Let's Road Trip 2023: Trip #9 Kansas City & St. Louis (7/28-8/3)

[Steven Trefz]

The ninth road trip of the 2023 Twins season leads through the heart of the Midwest, Kansas City and St. Louis!  It’s time to claim the title “Best of the Middle” against the Royals and Cardinals!  A return to Kauffman Stadium.  Rivalry renewed at Busch Stadium.  Let’s begin…

Image courtesy of Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

July 28-30 @ Kansas City Royals (3 games)
Kauffman Stadium - 2022 attendance was 1,277,986 (ranked 13th out of 15 AL teams, 26th overall MLB)

The Royals’ home park’s first season of use was 1973 (Royals Stadium) with artificial turf, renamed Kauffman Stadium in 1994 after the team's first owner. Kentucky bluegrass replaced the turf in 1995. Folks hoping to check this one off your bucket list better hurry up, as they are proposing a Target Field-style move to downtown! It will be interesting to see if this conversation has gained any steam as the season progresses.

With this being the Twins’ second trip to Kansas City in 2023, fans get a chance to see the impact of temperature upon stadium characteristics. The end of July brings heat and humidity, along with its extra carry on the long ball and extra stress on pitchers and catchers. By this point in the season, the trajectories of the teams should be clear as well.

It’s worth noting that last season the Royals drew two million fewer fans compared to the Cardinals. Yes, two…million…fewer. That sums up a lot of how both fan bases are approaching this season, and how far from competitive balance the league truly is. Will 2023 bring a reversal of fortunes? Not likely.

Mitchell, South Dakota, to the Kauffman Stadium gates is 441 miles. Kauffman to St. Louis is only 241 miles. This leg of the season is the perfect midwestern summer road trip.

August 1-3 @ St. Louis Cardinals (3 games)
Busch Stadium - 2022 attendance was 3,320,551 (ranked 2nd out of 15 NL teams, 2nd overall MLB)

St. Louis’ baseball history can be charted back to 1882. 11 World Series trophies later, the Cardinals remain elite among fan bases and baseball cultural icon status. The current Busch Stadium is the third iteration of its namesake, and provides a scenic shout-out to the downtown skyline and this noble heritage. Built in 2006, Busch Stadium sports a Ballpark Village neighborhood attraction and its own Hall of Fame Museum.

The majestic views past the outfield concourse give the stadium its style points, the red seats and Clydesdales provide the ambiance, and the fans provide the support. The Cardinals have benefitted from being the only game “in town” for a region that stretches from Oklahoma to Alabama, Indiana to Colorado, and all points in between. Their radio signal strength established a fan base, and their open wallet and excellent farm system has provided the contenders.

The Twins don’t really have a history at this particular version of Busch Stadium. When they were in town for the World Series in 1987, it didn’t go particularly well either. Other than being a battle between two potential playoff teams, the main antagonist in this rivalry will probably be the weather. Temps in August easily reach 100 degrees, and at the end of a road trip the physicality of the season will begin to show.

This series also encompasses the August 2nd trade deadline. Inevitably some players that will be donning the Twins and Cardinals jerseys at the first game of the series could be gone by the last game. Witnessing this aspect of baseball business in-person will be interesting indeed.

Brewery tours, trips up to the top of the Arch, BBQ and BBQ and more BBQ, and time spent feasting on baseball in the heartland. What could be better?

It’s 676 miles home again to South Dakota, and I will be praying that the air conditioning in the car has held up for this entire trip!

Now it's your turn to plan!
If you have been to Kauffman Stadium or Busch Stadium, please post your list of "best seats" and "must sees."  Anyone else planning on going to these series?

Grace and peace Twins Territory!  Thanks for the help!

 

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[HoskenPowell]

Wife and I have done the Royals road trip a couple times and I have lived in KC in my younger years going to many games there. It's a nice stadium and the fans there are great. I live in southern MN and it's only a 6 hour drive for us. Royals fans are by far more friendly than let's say the Brewers fans.   We have done the Brewer's road trip as well and will never go there again.  Our experience was being harassed by drunken fans 10 ft from ushers who looked the other way. Some pretty tough acting fans when 5/6 of them try and corner me with my 4ft 11 " wife.....ours was a 2 game experience and it happened both games exiting the stadium.  Miller Park by the way sucks , especially for what was a newer stadium at the time. And i was amazed at the sausage they sold there...I thought WI would nail it , but it was average at best.

I've been to at least 25 games at Royals stadium and NEVER have a single issue.

Target Field 1

Wrigley 2

Kauffman 3

Petco 4

Texas stadium 5  Ranger ballpark in Arlington I believe they called it.

Metrodome 6

Met stadium 7

Miller Park 8

County Stadium 9

 

Parks I've been to in person and ranked.   And yes I know Wrigley really does suck as a actual facility , but the legend still lives. And if I could rank MIller lower I would but only another Brewers stadium could be worse.

 

 

[Steven Trefz]

9 hours ago, HoskenPowell said:

 

 

Parks I've been to in person and ranked.   And yes I know Wrigley really does suck as a actual facility , but the legend still lives. And if I could rank MIller lower I would but only another Brewers stadium could be worse.

 

 

I was just wondering if doing the 2 game trip to Milwaukee this year and next were worth it.  You are convincing me to aim at “once is enough.”

thanks for chiming in!