Traveling to all 30 MLB parks to establish World Records is tougher than ever, with the overall record of 30 Parks in 23 Days, and the current land record is 30 – in 26.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024

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This 2 part blog is going to be a lot like the last entry I did on a proposed schedule to break my own record of witnessing a complete game (every solitary pitch for each contest) in all 30 MLB Parks in just 23 days.

in that blog, I put forth a schedule that may crack the feat by doing it all in just 21 calendar days.

For this entry, I have worked hard and to find a proper schedule attempt that could challenge the World Record of seeing all 30 MLB Parks in just 26 days by land.

I am talking about Josh Robbins 2008 feat of where he took home a new milestone, by trekking across to every stadium by car in just 26 days during that campaign.

In 2008, Josh Rpbbinescompleted the journey to every MLB stadium in 26 days utilizing only land travel.  Thanks to the help from eight different friends and family members who shared the 14,212 miles of driving.

Here’s the schedule breakdown of Thirty26:

  Last Game

     30         11-Jul     Miller Park                            Reds   6                Brewers  5

Now before I share the schedule I have to top this mark in the next blog, let’s revisit how Josh did this.

He started the trip in Seattle.  With how the PAC NW stadium is situated, you must have this park as either the beginning or end of your trip – and it must be accompanied by one of the BAY area clubs the next day.

Yes you could jetset after a matinee game, and blaze all the way down to Colorado or Phoenix, but realistically you will have to go forward with the assembly of timeline I just laid out.

Josh was smart, he took out all of California teams, with Arizona sprinkled in, ending with a doubleheader at Dodger Stadium and Petco Park, before trailblazing a frenetic pace up the 15 Highway/25 Highways – to make it to Denver on time for a game at Coors Field (1081 MILES).

He then made his way to KC/DET in consecutive nights (not a short drive at all at 761 MILES).  After that it was to Toronto, and then a brutal 12 hours drive back to Minnesota for a game at the Metrodome the next evening.

After a visit to the Twin Cities, Josh scrambled 1006 MILES to Texas to see a game at the Ballpark In Arlington.  This slowed down his journey for one day, reaching Minute Maid the next day.

However, then it was back to a 1001 MILE odyssey to get to Tropicana Field.  The next day gave relief in forms of travel, with under 300 Miles, however a harsh rain delay almost ended the streak.

After that scare, from July.3rd – July.8th was the easiest part of the deal travel – wise, knocking off Turner Field, Busch Stadium, Great American Ball Park, Camden Yards, PNC Park and Fenway Park in successive days. 

The toughest part of that leg of the trip was the last day of Pittsburgh to Boston, which is about 600 Miles.

At this point of time, Josh has seen 24 games in 23 days, but he had 3 straight days worth of Doubleheader Attempts.

The 1st DH was an all New York doubleheader.  This is easily attainable by the SUBWAY system in the BIG APPLE, so nothing really to sweat but the weather.

The second day DH took some great planning by Mr. Robbins.  Growing up in the New York area, and having seen games in the Philly and Maryland area’s, Josh knew to avoid trying to drive to Nationals Park via car.

The best way to complete a DH attempt from CBP and Nats Park – is to hop on an AMTRAK train from PHL – 30th ST station all the way to Washington Union Station. 

They run about 20 minutes from Philadelphia, and you can make it to Washington in as fast an 1 hour and 45 minutes if you use the Acela Express service.

Josh used this exact itinerary, and ran the 2 miles from Union Station to the ballpark, and went through the turnstiles just before the game opened.

As per world record rules, you must be in attendance of the park for every play in any given contest.  If you don’t reach the grounds before 1st pitch, you are disqualified.

Once the game starts, you must stay until the final out is recorded.  Weather delays also factor in, and you can’t leave the park for them.

If your game throws a pitch to start, and then is cancelled due to inclement weather, you are disqualified.

You must attend all 30 MLB parks (full games) in sequencing, without returning to a same ballpark before reaching all other ones.

Josh ended his streak with a Wrigley Field/MIller Park doubleheader.

Ordinarily this is a tough negotiation.  Robbins was aided by a fast game in Chicago, as it was over by 3:45, and he made it to Miller Park by 7:05.

Josh nailed 3 days straight of Doubleheaders to conclude his mission.  That it in its own self is awesome. 

For as much success as I have had in my trips, I don’t have that on my mantle yet.  I have had 2 DH’s in a row heading into a 3rd attempts several times before, but some were foiled to plane cancellations.

In another cool fact from Josh’s trip, it was his original schedule, and he did not have to alter it at all.  He made all 30 games he set out to do.

Now in my defense, having to break Josh’s mark, I had to have depth chart game plans for missed doubleheaders, or for a weather cancellation. 

In 2009, I actually nailed 29 games in a row (after failing to hit a PNC Park/Comerica Park doubleheader on a bad sedan pick from a Pittsburgh company).  All I had to do that year, was to add Detroit at the end of the trip. 

Bang, 29 days in a row of scheduling came through (including the 6 doubleheaders I had in that span.)

In 2012, I retro-activated the 1st game of the streak, and re-routed about 10 other games due to missed doubleheaders, still putting up the current World Record of 30 MLB Parks in 23 Days.

I nailed 7 of 10 Doubleheader Attempts, and only lost out because of the 3 delays in aircraft failure.  I hammered my own travel portion of each day. 

Had the planes not giving those stalls, I could be sitting on 30 MLB Parks in 21 days.

This is all going back to Josh nailing his 30 straight MLB stadiums so well (I tend to ramble…sorry bout that).

In a twist of irony, I was chasing the World Record in 2008 at the same time as Josh, and we both had this doubleheader (CHC/MIL) as part of our itinerary.

I would end up with a 30 – 29 streak, but came back to break the 30 – 26 the next year, by visiting all 30 MLB parks in just 24 calendar days for the summer of 2009.

That mark stood until 2012, when I bested it by one day, putting forth a 30 – 23 streak.

Josh’s feat is now separated because he did all of his park traveling by land, whereas I used air travel and ground.

Going to all parks by ground means more time in transportation between cities.   A lot can go wrong with treacherous weather and miles taken down the way – yet alone a vehicle.

I think that I have illustrated before in my writings, that air travel is no picnic either in going forth with these streaks. 

Land travel is also harder, because you can’t retain enough sleep as you like.  At least when I was on a plane, or even at the jetway, I could doze off for hours on end.

Josh was lucky enough to have a driver for him to help in that regard (as was I in 2012, when Ken Lee drove me to 10 games during my streak).

One benefit on the ground is controlling your own fate for travel between cities.  The airlines have made swear at airports before for delays, and cancellations.

Luggage – and traveling thin is harder to in a jaunt across America that involves flights.

Flying is always a lot more expensive, and can cause rifts in scheduling when having to re-schedule anything.

You can be cancelled by plane failure, as happened to me on most of my lifetime streak chases.

In the next blog today, I will have the 30 – 25 proposed land travel record.

Let’s all just take a collective breath, and say “that is an impressive feat Josh!

Breaking the World Record for “Fastest To See all 30 MLB Park (every pitch): caused me to study every possible scenario for all Doubleheader Attempt humanly possible for all MLB Teams. Over the course of the next week – I will dissecting the 2014 MLB schedule – in order to list every 2 games in one day scenarios this year. I will list them by month blogs first, and then have a dedicated page at this website – that has the whole year on one page post!

*** The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com ***

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