Baseball season kicks off next month, with the Major League teams season starting on March 20 + Minor League teams following in April. While Major League teams might get all the attention, we’re personally fans of Minor League Baseball (MiLB) because of our hometown team.
There are 256 MiLB teams around the U.S., ranging from 30 “Class A” MiLB teams (like our own Tourists), plus AA, AAA + more. MiLB teams were created to help develop professional baseball players for the Major Leagues (and share the baseball love to smaller cities). Today, we’re doing a virtual road trip to visit the 4 Carolina Minor League teams to get ready for the upcoming season.
First, start at home…
⚾ Asheville Tourists | McCormick Field | Founded in 1915 | 2018 record: 64 wins, 73 losses | Affiliated with Colorado Rockies | Tickets
In the 1988 film Bull Durham, Kevin Costner’s character plays with the Tourists after being cut from the Durham Bulls.
Plan your springtime roadtrip…
⚾ Greenville Drive | Fluor Field | Founded in 2006 | 2018 record: 64 wins, 75 losses | Affiliated with Boston Red Sox | Tickets
You can expect to hear the whole audience sing “Sweet Caroline” at every. single. game. It’s part of the Red Sox tradition.
⚾ Charleston RiverDogs | Joseph P. Riley Park | Founded in 1980 | 2018 record: 64 wins, 72 losses | Affiliated with New York Yankees | Tickets
If you’ve lived in the area for a while, you may remember when the site of Riley Park was a trash dumping site. Since turning it into a baseball stadium, the site requires maintenance every few years to keep it from sinking – the most recent update was done just last month.
⚾ Columbia Fireflies | Segra Park (formerly Spirit Communications Park) | Founded in 2016 | 2018 record: 64 wins, 70 losses | Affiliated with New York Mets | Tickets
Tim Tebow briefly played for the Fireflies in 2017 (we’re sure you already knew that but this is just a nice reminder). And our COLAtoday readers just got to pick out their newest concessions item.
And, while you’re you’re planning your baseball trips, check out our guides to Columbia, Greenville + Charleston to make a weekend out of it. 🚘 Share with your traveling crew here. ⬇️
Going to a baseball game is about so much more than the game itself. It’s about the memories really – eating hot dogs + popcorn, singing classic tunes, cheering loudly with friends.
Want to share your baseball memories? Hit reply to send us a message + let us know about your favorite times at the ballpark.
