Sunday Question
With baseball season rapidly approaching (I write this from the Atlantic 10 championship, by the way), what is the best game you have ever attended?
You had to have been there. Not just watching one on television.
The best game I ever saw was Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS between the Yankees and the Red Sox. Aaron Boone hit the winning home run in extra innings.
Granted, my enjoyment of that game was tempered the next season, but to still have been at that game was amazing.
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Yankee Stadium finale in 2008. I don't think you have to say much more then that!
Can I pick more than one?
The 1999 All-Star game. It wasn't exactly a real game, but it was one heck of a time.
2004 ALCS Game 4. Watching the comeback begin was unforgettable.
Derek Lowe's no-hitter. No-hitters are one of those rare opportunities I'm glad I got to see.
A Pedro Martinez-Bartolo Colon duel in 1999. Nothing like seeing two elite power pitchers tossing zeroes at each other, while racking up the K's. Both sides just looked silly all game.
1999 ALCS game 3. Pedro over Roger.
It was hard enough stopping at 5. I hate agreing with a Yankee, but my favorite game is probably "my next one." (Wait, Tom Brady said that too…I'll quote him instead)
I have only been to two games.
No wait… three actually. One was a Marlin.
No wait, FOUR games.
My favorite would be back in May of 2001 when the Braves played the Cardinals. I had gone to see Mcgwire, but he didn't play. Chipper Jones did hit TWO home runs though AND they won.
Gonna cheat a little. Sunday double header in September 2007. The Phils won both games, sweeping the Brewers in the 4 game series and setting them off on their way to overtake the stumbling Mets for the division title.
It was the first time my wife (then fiancee) had ever been to an MLB game.
Sept. 23, 2008, my last trip to Shea Stadium. The Mets were rapidly fading from the race, but Johan Santana threw 125 pitches over 8 innings to get the Mets a 6-2 win. For another night, he let us keep believing in the Mets' chances.
I think it was maybe 1997 or 1998, a "Pre-Steroid" Bonds hit a game tying HR in the 8th, and a game winning HR in the 10th to beat the Phillies in ice cold Candlestick Park in S.F.
2007 ALDS Game 2, Indians-Yankees, the game where all the bugs swarmed the field. The Yankees had a 1-0 lead for most of the game, until the Tribe tied it in the 8th and won it in the 12th. Sorry to pick an anti-Yankee moment but that was my favorite game I've been to
In 1995, Seattle charged late in the season to win the AL West. We got tickets for the midpoint of what became a 20-game streak where they went 17-3. Seattle got their first taste of playoff fever that year and people couldn't talk about anything else–just getting into the park felt electric.
On Sept 22, Seattle played Oakland and the A's were up 6-0 after 3 innings. In the bottom of the 4th, Griffey led off with a solo homer. The next 6 hitters knocked Todd van Poppel around for another run and then loaded the bases. Vince Coleman celebrated his 34th birthday by hitting a game-tying grand slam. They scored 4 more in the 8th, got great relief pitching, and won 10-7.
Authoritatively turning around a 6-0 deficit and winning game after game in September was such an un-Mariner thing to do, it was like a spiritual awakening. Walking down the Kingdome ramp with a sold-out crowd felt like we'd just gone to a revival, not a ballgame.
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=199509220SEA
Game 163, 2009, for the AL Central Championship, Twins v. Tigers. I've never seen a game that intense in my entire life–in person or on t.v. I've seen it stated many times that it is arguably one of the greatest games ever played. I can't believe I was actually there!
I don't mind the anti-Yankee moments. I just love reading about the different games.
Doing so brought me back to some other games.
2008 All-Star Game.
2008 final game at Yankee Stadium (I cried the whole time).
The first game I went to when I cut school with my friends at Yankee Stadium. I remember walking out of the tunnel and just seeing the field open up in front of me. It was amazing.
Opening Day 1969 at Wrigley Field. The Cubs beat the Phillies 7-6 on a two run pinch hit home run by Willie Smith in the bottom of the 11th.
I've been pretty spoiled with great games over the years. If I reaaaalllllyyyyyyyy had to pick just one game, definitely Game 6 of the World Series in 2009. I'll never forget that game.
I also like the first sight of the field in a new stadium. My first trip to Fenway was a great time and they have kettle corn there.
1994 or so, Memorial Day, Sox vs. Royals, two teams going nowhere in particular. Front row seats on the aisle by first base, watching big Mo Vaughn come out of the dugout on a beautiful spring game. Sox won in 10. Nothing overly memorable about the game, but it was before the pink hats, before the monster seats, back when the Red Sox were just another team.
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=199405300BOS
August 1982. Fenway Park. Red Sox vs. Orioles. Dennis Eckersley vs. Jim Palmer. Rice, Evans and Ripken hit home runs. Orioles win in the 10th inning. Fantastic seats behind the first base dugout. Like it just happened last week.
2008 NLDS final game when the Dodgers swept the Cubs.
And home Opening Day the next year. Not the most amazing game but Opening Day always has a certain energy, Vin Scully gave a moving speech to the crowd before throwing the first pitch, Orlando Hudson hit for the cycle (which I had never seen anyone do), and the Dodgers won!
To limit it to baseball, these are probably the highlights:
– Saw Eric Chavez hit for the cycle at home June 21, 2000. Not quite rare enough to equal seeing a no-hitter, but still pretty good.
– Game 2 of the 2006 ALCS. 2 HRs by Milton Bradley, and a near-comeback in the 9th by the A's. So far, still the last playoff game held in Oakland.
– Saw Tim Lincecum's MLB debut (no decision) on May 6, 2007.
– Got to see Barry Bonds hit #58 on his way to 73 against Colorado and Josh Johnson on September 3, 2001.
– Went to the Giants' last game at Candlestick Park, September 30, 1999.
My first MLB game ever was at the height of Fernando-mania. I saw the Giants beat him 5-2 on September 22, 1981.
The best game I ever attended was when Randy Johnson struck out 19 in the Kingdome. That place was electric!
I also saw Al Leiter throw a no-hitter for 5 innings or so in the minors. It wasn't the best game, but it was such a cool night because I was a kid and basically they let me wander all over the place during it.
Yanks beating the Rays 21-4 in 2008, with Shelley Duncan hitting two homers. Sadly, I'm a 'Stros fan. Or the Pirates and Astros game in 2009 where I caught three foul balls, but sadly, it wasn't that great of a game.
10/15/88 game 1 of the world series. kirk gibson. we did not leave early.
also rans: shawn green's 4 hr game in milwaukee, jim abbott's first career shutout in anaheim (against clemens and the sox) and kerry wood's first ml win (in wrigley against nomo and the dodgers).
A rainy May 1, 2009 New Yankee Stadium to see the Yanks take on the Angels.
Got to the stadium at 4:15 as it was my first trip to our new home. It was raining and I was praying to the baseball God's – "Let there be ball".
Yanks win in a bottom 9 walk off single by Jorge. Sat in the bleachers as any real Yankee fan should. Shared a wonderful game in a new wonderful stadium with wonderful friends.
That is why this game is what it is to me.