With the 2024 MLB season here, I’ve gone over the schedule to identify opportunities for a unique kind of ballpark road trip: Two games, two stadiums — in one day.
I call it the MLB Daily Double, and for a few years running I’ve looked at each season’s major-league schedule to search for these types of opportunities.
Let’s face it, seeing two games in one day is not an easy task. Major League Baseball purposely schedules so that teams in close proximity to each other aren’t often home at the same time, so as to avoid conflicts and unnecessary competition between the two clubs. If you look at the 2024 MLB schedule, it’s no different this year.
And on the rare occasion that two nearby teams are hosting on the same day, the two games have to be at different times to allow time for the traveling fan to get to both ballparks.
The easiest way to find two-games-in-one-day opportunities are to focus on the five markets that have two major-league teams: New York City, Chicago, the Los Angeles area, the San Francisco Bay Area and the Baltimore/Washington area.
All of these markets have two ballparks separated by 40 miles or less, making it reasonable for fans to travel between the two parks and not miss a moment of the action at either one, provided the start times for the two games are spaced out accordingly.
However, there are also a few pairs of major-league cities with parks that are less than 100 miles apart: Philadelphia-Baltimore, Chicago-Milwaukee and San Diego-Anaheim.
The distance and variables such as traffic make it more difficult to catch every moment of both games, but if you’re OK with the risk, then these three options are more than viable.
So let’s dive in! See below for the dates on the 2024 schedule on which you can watch two MLB games in two parks in one day.
(Note: All times are local to the market; click on the link for each game to check out tickets via Ticketmaster.)
Top photo credit: Keith J. Finks / Shutterstock.com
New York City
• Wednesday, Aug. 21: Mets vs. Orioles, 1:10 p.m.; Yankees vs. Guardians, 7:05 p.m.
The one chance on the 2024 schedule to visit both of New York City’s MLB ballparks in one day comes on a getaway day in mid-August.
Note that while the NYC subway is by far the cheapest way to get from Citi Field to Yankee Stadium (or vice-versa), there’s no direct route between the two ballparks; you’ll have to travel into Manhattan and transfer lines — likely at Grand Central Terminal, where the 7 line that goes to Citi Field intersects with the 4 train to Yankee Stadium.
Budget at least an hour to travel on the subway, so keep travel times in mind as you map out your plans for the day.
Baltimore/Washington
• Wednesday, April 3: Orioles vs. Royals, 1:05 p.m.; Nationals vs. Pirates, 6:45 p.m.
• Thursday, Aug. 22: Nationals vs. Rockies, 1:05 p.m.; Orioles vs. Astros, 7:15 p.m.
The Beltway Daily Double is available on two different occasions in 2024, including one just one week into the new season.
If you’re not familiar with this part of the country, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. are separated by just over 30 miles. To get from Oriole Park at Camden Yards to Nationals Park (or vice versa), you can travel the Baltimore-Washington Parkway by car or take the well-traveled Amtrak train route between Baltimore’s Penn Station and Washington’s Union Station, with rail and bus services connecting the train depots with the ballparks.
Baltimore/Philadelphia
• Wednesday, April 17: Orioles vs. Twins, 1:05 p.m.; Phillies vs. Rockies, 6:05 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 15: Orioles vs. Blue Jays, 12:35 p.m.; Phillies vs. Mets, 6:40 p.m.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards and Citizens Bank Park are just short of 100 miles apart, which means you’d probably have to hustle a bit when factoring in traffic and parking.
The May date affords you an hour more time to travel, though, so if both opportunities are appealing, perhaps that would be the difference-maker when having to choose between one or the other.
Both parks are just off Interstate 95, so there’s little in the way of maneuvering as you travel from one to the other. Amtrak connects the two cities as well, but particularly in Philadelphia, it’ll take a little bit of time and effort to get from the train station to the ballpark and vice versa — a disadvantage when you’re trying to get to two games in one day.
Chicago
• Wednesday, April 3: White Sox vs. Braves, 1:10 p.m.; Cubs vs. Rockies, 6:40 p.m.
• Thursday, May 23: Cubs vs. Braves, 1:20 p.m.; White Sox vs. Orioles, 6:40 p.m.
• Wednesday, June 19: Cubs vs. Giants, 1:20 p.m.; White Sox vs. Astros, 7:10 p.m.
The Windy City was the site of my first-ever MLB Daily Double, when I saw Cubs and White Sox games on the same day. If you’d like to do the same thing in 2024, the MLB schedule offers three opportunities, including one in early April.
Besides, Chicago might be the easiest place in the majors to see two games in one day. Jumping between Wrigley Field and Guaranteed Rate Field is easy thanks to the Red Line of the “L” (aka the CTA subway). Get off at Addison for Wrigley and Sox/35th for Guaranteed Rate; the journey in either direction typically takes about 20-30 minutes depending on volume of passengers.
Milwaukee/Chicago (Cubs)
• Wednesday, April 3: Brewers vs. Twins, 12:10 p.m.; Cubs vs. Rockies, 6:40 p.m.
• Friday, April 5: Cubs vs. Dodgers, 1:20 p.m.; Brewers vs. Mariners, 7:10 p.m.
• Friday, May 31: Cubs vs. Reds, 1:20 p.m.; Brewers vs. White Sox, 7:10 p.m.
• Friday, June 14: Cubs vs. Cardinals, 1:20 p.m.; Brewers vs. Reds, 7:10 p.m.
• Friday, Aug. 16: Cubs vs. Blue Jays, 1:20 p.m.; Brewers vs. Guardians, 7:10 p.m.
• Saturday, Aug. 17: Cubs vs. Blue Jays, 1:20 p.m.; Brewers vs. Guardians, 6:15 p.m.
• Monday, Sept. 2: Brewers vs. Cardinals, 1:10 p.m.; Cubs vs. Pirates, 6:40 p.m.
• Friday, Sept. 6: Cubs vs. Yankees, 1:20 p.m.; Brewers vs. Rockies, 7:10 p.m.
• Saturday, Sept. 7: Cubs vs. Yankees, 1:20 p.m.; Brewers vs. Rockies, 6:10 p.m.
• Wednesday, Sept. 18: Cubs vs. Athletics, 1:20 p.m.; Brewers vs. Phillies, 6:40 p.m.
• Friday, Sept. 20: Cubs vs. Nationals, 1:20 p.m.; Brewers vs. Diamondbacks, 7:10 p.m.
• Saturday, Sept. 21: Cubs vs. Nationals, 1:20 p.m.; Brewers vs. Diamondbacks, 6:10 p.m.
• Friday, Sept. 27: Cubs vs. Reds, 1:20 p.m.; Brewers vs. Mets, 7:10 p.m.
• Saturday, Sept. 28: Cubs vs. Reds, 1:20 p.m.; Brewers vs. Mets, 6:10 p.m.
Want to check out the home ballparks of two division rivals in one shot? Well, the MLB schedule gives you 14 chances to see Cubs and Brewers games on the same day in 2024, far more than any other pairing on this list. Eight dates come in September, when it figures that both teams might be in playoff drives.
Chicago and Milwaukee are separated by about a 90-minute drive, and Wrigley Field and American Family Field in particular are just under 90 miles apart. So while it won’t be easy considering the traffic and parking variables, it’s definitely doable to see games at both locations in one day.
Milwaukee/Chicago (White Sox)
• Wednesday, June 26: Brewers vs. Rangers, 1:10 p.m.; White Sox vs. Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 10: White Sox vs. Twins, 1:10 p.m.; Brewers vs. Pirates, 7:10 p.m.
The White Sox play far fewer day games than the Cubs, so understandably there are fewer opportunities to piece together same-day Brewers/White Sox trips. Not to mention, getting from American Family Field to Guaranteed Rate Field (and vice versa) carries a higher degree of difficulty considering you’ll have to travel through the heart of Chicago.
But if your schedule aligns correctly and you want to consider the trip, it’s still plenty worth it.
Los Angeles/Anaheim
• Thursday, July 25: Dodgers vs. Giants, 1:10 p.m.; Angels vs. A’s, 6:38 p.m.
If you’re looking to see two games in one day in the Los Angeles metro area, the MLB schedule affords you one opportunity in 2024 — and it comes at the height of summer.
Note that it is possible to skip L.A.’s notorious traffic and travel between Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium of Anaheim via public transit. In this case, use L.A. Metro’s Dodger Stadium Express bus to get from Chavez Ravine to Union Station, after which you can catch either Amtrak or regional train service Metrolink to get to Anaheim’s ARTIC station, less than a half mile from Angel Stadium.
San Diego/Anaheim
• Wednesday, May 15: Padres vs. Rockies, 1:10 p.m.; Angels vs. Cardinals, 6:07 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 29: Padres vs. Marlins, 1:10 p.m.; Angels vs. Yankees, 6:38 p.m.
• Wednesday, Aug. 14: Padres vs. Pirates, 1:10 p.m.; Angels vs. Blue Jays, 6:38 p.m.
Petco Park and Angel Stadium of Anaheim are separated by 95 miles, nearly all of it along Interstate 5 — which straddles the Pacific Ocean at times in between. So not only will you get a chance to see two of the more beautiful ballparks in MLB, but you’ll also see some of the best scenery in Southern California.
It’s also possible to take Amtrak between San Diego and Anaheim, with both train stations a short walk from their cities’ respective ballparks. However, note that the route has been plagued the last couple years by landslides. Service was expected to resume by the end of March, in time for baseball season.
San Francisco/Oakland
• Wednesday, Aug. 21: Giants vs. White Sox, 12:45 p.m.; A’s vs. Rays, 6:40 p.m.
There’s only one opportunity on the 2024 MLB schedule to see two games in one day in the San Francisco Bay Area, and it comes on a weekday in August.
Shuttling between the Giants’ Oracle Park and the A’s Oakland Coliseum is quite easy. While the BART system is well-known and often used by visitors, note that it doesn’t run by Oracle Park. The closest BART stations in San Francisco (Embarcadero, Montgomery Street or Powell Street) are all more than a mile away.
If you want to take public transit to Oracle Park’s doorstep, use S.F.’s Muni rail system, which has a line running along the Embarcadero from the famous Ferry Building to the ballpark.
Also, keep in mind that 2024 may be the last year that you can see games at two Bay Area ballparks, as the A’s could be leaving after the season amid their quest to relocate to Las Vegas.
Are you planning to watch two MLB games in one day during the 2024 season? Let us know by dropping a comment below or sending us an email to [email protected].
