My buddy (and fellow baseball traveler) Tom and I were recently exchanging messages about trips we’re planning, and the skyrocketing price of rental cars came up. Our discussion about how renting a car these days can nearly cost as much as a night in hotel or even a short flight made me acutely aware of how this method of transportation can quickly eat into your travel budget like never before. Forbes.com calls this the “car rental apocalypse,” explaining how the early months of the pandemic forced car rental companies to sell off significant percentages of their fleets, resulting in vehicle shortages. And shortages, as we all know, lead to an increase in price.

In pricing out hypothetical summer trips, I’ve noticed a lot of rentals in the $100/day range; before the pandemic, similar vehicles would maybe go for $35/day. It might be time to eliminate rental cars.

This has led me to research how long it takes to get from the airport to the ballpark in each major league city using public transit — light rail, subway and bus. Of course, you can take a taxi or an Uber anywhere you’d like, but these methods of travel can quickly add up to the price of a rental car if you aren’t careful. Conversely, getting around on public transit will typically only cost you a few bucks, leaving you with more money to spend on your trip in other ways.

Here’s a look at the distance and approximate travel time between airports and ballparks. It’s worth noting that the exact travel times can vary based on the time of day, but these numbers should give you an idea of roughly how much time your journey will take.

American League

American League East

Baltimore Orioles | Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Nearest airport: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (10 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 39 minutes

 

Boston Red Sox | Fenway Park

Nearest airport: Boston Logan International Airport (6 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 40 minutes

 

New York Yankees | Yankee Stadium

Nearest airports: LaGuardia Airport (8 miles), John F. Kennedy International Airport (19 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 47 minutes (LaGuardia), 1 hour 13 minutes (JFK)

 

Tampa Bay Rays | Tropicana Field

Nearest airports: St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport (12 miles), Tampa International Airport (20 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 1 hour 46 minutes (St. Pete/Clearwater), 2 hours 27 minutes (Tampa)

 

Toronto Blue Jays | Rogers Centre/Sahlen Field

Nearest airports, Rogers Centre: Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (1 mile), Toronto Pearson International Airport (18 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 12 minutes (Billy Bishop), 35 minutes (Pearson)

Nearest airport, Sahlen Field: Buffalo Niagara International Airport (10 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 47 minutes

 

American League Central

Chicago White Sox | Guaranteed Rate Field

Nearest airports: Chicago Midway International Airport (10 miles), O’Hare International Airport (18 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 31 minutes (Midway), 1 hour (O’Hare)

 

Cleveland Indians | Progressive Field

Nearest airport: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (13 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 44 minutes

 

Detroit Tigers | Comerica Park

Nearest airport: Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (20 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 57 minutes

 

Kansas City Royals | Kauffman Stadium

Nearest airport: Kansas City International Airport (28 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 1 hours 17 minutes

 

Minnesota Twins | Target Field

Nearest airport: Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (14 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 28 minutes

 

American League West

Houston Astros | Minute Maid Park

Nearest airport: George Bush Intercontinental Airport (20 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 1 hour 11 minutes

 

Los Angeles Angels | Angel Stadium

Nearest airport: John Wayne Airport (12 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 1 hour 10 minutes

 

Oakland Athletics | Oakland Coliseum

Nearest airport: Oakland International Airport (4 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 12 minutes

 

Seattle Mariners | T-Mobile Park

Nearest airport: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (12 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 47 minutes

 

Texas Rangers | Globe Life Field

Nearest airport: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (13 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 1 hour

The public transit system in Minneapolis is hard to beat. You can hop on the Blue Line at the airport and get off right at Target Field.

National League

National League East

Atlanta Braves | Truist Park

Nearest airport: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (23 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 1 hour 12 minutes

 

Miami Marlins | LoanDepot Park

Nearest airport: Miami International Airport (10 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 41 minutes

 

New York Mets | Citi Field

Nearest airports: LaGuardia Airport (3 miles), John F. Kennedy International Airport (9 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 26 minutes (LaGuardia), 53 minutes (JFK)

 

Philadelphia Phillies | Citizens Bank Park

Nearest airport: Philadelphia International Airport (5 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 56 minutes

 

Washington Nationals | Nationals Park

Nearest airport: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (4 miles), Washington Dulles International Airport (33 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 33 minutes (Reagan), 1 hour 7 minutes (Dulles)

 

National League Central

Chicago Cubs | Wrigley Field

Nearest airport: O’Hare International Airport (14 miles), Midway International Airport (20 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 47 minutes (O’Hare), 41 minutes (Midway)

 

Cincinnati Reds | Great American Ball Park

Nearest airport: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (13 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 47 minutes

 

Milwaukee Brewers | American Family Field

Nearest airport: Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (10 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 1 hour

 

Pittsburgh Pirates | PNC Park

Nearest airport: Pittsburgh International Airport (18 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 49 minutes

 

St. Louis Cardinals | Busch Stadium

Nearest airport: St. Louis Lambert International Airport (15 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 34 minutes

 

National League West

Arizona Diamondbacks | Chase Field

Nearest airport: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (4 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 35 minutes

 

Colorado Rockies | Coors Field

Nearest airport: Denver International Airport (24 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 48 minutes

 

Los Angeles Dodgers | Dodger Stadium

Nearest airport: Hollywood Burbank Airport (14 miles), Los Angeles International Airport (19 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 1 hour 2 minutes (Hollywood Burbank), 1 hour 2 minutes (Los Angeles)

 

San Diego Padres | Petco Park

Nearest airport: San Diego International Airport (4 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 34 minutes

 

San Francisco Giants | Oracle Park

Nearest airport: San Francisco International Airport (13 miles)

Approximate travel time on public transit: 50 minutes

By Malcolm MacMillan

Founder of https://TheBallparkGuide.com | Blogger for https://TheBallparkGuide.MLBlogs.com | I've been to 87 MLB/MiLB parks. ⚾🏟️ | Featured in @USAToday, @Forbes

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *