ST. PETERSBURG -- James Rowlands needed to see just one pitch and one hit to cross Tropicana Field off his list.
The 53-year-old airline pilot from Leeds, England, got what he needed from the first batter of Sunday’s Guardians-Rays game as Cleveland outfielder Steven Kwan led off by smashing a double to deep right-center field.
“There we go!” Rowlands exclaimed from near his seat along the third-base line. “A pitch and a hit. That's my requirement.”
Kwan’s double marked the completion of a 22-year journey for the Rowlands. It began in Yankee Stadium in 2004 and concluded at the Trop. He can now say that he has seen all 30 MLB teams play in their home ballpark.
“This has been the slowest of slow burns for me,” Rowlands said. “... I'm pretty chuffed that I got them all done by 53 in the end. It's a nice feeling.”
Among active stadiums, the only one he’s missing is Sutter Park, the A’s home in West Sacramento. But once the team moves to Las Vegas, he said that new park will be a priority for him.
Rowlands, who watched the Rays’ 1-0 win with his son and wife on the final day of their Florida vacation before flying back home Sunday night, estimates he has made 100-200 trips across the Atlantic Ocean to different U.S. cities throughout his 29-year career as a long-haul pilot for British Airways. A hefty number of those transoceanic flights have included a visit to an MLB ballpark.
Rowlands wouldn’t describe himself as the world’s biggest baseball fan -- “You could lose me in no time with the intricacies” -- but he said he loves the history of the game. He enjoyed his day inside historic old Yankee Stadium in 2004 so much that he figured he should go to another game soon.
“One became five became 10,” he said.
Planning it out wasn’t always easy. He could request trips to certain cities where he knew he could fit in a game, but those requests weren’t always granted on his schedule. Flight delays could throw off best-laid plans. He could also attend only afternoon games during work days since his job regularly required him to helm late-night flights back across the pond.
“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. There's been a bit of luck as well.”
Rowlands watched games in 12 different stadiums from 2004-11. Those trips were often to major cities such as New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles. He said he’s been to Wrigley Field seven or eight times, but Boston’s Fenway Park, with its more than 110 years of history, is his favorite venue.
Rowlands makes sure to grab a jersey from every stadium. He also holds onto his physical ticket from every visit. Those small souvenirs end up back at his house and pinned to a board that displays a USA map. He then ties a string from that ticket to the city where he saw that game.
“I guess I’ve got that bug or gene where when I do something, I want to do them all,” said Rowlands, who has also visited every home stadium of the 92 teams in the English Football League and Premier League.
Rowlands’ MLB list went unmarked from 2012-2016 as he captained only flights around Europe. But his quest resumed in 2017, as he began piloting 787 aircraft. His most memorable game occurred inside stadium No. 28, Coors Field, when the Rockies fell behind 9-0 in the first inning only to pull out a 17-16 victory over the Pirates on Aug. 1, 2025.
“That was my best,” he said.
Arizona’s Chase Field became stadium No. 29 less than two months ago. Then the Trop represented the big 3-0 on Sunday.
“It's a really wonderful day out,” Rowlands said of his experiences around the Majors. “It’s really something special.”