Red Sox Road Trip No. 4: The AL Central Gambit

Kansas City Royals - May 9-11
Kauffman Stadium - Capacity 37,903
2024 Attendance: 1,658,337 (Averaged 20,473, ranked 12th out of 15 AL parks, 26th overall)

The 2024 journey to Kansas City started well, with two strong offensive showings and victories before Kutter Crawford got taken for a five-run inning and a loss in the finale. The Red Sox have been traveling to Kauffman Stadium since 1973, and so far the Royals have held the home-field advantage. In 229 total games, the Red Sox have gone 106-123.

Kauffman opened in 1973, when it was still Royals Stadium and it still had artificial turf. It was 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 still trying to work out a Target Field-style move to downtown with the city/county.

Kauffman has an open bowl format and is southeast of Kansas City in a complex with the Kansas City Chiefs stadium. Parking is ample and easy, but spendy. The field has a beautiful outfield area, which reminded me of Fort Myers, with its lack of seating and open boardwalk vibe.

Kauffman resides outside of the pace of Kansas City, so tour guides send a journeyer into town for BBQ and nightlife. There is a hotel within walking distance of the park, but obviously, there are many more places to stay in the metro area proper. Visiting fans usually represent well at Kauffman, so be brave and wear your gear! You'll probably also make a friend or two in the process. Let's just hope the Royals play as friendly so the Sox have some momentum when they head to Detroit.

Detroit Tigers - May 12-14
Comerica Park - Capacity 41,083
2024 Attendance: 1,858,295 (Averaged 23,824, ranked 11th out of AL parks, 24th overall)

In late August 2024, the Red Sox ventured into Detroit and ran into a buzzsaw, escaping with an extra-inning win in the opener but dropping the last two games of the series. Comerica Park has been good to the Red Sox, with Boston going 48-39 since the stadium opened in 2000.

When Comerica opened, it had the unenviable task of replacing a jewel box ballpark icon in Tiger Stadium. How did they do it? Well, for starters, they built a bunch of giant Tiger statues. Then they made the dimensions of the outfield astronomical in nature. The walls were so far back that they realized they messed up and brought them back in 2003. Players’ stats continue to take a hit from the dimensions, and the conversation about bringing in the walls is circulating once again.

Located just a few blocks from the Detroit River/Canadian Border, Comerica Park sits in the downtown district, with plenty of entertainment and eatery options. Just down the road are a Motown Museum, the Corner Ballpark (a recreation of Tiger Stadium), the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Henry Ford Museum. In-stadium attractions for traveling fans include a carousel, Ferris wheel, and the Tigers Hall of Fame.

From Detroit, the Red Sox head home for 10 games against the Braves, Mets, and Orioles. That's a lot of playoff teams in a short amount of time. Do you think Boston will still have hopes for a playoff run of its own in 2025 after this road trip? Or will the trip highlight some as yet undiscovered flaw in the team's roster?