Monday, October 14, 2013

At the wrong game

As some of you know, I was at game 1 of the ALCS thanks to my brother and his mini-season ticket package.  We were originally slated to see game 5 of the ALDS but since the Sox won that series in four games, we got pushed back to game 1 of the ALCS.  That was fine with me for a couple of reasons.  One, I didn't have to take a day off from work and it would still have been hectic with a day off; and two, I figured it would be a lot less stressful than a winner-take-all game.
The first thing we did upon arriving was to find the new Yaz (Carl Yastrzemski) statue and take a few photos.
Yaz and yours truly

We had a very good time, as you can imagine; but it was a very strange game to watch, probably more so in person from center field, where it was very difficult to tell whether the strike zone was large, how good the pitches were that were making the Sox not swing at fastballs but swing at off- speed stuff off the plate; and it was pretty darn cold.
I can't remember another game of any kind where one team, between 15 strikeouts and 7 walks, only put the ball in play 5 times.  Maybe stranger still was the fact that they still had a chance to tie the game in the 9th.  John Lester nearly matched Anibal Sanchez' performance, only giving up one run as a result of a couple of walks and a bloop single.  So even though the Sox were no-hit through 8 1/3 innings, after a Daniel Nava base hit and a stolen base, they had the tieing run on.
Now last night's game, that was an awesome turnaround and it would've been beyond words to have been at that game instead, where the Sox came from 4 runs down to tie it on another David Ortiz clutch grand slam and a Jarrod Saltalamachia RBI single to win it (in case you somehow hadn't heard what happened late in game 2)
Back to our game, I have to give the Sox fans much credit, they didn't boo (though yours truly was a vocal about the number of fastballs the Sox watched go by) and not a soul left until the last out was tallied.

World Series plaques

From our seats in center and the Boston Strong logo

4 comments:

mamajoan said...

Glad you had a good time and got to see the Yaz statue. Can't beat those Sox fans

Mamajoan

DC Homer said...

I'm amazed as how photos of Fenway always make it seem like the park is HUGE!!

So, I admit--freely and readily--to being a "homer" (no shame in my game!). I root for all my hometown teams with fervor and vigor. And while I love football, baseball, and hockey (you can keep basketball) in general, my interest in the game is only peaked when a Washington team is involved, and when it comes to the big dance--the championship. The only time I deviate from that is when there's a true underdog giving the favorite the business, then I always root for the little guy. I didn't get a chance to root for Pittsburg(h)--the lost so quickly. So, now it seems that we have the same old guys vying for the Series...again. I may root for the Tigers because they're the "undergod," and more likely just to cheese you off, Zeb! :-)

When I lived in NJ (1993-2000) I had to suffer through the Yankee repeat years, and but for that brat (Jeffery Mayer), the O's might have changed things for MLB, but it wasn't to be and I was stuck for years having to bear the smugness of Yankee fans. Now, with the R-Sox possibly facing yet another series, I don't know how much I can take between the Pats, Celts, Bruins, and the Sox! Since Washington's not a "sports town," I just don't get charged up by playoff games we're not in.

Okay, that's a lot to say in response to your blog. I wish the Sox luck (yawn!) but I'll probably pull for the kitties. If they lose, then I'm compelled to root for the NL (...please, please, please, please don't let it be the Cards--I have a $50 bet they'll lose the series (I guess I have to start writing a check!)).

Zebster said...

All understood, G. I don't expect anyone to root for my teams. Remember, we're the ones who did knock off the Yankees finally. And I certainly understand fans being tired of the run Boston teams are on.
But since I consider us all here family and on the same team, it's nice that others here would be happy for any of us who get the chance to go to a championship or playoff game.

Anonymous said...

That must have been one heck of a game to be at. Especially since no one left the stadium early like they would have where I live.

You know how San Diego fans are. :-)