Canadian baseball fans have a handful of options when it comes to seeing professional baseball north of the border. The Toronto Blue Jays are an obvious choice, but minor league fans can also check out the Vancouver Canadians — the lone MiLB team in Canada. There are several independent clubs to consider, too, including the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association and any of the three Canadian Frontier League franchises.
If you’re interested in planning a road trip south of the border, however, you might feel a little overwhelmed about where to start. MLB stadiums might be a priority, but there are lots of minor league/independent options to consider — including several that offer a link to Canada in some way.
Several months back, I put together a list of five ballparks that are great choices for Canadian baseball fans to visit. This post features five more parks that should be on your radar for various reasons.
Community Field (Burlington Bees)
For Canadian baseball fans in the 1990s and early 2000s, it was a no-brainer to cheer for Larry Walker. The Canadian was one of the most well-rounded players in baseball, winning a National League MVP award, three NL batting titles and seven Gold Gloves. The pride of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, earned a spot in Cooperstown in 2020 — becoming just the second Canadian player to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame. Long before he was on the national stage, Walker was a member of the 1986 Burlington Expos (the Single-A affiliate of the Montréal big league club) in Burlington, IA. With that team, Walker played his home games at Community Field — a ballpark that opened in 1947 and is now the home field of the Burlington Bees of the collegiate summer Prospect League. This is a historic ballpark that is worth visiting in its own right, but is particularly appealing to Canadians because of the connection to Walker. It’s fun to sit in the grandstand and imagine a 19-year-old Walker taking the field in just his second year of professional baseball.
Innovative Field (Rochester Red Wings)
There are a number of reasons for Canadian baseball road trippers to check out Innovative Field in Rochester, beginning with its location. If you’re in Southern Ontario, the ballpark is less than 90 miles from the Rainbow Bridge border crossing at Niagara Falls, making it one of the closest MiLB parks to Canadian soil. (For those in Eastern Ontario, Innovative Field is about 160 miles from the Thousand Islands Bridge.) One more geographic note to consider: It takes less than 90 minutes to drive between Rochester and Buffalo, which means that if you’re checking out a Bisons game at Sahlen Field, it’s easy to plan a visit to Innovative Field for a 1D2C doubleheader. If you need another reason to add Innovative Field to your road trip itinerary, it’s worth noting that the Toronto Blue Jays taxi squad called this ballpark home during the COVID-shortened 2020 MLB season.
Jackson Field (Lansing Lugnuts)
Before they were starring at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Blue Jays players such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Kevin Pillar, Jordan Romano and Brett Lawrie were playing in front of smaller crowds at Jackson Field in Lansing, Michigan. The hometown Lugnuts, who held an affiliation with the Blue Jays from 2005 to 2020, provided a stop for many future big leaguers in the Toronto system. Given its longstanding link with the Blue Jays organization, this fan-friendly ballpark should be on your travel list, especially if you reside anywhere in Southwestern Ontario. Lansing is less than 2 hours drive from Windsor, Ontario, making this road trip an easy one for baseball fans in this part of the province.
Ron Tonkin Field (Hillsboro Hops)
The Hillsboro Hops of the Short Season-A Northwest League don’t have a connection with Canada, but their home ballpark surely does. That facility, Ron Tonkin Field, was the adoptive home of Canada’s lone MiLB club during the 2021 season. Due to border restrictions that prevented minor league teams from traveling between Canada and the U.S., the Short Season-A Vancouver Canadians called the Hillsboro ballpark home. That Canadians team, which featured future big leaguers Davis Schneider and Spencer Horwitz, put up a 55-64 record during that bizarre minor league season.
TD Ballpark (Dunedin Blue Jays)
From the time that it opened in 1990, Dunedin’s TD Ballpark has been a popular destination for Canadian baseball fans — often, before the regular season even begins. In February and March, TD Ballpark is the Spring Training home of the Toronto Blue Jays. Once the MLB club heads north, the Florida State League’s Dunedin Blue Jays become the ballpark’s primary tenant. One of the joys of planning a visit to this ballpark is the broad timeframe in which you can visit. There’s baseball to watch from February to September, which means that whether you favor a sunny late-winter getaway, an early-fall trip or anything in between, you can find baseball to watch at TD Ballpark.
