 start. You get a lot of time to rest after this game, as the travel for August 4 is a short train ride up to New York, the Mets are home for game 18 of the tour, an early start though at 12:10 ET against the San Francisco Giants. You then have even more time to rest in New York, as the game the next night on August 5 is in The Bronx at 7:05 ET with the Yankees hosting the Detroit Tigers. August 6, train south to Philadelphia and that evening at 7:05, the Astros visit the Phillies in what is now an interleague series that was once a historic NL matchup in the 1980 postseason. The final game on Thursday August 7 before leaving the northeast is at Washington, the Nationals are home to the Mets and this could be a day or night game, the time is not set. Friday August 8 for game 22 takes you to Kansas City, the Royals host the San Francisco Giants in a probable 7:10 CT start. Saturday August 9 you return to the eastern time zone for a game in Atlanta, the Braves host the Nationals and the start time is not yet known for this game. The final week of games begins Sunday August 10 with the 24th stop at Cincinnati, the Reds host the marlins and this is likely a 1:15 ET start, but the time is not set officially. Staying in the Eastern Time Zone, Monday August 11 brings the tour to Pittsburgh, where the Pirates host the Detroit Tigers at 7:05. This is followed the next evening by the Cleveland Indians home game with the Arizona Diamondbacks and this should be a 7:05 start as well. From here, prepare for hot summer weather and lots of humidity, unless you are in the ballpark itself for the most part. August 13 and 14 takes you to Texas, the Astros host the Twins in what could be a day or night game on Wednesday the 13th. Thursday, the Rangers are home to the Tampa Bay Rays and this too could be either a day or night game. From Texas, head for Florida, Friday the 15th and Saturday the 16th, you can see the Marlins and Rays in either order. Both nights, the Marlins are home in Miami to the Arizona Diamondbacks, while the Rays are home to the Yankees. Both Marlins games are at 7:10 ET, the start time for the Rays games are not set and there is a reasonable chance that the game on Saturday could be an earlier start for national TV.

The 5th and final option for a 2014 ballpark tour begins Thursday August 7 at St. Louis and ends Friday September 5 at Cincinnati. While the travel is not ideal in some respects, the game combinations in general work out in a workable manner and this is certainly an option that might be attractive to certain fans.

Game 1 is Thursday August 7 in St. Louis, the Cardinals host the Red Sox in a 2013 World Series rematch, the start time is at 6:15 CT at Bush Stadium. The next day, train or drive across the state to Kansas City for a game that was also on the prior schedule of option 4, the Royals home contest with the San Francisco Giants, likely at 7:10 CT. From here, it’s a western swing to Seattle and Arizona in either order. The Mariners are home for the Chicago white Sox, the start on Saturday is TBD and the game Sunday is at 1:10 PT. Phoenix being in the same time zone as Seattle because of the lack of day light saving time in Arizona may be the better option if you want more flexibility, the Diamondbacks game with the Rockies is at 5:10 Saturday and 1:10 Sunday. Monday August 11 takes you across the nation to Pittsburgh, the Pirates have a 7:05 ET start with the Detroit Tigers, which was offered on the prior schedule as well. Your Arizona or Seattle choice may be influenced by what you feel is the better travel options heading back to Pittsburgh, but you do have the choice of Sunday night travel or waiting and traveling on Monday morning.

Following the game in Pittsburgh as was the case with the prior schedule option, the game on August 12 is in Cleveland, the Indians host the Diamondbacks and this should be a 7:05 ET start. The next two dates on the schedule are also the same, August 13 at the Astros as they host the Twins and August 14 at the Rangers as they host the Rays. Both games in Texas could be either day or night contests as starting times have not been set. From here, you then hit the southeastern US for the weekend, Friday August 15 takes you to Atlanta for the Braves home date with the Oakland Athletics. Saturday August 16 features the Tampa Bay Rays at home to the Yankees and Sunday August 17 features the Marlins at home with the Diamondbacks. Times are not set for the Braves or Rays games, Atlanta should be at 7:10 or 7:30, the Rays could be either a day or night game, while the Marlins game on Sunday is at 1:10 ET.

The final four games in the central time zone cover stops 12 through 15 on the tour. Monday August 18, the Twins are home to the Kansas City Royals at 7:10 CT in Minneapolis. Tuesday August 19, the Milwaukee Brewers are home to the Blue Jays at 7:10, followed by two dates in Chicago. The White Sox are home to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday August 20 and this could be a day or night game. ON Thursday the 21st, the Cubs are home to the San Francisco giants at 7:05.

Games 16 through 21 on the tour cover the northeastern corridor, starting Friday August 22 at Boston where the Red Sox host the Seattle mariners and the start should be at 7:10 ET. Saturday August 23, train to New York and at a time TBD, enjoy the Yankees at home to the Chicago White Sox. Another train trip takes you to Washington for the game on the 24th, the Nationals host the Giants at a time TBD but likely 1:05 ET. Staying in the greater DC area, get a lot of rest and then spend Monday the 25th at one of the great ballparks, as the Orioles host the Rays at a time TBD in Camden Yards. You then train back north to Philadelphia on the 26 for the Phillies home contest with the Nationals at 7:05 ET, then train again to new York for the Mets home date with the Atlanta Braves at 7:10 ET on Wednesday August 27. Staying in the Eastern time zone for two more dates, catch the Yankees as the visiting team on consecutive dates, August 28 in Detroit against the Tigers at a time TBD and on Friday August 29 in Toronto against the Blue Jays at 7:07 ET. The next six dates games 24 through 29 take you on the larger western swing through California and Colorado. Saturday August 30 at a time TBD, the Angels are home to the Oakland Athletics, but you gain three hours of time to work with traveling west from Toronto. Late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, take a short flight to San Francisco, where on August 31 you will see the Giants at home to the Milwaukee Brewers at 1:05 PT. You then have a restful night in San Francisco before traveling across the bay on Monday September 1, for the Labor day game at Oakland as the Athletics entertain the Mariners for another 1:05 PT start. You then travel to Denver to see the Rockies host the Giants on September 2 at 6:40 MT, followed by a return to southern California for the Nationals and Dodgers in Los Angeles on Wednesday September 3 and the diamondbacks and padres Thursday September 4 in San Diego, times are TBD for both games. Finally, close the trip with a flight back east to Cincinnati, Friday September 5 the Reds host the New York Mets in what should be a 7:10 ET start.