Baseball Road Trip 2018: Toledo Mud Hens, or Attack of the 80s

After some exposure of minor league ball in the form of a spirited but tepid a-ball stadium, we were ready for some real, bare-bones minor league baseball. And you couldn't get more premium MiLB than in Toledo, a minor league park that...DRAWS? LOTS OF FANS? CONSISTENTLY??? To me, a guy whose previous exposure to minor league baseball included the Camden RiverSharks, who'd be lucky if they drew a couple hundred per game, this was a new concept, and I liked it.

The stadium too seemed a bit more upscale than WV, with better concessions, and really nice ice cream (though not Graeter nice). But there were a ton of fans who seemed to know the players and weren't just there because there were a few Tigers in the lineup, like Mikie Mahtook.

The game was against the Norfolk Tides, the AAA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, featuring Ruben Tejada, Caleb Joseph and Zach Britton.

It was also 80s night at the stadium, as the guy behind the PA screens was sifting in 80s music and 80s ads, which gave a nice, nostalgic feel that fit the one the team was obviously going for with their retro eggshell uniforms.

These were our seats. Not bad, but you can definitely tell that some seasoned Mud Hens fans beat us to the better ones. Still, I definitely wasn't complaining.

Once the game started, I was. The Mud Hens, described pre-game as the '#1 team' in the standings, looked anything but; Mikie Mahtook slipped in catching a ball from Mike Yastrzemski (yes, he's Yaz' grandson), allowing a 3-run inside the park home run. The offense didn't help matters, as only one renegade run scored late in the game.

I found out that Zach Britton, on a rehab assignment, did jump in for an inning, but it was while I was out getting ice cream. Figures. He was apparently his old self, though.

It was a quick, 2-hour game, one that left a smidge to be desired in terms of exciting-ness, and...home-team potency. Yes, I imagine they're a fine team, and a few of the players do look MLB ready, but...they weren't themselves tonight, and it showed.

Not a lot to report here, sadly, but...tomorrow it gets better. As we're going to see the next level up from the AAA affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.