As a passionate baseball fan, one goal I have is to attend all 30 Major League ballparks during my lifetime. It's an impressive feat to reach for, one that requires extensive traveling, money, and time, but nonetheless it still remains a hope of mine. As of this writing, I have only attended 10 such stadiums, two of which are no longer in use. The great thing about baseball is that each stadium is unique from one another, and thus it makes it easier to compare these stadiums to one another. Here are my rankings of the actively-used ballparks which I have attended thus far.
8. Tropicana Field-Tampa Bay Rays (St. Petersburg, Florida.)
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The visiting team usually outnumbers Rays fans in any given game a the Trop. I think that says enough.
7. Rogers Centre- Toronto Blue Jays (Toronto, Ontario.)
Seldom does one see #views from the six in this retractably-domed stadium. Although at times it does offer a stunning glimpse of the CN Tower.
6. Nationals Park- Washington Nationals (Washington, D.C.)
Is this a nice ballpark? Sure. But my only game here was a 13-1 win over the Mets, so that's not much of a good first D.C. memory to this Mets fan.
5. Yankee Stadium- New York Yankees (Bronx, New York.)
The stadium doesn't feel too fan friendy, and tickets are incredibly expensive to watch a mediocre roster. This isn't "The House That Ruth Built" anymore, but it's still home to the most successful franchise in baseball history, so that will always draw fans to the ballpark regardless of the season.
4. Petco Park- San Diego Padres (San Diego, California.)
For a team that has had a lack of success, they definitely make up for it with their stadium. It's location in the heart of one of America's nicest cities is a major plus as well.
3. Citi Field- New York Mets (Flushing, New York.)
I've been here over a dozen times, which is way more than any other stadium I have visited, so my hometown bias feels compelled to rank Citi as No.1 on this list. It's not that good, but it sure is better than its predecessor, Shea Stadium. Among its many cool features that I love is the area in Center Field which includes Shake Shake, the Shea Bridge and the famous home run apple.
2. Oriole Park at Camden Yards- Baltimore Orioles (Baltimore, Maryland.)
Located right by the harbor in Baltimore, Camden Yards easily has a case to be the nicest ballpark in the entire league. The warehouse situated behind the right field fence remains one of my favorite unique aspects of any stadium in baseball.
1. Fenway Park- Boston Red Sox (Boston, Massachusetts.)
No ballpark can beat the history that Fenway Park offers; no, not even Wrigley Field. Although the stadium's layout is not one necessarily designed for this century, it creates a close-knit atmosphere that makes "Red Sox Nation" one of the best there is. Any trip to Fenway is incomplete without a picture in front of the Green Monster.
