Ten dollars.
My college was giving out 25 tickets to whichever seniors wanted to go to a Yankee game...for TEN DOLLARS.
This was something that I never thought would happen with Yankee Stadium. If I'd have gone to school near Philly, I imagine there'd be like 70 trips to Citizens Bank Park, but I've already been there a ton. So going to the most renowned baseball stadium in the country, even if the seats are up a bit, for a manageable fee? That was worth it.
The seats, while 400 level, were not bad, and we could still see the action pretty well, while not getting headaches. I attended with my beautiful, Yankee-loving girlfriend, who, while not 100% adept in baseball knowledge, loves the team, and obviously loves the experience of being at the Stadium.
The big giveaway today was a miniature Didi Gregorius replica bat to all attendees under 12, which already was an inspired idea, arming little kids with bats. Brings a whole new meaning to the term 'Baby Bombers'.
The lineup, vs. the surprisingly potent Athletics, was the standard band of Yankees: Judge, Didi, Stanton, Sanchez and Hicks, plus Andujar and Torres late in the lineup, and Neil Walker low. I was initially fearing Walker's lineup presence, but I'd heard he was doing well lately, so I went with it.
The pitching matchup was Domingo German vs. Andrew Triggs, and it was...alright for a bit. German had a nice start, with a few strikeouts and some nice moments. Triggs also had a nice amount of strikeouts throughout the day. But...this was hardly a pitching duel.
Halfway through the second inning, Gary Sanchez cracked a Triggs pitch HARD into the outfield. If that wasn't enough, Aaron Hicks followed up with a blast of his own, putting the Yankees up 2-0, which was a pretty nice start.
Yes, eventually Khris Davis had to follow up with a 3-run home run, once German had cooled off exponentially. And some more renegade A's followed up to eventually lead the A's to a 6-2 lead. Which the crowd of mostly Yankee fans, needless to say, did not enjoy. We booed German after a while, because we're also impatient.
Fortunately, our impatience worked to our advantage, because not too soon after the 6th A's run, the Yankees got back on the board. First Aaron Judge rocked a 2-run home run off a tired Triggs, followed by some relievers mucking up the hold and letting Neil Walker get some RBI numbers and Miguel Andujar continue his reign.
However, for a few innings, it was still. The bullpen went to work. Both bullpens, that is. I went to get food and didn't miss anything substantial. However, by the time I got back, there was a starling development...there was a perennial clanking from a few sections over. It was the sound off...some passionate fans using the souvenir bats to clank on the plastic seats, in a 'let's go' chant sort of way. It was like a Tomahawk Chop, but from a Mad Max movie. Every time, there'd be loud, excited, rhythmic clattering, and I wasn't sure to be amused or horrified. Yes, eventually some site personnel came over to talk, but...surprisingly, that did not stop them.
The ninth came quickly, and Aroldis Chapman did his best despite the lack of a lead, but...the yips got to him, and runners ended up on third and second. The A's sent in Jonathan Lucroy, eerily absent from the game thus far, and he had a fielder's choice that sent the runner on third galloping towards home. The throw game in, Sanchez braised a tag...and it was safe. The crowd was in anguish, and it was safe.
...that is, until Aaron Boone called for a review. And after a few tense minutes...the runner was out. And soon, the extras began, and the clanking continued.
Extras were, as the rest of the last half of the game, uneventful, but well-matched. The A's were giving some strong competition, and they're a pretty well-formed team for a .500-level one. However, as the extras went on, the bullpen work of Chris Hatcher of the A's began to wane, as A.J. Cole's Yankees stuff was really strong.
And then...with two men on...Neil Walker got up, with two outs. And did all he needed to do...bop a single into the outfield, which gave Sanchez the go-ahead to cross home and FINALLY end the game, as the crowd went wild. Walker got his gatorade both, Sinatra played, and all was finally right in the kinda-cold Yankee Stadium.
It wasn't an easy win, but it was a rewarding one, with great stuff from all around. I'm glad I went, especially considering the price of the ticket.
No comments:
Post a Comment