A few weeks past, I stopped in at Arthur Purdue Stadium, home of the Delmarva Shorebirds, on my way north to New Jersey for work (ABF Freight). The Shorebirds are the Single A Affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Upon arrival that Sunday, I was lucky enough that the main office doors were open, the stadium staff was super friendly, and I was allowed to walk the stadium and take photos during a non-game day. I vowed that, time permitting, I would be back to see a live game as soon as I could. Well, soon came soon enough as last night Rachel and I took the 2 plus hour drive north to Salisbury, MD to see the Delmarva Shorebirds take on the Salem Red Sox.

Like many minor league baseball organizations, regular season play is coming to an end for the Delmarva Shorebirds and their staff. Final homestands are being played. Final giveaway contests are being organized for loyal fans and newcomers alike. Teams are starting to make preparations for the last home games of the season and making plans for next year’s campaigns even before this year completes. Prospects recently drafted could see time in A or AA levels. Current roster spots are being evaluated for promotion, demotion, or the other one (which I will not say out loud.) It is the end of a long baseball season for players, managers, stadium staff, front office personnel. And for fans, well we could keep going on until October or November if you put a product out there on the field. This is the reality of late August professional baseball.

Rachel and I arrived about an hour or so before game time. And we took that extra time to walk the perimeter of the inside of the stadium, stopping to chat with fans and ballpark attendants. I was eager to show Rachel the boardwalk that spanned the perimeter of the outfield wall, so we took our time and walked out to left field. Then, made our way around the boardwalk, past the Jumbotron, into right field, and back into the stadium. It is such a unique viewing area and has such amazing views of the field and game action. More about that later.

Last night, well yesterday in general, was super hot. Temperature in the 90s, feel like temperatures in the 1000s. Rachel and I grabbed some dinner and cold drink and some shade before heading down to our seats. Section 111, Row D, Seats 7,8 – right behind the Shorebirds dugout. Not bad, not bad at all. A few of the Shorebirds/Orioles prospects were in the starting lineup, so that was pretty cool to witness. Here are 2024 First Round Oriole draftees Griff O’Ferrall and Vance Honeycutt at the plate.

After a few innings battling the heat in our seats, Rachel and I decided to cool off with some ice cream and shade up in the left field “boonies” seats. As I was waiting in line for my soft serve swirl, I spotted the POW/MIA seat of honor section and grabbed this photo, pausing again to pay my respects to those who have sacrificed, as well as the families who have suffered losses as well. Please take a moment to do the same if you have the opportunity to view one of these seats at a sports stadium you may be at for a game.

The ice cream did its trick and as Rachel chilled out in our boonies seats, I took one more opportunity to head over to the boardwalk to grab a game photo (or two). Again, it is such a unique fan vantage spot. I cannot think of another venue that has access like this to the field view, the player’s view other than a grassy slope that many baseball parks have. I just loved it and was so psyched to grab a few photos from the boardwalk during the Shorebirds vs Red Sox game.

With a 2 plus hour ride back and the game entering the 7th inning, Rachel and I decided to head out of Perdue Stadium and head home. Night time on Highway 13 from Maryland to Virginia Beach is filled with interesting smells and very few street lights. You really have to pay attention because your headlights are pretty much the only way you are going to see your way home. And the interesting smells, I’m guessing, come from the miles and miles of farmland on the Eastern Shores of Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia – which make up the Del-Mar-Va peninsula, thus the Delmarva Shorebirds. Fun fact, Perdue’s factory is not too far of a drive from Perdue Stadium and the smells can be smelt for miles and miles before, during, and passed the factory. Windows, sunroof open – well you are taking a risk, my friends.

It was an awesome Wednesday road trip to Salisbury, MD to see the Delmarva Shorebirds (Baltimore Orioles) vs the Salem Red Sox (Boston Red Sox). In this Single A contest of prospects, it was really interesting getting to see some of the future Orioles and Red Sox at pretty much the first level of the minor leagues. From here, the sky is the limit and it was just so cool to be a part of the first leg of these prospects’ professional baseball journey. Perdue Stadium is an ideal minor league park – easy to get to, easy to find parking, affordable, adorable in between inning contests for kids, family friendly entertainment for baseball fans of all ages. Rachel and I had a blast checking out the Eastern Shore, the stadium, having some soft serve to cool our jets, and taking in some high level baseball. It was an incredible Shorebirds experience and I cannot wait to visit Perdue Stadium again. Next drive, I’m rolling up the windows!!!