British Pilot Completes 22-Year Quest to See All 30 MLB Teams

James Rowlands had one simple requirement when he arrived at Tropicana Field on Sunday: see one pitch and one hit. When Cleveland's Steven Kwan smashed a double on the first pitch of the game, the 53-year-old airline pilot from Leeds, England, completed a journey that started back in 2004.

After 22 years and countless Atlantic crossings, Rowlands has now watched all 30 Major League Baseball teams play in their home ballparks. His final stop was Tampa Bay's Tropicana Field, where he celebrated with his wife and son on the last day of their Florida vacation.

"This has been the slowest of slow burns for me," Rowlands said after watching the Rays' 1-0 victory. "I'm pretty chuffed that I got them all done by 53 in the end."

The journey began at Yankee Stadium in 2004 when Rowlands enjoyed a game so much he decided to visit another ballpark soon. One game became five, five became ten, and a personal mission was born.

As a long-haul pilot for British Airways over 29 years, Rowlands estimates he's made 100 to 200 trips across the Atlantic. He turned many of those work assignments into opportunities to catch afternoon games before piloting late-night flights back home.

Planning wasn't always easy. He could request trips to cities with games, but those requests weren't always granted. Flight delays threw off carefully laid plans, and his night shift schedule meant he could only attend daytime games.

"There's been a lot of frustration along the way, where it's nearly worked but not quite," he said. "But one by one, I chalked them all off."

From 2004 to 2011, Rowlands visited 12 stadiums, mostly in major cities like New York, Boston, and Chicago. His quest paused from 2012 to 2016 when he only captained European flights, then resumed in 2017 when he began piloting 787 aircraft.

Fenway Park in Boston, with its 110-plus years of history, became his favorite venue. His most memorable game happened at Coors Field last August, when the Rockies overcame a 9-0 first-inning deficit to beat the Pirates 17-16.

At each stadium, Rowlands grabbed a jersey and saved his physical ticket. Back home, those tickets get pinned to a USA map on his wall with strings connecting them to their cities.

Why This Inspires

Rowlands represents something beautifully human: turning ordinary work travel into extraordinary memories. He didn't need to be baseball's biggest expert (he admits the game's intricacies can lose him). He just loved the history and atmosphere enough to make it happen, one afternoon at a time.

His dedication extends beyond baseball too. He's also visited every home stadium of all 92 teams in England's Football League and Premier League.

"I guess I've got that bug or gene where when I do something, I want to do them all," he said.

After 22 years of patience, planning, and persistence, James Rowlands proved that the best bucket lists are built one small adventure at a time.