The casual baseball fan might view road trips as a summer thing, but those of us who live for baseball travel know that as long as there’s a game scheduled, there’s a road trip worth planning. For many people, the arrival of September means returning to work and school after summer vacation, as well as freeing up Sunday schedules to watch football. For me, September represents a good opportunity to continue to travel — something that I’ve been fortunate to do on a number of occasions. In fact, my game log tells me that I’ve seen 21 games (and counting!) in September since 2010, so I’m averaging about a couple of contests a year.
I thought it’d be fun to share some of the pros and cons of September road trips that I’ve learned over the years with the hopes they’ll not only encourage you to make a point of scheduling a September baseball trip, but that you’ll also be aware of some of the pitfalls that traveling at this point in the season can present.
Pro: Extended Triple-A Schedule
It wasn’t long ago that the minor league season wrapped up at the start of September, which meant that including some MiLB games on a road trip in September could be difficult. Over the last couple of years, though, the schedule has changed so that Triple-A teams play late into the month. In 2023, for example, the Triple-A regular season ends on Sunday, September 24. This means that, depending on where you’re traveling for big league baseball, it might be easy to include one or more MiLB games on your itinerary. MiLB playoffs are also a possibility, although it can be a challenge to plan a road trip around playoff games that may or may not happen.
Con: Limited Lower Minor League Schedules
As I noted above, a big benefit of taking a September road trip is potentially being able to see some Triple-A action. Teams in the lower levels of the minor leagues, however, wrap up their regular seasons in the first half of the month. This means that if you’re planning to travel in the latter half of the month, you might not be able to see as many minor league games as you’d like. That can be a bummer. One thing I love about planning trips throughout the season is seeing major league games, low-A games, and everything in between. In September, that’s difficult to make happen.
Pro: Cooler Weather
I’m not the biggest fan of hot weather, and while I can certainly put up with it when I’m at a ballpark, I prefer when the temperature is more moderate. Cooler weather is one of my absolute favorite things about attending games in September. It’s a welcome change to not be drenched in sweat after a few laps around the concourse, and the idea of actually being chilly in the game’s late innings is weirdly fun for me. One of my favorite September ballpark memories is shivering at a playoff game in New Hampshire in 2010 and digging into a hot serving of fried clam strips for warmth. The food wasn’t all that good, but eating the warm fare on a chilly night while watching the Fisher Cats is a memory that I’ll remember for a long time.
Con: Earlier Sunsets
I love ballpark visits in May, June and July because of how long the days are. I take hundreds of photos at each game I attend, so being able to shoot late in the game without the challenge of a dark environment is a treat. In September, days are much shorter. This creates a bit of pressure to take as many shots as I can early in the game, as I know that my late-game photos won’t look quite as good. Of course, if you’re not someone who documents everything with your camera, the shorter days in September might not worry you as much as they’re an issue for me.
Pro: Lighter Crowds
While ballparks can be packed when teams are in pennant races, the opposite is true for teams that are out of the hunt. If you happen to be visiting a team that won’t be playing into October, you’ll often find sparse crowds. I’ve said before that I prefer light crowds at the ballpark, so attending a game where there are plenty of empty seats is hugely appealing to me. Lighter crowds mean shorter lineups at the team shop and concession stands, more ease when walking around the concourse and perhaps even the opportunity to change seats during the game.
Con: Longer Games
Longer games fit into the “pro” category for me, and I’m sure that’s the case for a lot of avid fans. If you’re more of a casual fan, however, the idea of a game that stretches well past the three-hour mark may be unappealing. September games aren’t always on the longer side, but when a team is in a close race and the manager is micromanaging every tiny detail, the game can really drag on. This isn’t necessarily ideal for families with kids, as long games can make for late nights.
Pro: Possibility of a Baseball/Football Trip
I’m admittedly not that much of a football fan, but I certainly like the idea of seeing a college or professional football game on a baseball road trip. I haven’t done this in the past, but it’s definitely something that I plan to do in the future. Virtually regardless of where you plan to visit for a baseball game, you can at least find a college football game to attend. A baseball game on a Friday, a college football game on Saturday and another baseball game on Sunday sounds like a pretty sweet idea to me. Or, how about baseball on Friday and Saturday, followed by an NFL game on Sunday?
Con: Challenges Recruiting Road Trip Partners
If you’re the type of person who loves getting a group of friends together for a baseball road trip, you might struggle a little to make your idea happen in September. I find that a lot of people take the bulk of their work vacation days during the summer, perhaps reserving just a few days for around the holidays. This could mean that those you ask to travel with you simply may not be able to join in because they can’t take some days off. At best, you may manage a weekend getaway, but anything longer than that could be difficult.
What are your favorite and least-favorite things about baseball travel in September?