Back on Labor Day I was off from work. The King decided to rent a car from Avis for the day. He wound up getting a Chevy Cruze. He came back home & he picked me up. We then went to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees open a three game series with the Chicago White Sox. We knew the weather forecast wasn't great that day.
When we got up to our seats in section 420B row 7 we met up with our pal Al Linderman who was there too. Another guy named Tommy who we know from going to so many local games was there as well. In matter of fact we asked him if he wanted to go to Philadelphia for the Phillie game with us. He said he would. It was going to be his first time at Citizens Bank Park. He did say he saw a number of games at Old Veterans Stadium which closed back in 2003. It was our pleasure to take him there.
As for the game we saw, we had a rain delay in the top of the second inning which lasted an hour & 53 minutes from 1:30PM-3:23PM. With that being said, we had no chance of seeing the whole Yankee game. Luckily the Yankees scored eight runs in the 4th inning to go up 9-0. We decided in order to get to Philadelphia on time we needed to leave at a certain time. We did at 4:43PM with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning with the Yankees batting. The game was official at that point. In other words, the game counted for what it's worth. The King said he rented a car to go to Philadelphia not to leave it on the street in the Bronx. I agreed wholeheartedly.
As for the rest of the Yankee game, we listened to it in the car as we headed 100 miles south. The Yankees wound up winning the game, 9-1. Glad the game was so one sided when we left. With that being said, we barely missed anything.
When we got to Philadelphia, we parked the car on the street like we always do within walking distance of Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies were hosting the Washington Nationals. It was a good pitching match up too. Stephen Strasburg started for the Nationals and Cole Hamels was on the hill for the Phillies.
When we got inside we went up to section 319 where we like to stand to watch the game. We saw our pal Frankie Centola who got us tickets for the game. It was also dollar dog night so we were able to take advantage of the situation since we didn't have any time to stop to get anything to eat on the way down. A few innings later our buddy Andrew Van Cleve came by to see us. Shortly thereafter, Steve Fekete aka the Padre Punk also paid us a visit. He was finishing up his weekend getaway that took him to Washington DC, Charlotte & Norfolk. It was great to see him again.
As for the game we saw, the Nationals were up 2-1 late in the game. Tyler Clippard came in relief and he gave up a hit to Jimmy Rollins that tied the game at two in the bottom of the eighth inning. Carlos Ruiz then followed by delivering what proved to be the game winning hit as the Phillies went on to beat the Nationals, 3-2. It should be noted that Clippard got the first two batters out before he collapsed.
Tuesday I went to work nice & tired after getting home late from the game in Philadelphia. It didn't stop me from going back to the Bronx after work. Before I went back to Yankee Stadium for game two of the series between the Yankees & the White Sox, I stopped off at Burger King for dinner.
When I got upstairs I to my seat in section 420B row 7 I was joined by the King. During the game, fellow ballpark chaser Josh Robbins who I first met in Phoenix during my West Coast trip in the middle of August came by with his friend Sven Jenkins. Josh was visiting family in Albany for the week. He also had a wedding to attend. I'm glad he was able to come down to the Bronx to take in the Yankee game. It was great to see him again. Hopefully our paths will cross again in the future.
As for the game we saw, we had another good pitching match up as Hiroki Kuroda started for the Yankees & Chris Sale, the ace for the pale hose was on the mound for the visiting White Sox. On this night, we witnessed some history as Derek Jeter got a hit which was his 3,314th of his storied career which enabled him to move into sole possession of 9th place on the all time hits list passing Eddie Collins. In addition, we saw Vernon Wells steal home in the second inning. The Yankees trailed in the game, 4-1 until the bottom of the eighth inning when they finally got to Chris who couldn't close the "Sale" if you will. The Yankees wound up scoring five runs in the inning thanks to a two run single by Alfonso Soriano, a run scoring single by Curtis Granderson & a two run double by Eduardo Nunez as the Yankees went on to beat the White Sox, 6-4.
Wednesday after work I back to the Bronx to see the finale of the series between the Yankees & the White Sox. Before I went into the Stadium I stopped off at Foodtown which is a supermarket a few blocks away. I got a made to order sandwich which consisted of ham & swiss cheese on a roll. It was stacked high. I wound up eating it when I got up to my seat. I was joined by the King and our pals Frank Anichiarico aka Duck, Al Linderman & Michael Abrams who kept his consecutive Yankee home game streak which started back in 2002 intact.
As for the game we saw, the White Sox scored a run in the top of the first inning. The Yankees responded with the equalizer when Robinson Cano hit a solo home run to tie the game at one. In the second inning, White Sox rookie third baseman Marcus Semien got his first major league hit. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Yankees exploded for four runs to take a 5-1 lead. They tacked on another run in the seventh inning to go up, 6-1. In the top of the eighth inning, the White Sox staged a comeback as they scored four runs to cut the lead to one. With two outs in the inning, Mariano Rivera was called on for a rare four out save opportunity. Mariano caught Alejandro De Aza looking at strike three to end the rally. After the Yankees made out 1,2,3 in the bottom of the eighth, Mariano finished the job by tossing a 1,2,3 ninth inning to seal the deal as the Yankees held off the White Sox, 6-5 to sweep the three game set. In the process, they kept their playoff hopes alive.
Thursday night after work I went back to the Bronx as the Yankees opened a crucial four game weekend series with the other team that has Sox in their name. I'm referring to their hated division rivals, the Boston Red Sox. This time before I went into the ballpark, I stopped off at the Court Deli Restaurant. I got myself a hot turkey sandwich which I took in with me. I ate it in my seat in section 420B row 7 where I was joined by the King.
As for the game we saw, the starters Jake Peavy for the Red Sox & Ivan Nova for the Yankees didn't pitch well. Peavy left after six plus innings leading 7-2 before the Yankees erupted for six runs in the bottom half of the seventh to take a 8-7 lead after Peavy left the game after giving up a walk and a hit. In the top of the ninth inning, the Red Sox tied the game at 8 when Stephen Drew got a run scoring single off of Mariano Rivera who blew the save. The game wound up going into extra innings as the Red Sox prevailed in ten innings as Shane Victorino got the game winning hit to give the Red Sox a hard fought 9-8 victory.
Friday night after work I went back to Yankee Stadium for game two against the Red Sox.
This time I decided to go to a different place for dinner. I wound up going to U.S. Fried Chicken. I went there once before for chicken. This time I had a slice of pizza and a spinach roll. It was very good. I'm glad I tried it.
When I got done I went over to the Stadium. I got to my seat and I met up with my pal William Frank Guthrie who was there.
As for the game we saw, Andy Pettitte pitched well for six innings. In fact he left with an 8-3 lead. Phil Hughes came in relief and he got bombed. The Red Sox tied the game at eight when Mike Napoli hit a grand slam. In the eighth inning, the Red Sox broke the tie as they scored four more runs as Shane Victorino helped the cause again. This time he hit a two run homer to make it a 10-8 game. Daniel Nava walked with the bases loaded which made it 11-8 and Stephen Drew added a clutch two out run scoring single for good measure as the Red Sox went on to beat the Yankees, 12-8.
After the game, the King, Bryan Gilligan & I went to Donovan's Pub in Queens for a post game meal. We met up with the King's brother Charlie Casiano there. It was great to see him again.
Saturday morning I got up early & I did my laundry before I went back to Yankee Stadium for game three of the four series with the Red Sox.
When the King & I got to our seats we were joined by our pal Al Linderman.
As for the game we saw, the Red Sox continued to destroy the baseball as they lead 12-3 after five innings. They got long balls from Mike Napoli, Jonny Gomes and rookie Xander Bogaerts who hit his first major league homer it was quite a shot to say the least. The Yankees fought back as they scored four runs in the sixth inning and they added two more in the eighth inning to cut the lead to three at 12-9. The Red Sox got an insurance run as Mike Napoli hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth to make it, 13-9 as the Red Sox held on to win by that score. The game lasted three hours and 32 minutes. This time we stuck it out to the bitter end.
After the game we went down to Philadelphia again thanks to Bryan Gilligan who drove the King, Vincent Ascanio & I there.
We did make it for the first pitch which was thrown at 7:08PM by Phillies' starter Kyle Kendrick to B.J. Upton of the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Shortly thereafter, we were joined by our buddy Andrew Van Cleve who was there as well.
As for the game we saw, it was a seesaw battle. Both the Braves and the Phillies scored a pair of runs in the third inning. The Phillies scored two more in the fifth to take a 4-2 lead. The Braves added a run in the sixth to make it a 4-3. The Phillies tacked on an insurance run in the eighth to take a 5-3 lead. The Braves tied the game at five when shortstop Andrelton Simmons hit a two run homer off closer Jonathan Papelbon in the top of the ninth. The Phillies wound up getting the last laugh in the bottom of the ninth inning when their shortstop Freddy Galvis ended the game with a home run with one out off of ex-Phillie Freddy Garcia who came on to pitch for the Braves.
Stay tuned as I'm going to write a special post about the first football game I saw this season. In addition, I plan to continue to play catch up on all my whereabouts in the month of September. Please bear with me.
Thank you for reading & following along.
Yours truly,
Gary Herman
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