Route 66 Tour
Starting in the mid-19th century, the amateur game was part of the fabric of the United States, and when Route 66, the first federal highway connecting the Midwest to Southern California opened in 1926, baseball had already become the vehicle of dreams.
Grassroots Baseball launched in Chicago in 2019 and spent the next three years exploring and promoting the passion, devotion and commitment to the National Pastime that runs deep along the Mother Road.
Traveling in an RV stocked with Rawlings baseball and gloves, and Big League Chew gum, Grassroots Baseball staged clinics in underserved areas along the historic highway to introduce the game to children for the first time. Hall of Fame legends Johnny Bench, George Brett, Goose Gossage, Trevor Hoffman, Jim Thome and Ozzie Smith, and retired major league stars Bill Hatcher and Bob Shirley who grew up along Route 66, shared their life lessons and wisdom as Clinic Legends.
Route 66 clinics
A Route 66 road trip
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Illinois
Missouri
Kansas
Oklahoma
Texas
New Mexico
Arizona
California
GRASSROOTS BASEBALL BLOG: FROM THE ROAD
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Planning to travel historic Route 66?
Major Leaguers born along Route 66 map, courtesy of the Baseball Reference
Consider taking a Route 66 Grassroots Baseball tour, and enjoy the many levels of baseball as you travel the Mother Road, from Chicago to Santa Monica. This map, which leads you to the names and statistics of the nearly 2,000 major leaguers born along Route 66 (put together by our partner, Baseball Reference), will whet your appetite.
Please fill out the form here to learn more about how to weave grassroots, independent, 19th century recreation, minor league and major league baseball into your travel itinerary.