Royalty w/o 5/21 in review

Prince at Citi Field

Monday night after work tired and all from the great weekend getaway I had, I managed to still go up to the Bronx to see the Yankees host the Kansas City Royals who were making their only visit to Yankee Stadium this season.

I stopped off at the 7 Fish Market first to have a pre game dinner with the King. After we ate, we walked over to the Stadium. With mother nature trying her best to ruin the night, the game got started on time and it was played without incident.

As for the game we saw, the Royals set the tone early as they scored two runs in the first inning thanks to a two run homer by Mike Moustakas who I saw play in Des Moines, Iowa last September when he was with the Royals' Triple A affiliate, the Omaha Storm Chasers. The Royals add a run in the third inning. The Yankees had a golden opportunity to get back in the game as they loaded the bases with nobody out but the Royals wound up escaping the jam without giving up a run. They added to their lead in the later innings as they shutout the Yankees, 6-0.

Tuesday night after work I went back to the Bronx for game two of the three game set. I went to the Court Deli Restaurant first to pick up a corned beef sandwich for dinner. I also went to the KJY Fruit Market to get some water and goodies to go with my sandwich before I headed into the Stadium. I went to my seat and I sat down, relaxed and enjoyed my dinner before the game started. I was joined by the King who arrived just before game time.

As for the game we saw, the Royals got on the scoreboard first, they scored a run on a double by catcher Humberto Quintero in the third inning. Jeff Francoeur hit a solo homer in the fourth inning to make it 2-0. The Yankees sliced the lead in half thanks to a solo home run by Robinson Cano in the bottom of the fourth inning. In the fifth inning, the Yankees tied the game on a hit by Derek Jeter which was followed by a run scoring ground out by Curtis Granderson to give the Yankees' the lead at 3-2. That's how the game ended as the Yankees held on for the narrow victory.

Wednesday night after work I returned to the Bronx for the rubber match of the series. Before I went into the Stadium, I met up with the King who said he was going to Burger King for dinner.

After we ate, we walked over to the Stadium. We went up to our seats in section 420B row 7 where we were joined by our pal Vincent Ascanio who was there. As always, it was nice to see him again.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees' jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning as Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez hit home runs to give Andy Pettitte a comfortable cushion right off the bat. A-Rod added another homer in the third inning. In the fifth inning, the Yankees benefited from some charity from the Royals as they walked in a few more runs as the Yankees cruised to a 8-3 victory. Andy Pettitte gave up a few solo homers as he notched his 242nd lifetime major league win.

Thursday night after work I went to Citi Field to see the Mets who returned home for their longest homestand of the season. They opened a four series with the San Diego Padres who were making their only appearance in Queens.

Unfortunately our friends Steve Fekete aka the Padre Punk and his pal Corey Menotti aka the Dancing Friar were unable to come East to see their beloved Padres play. They were there in spirit though.

As for the game we saw, it started well for the Mets as they took an early 1-0 lead then the rain came which delayed the game by an hour and eight minutes. Apparently it was just what the Padres needed. After the delay, the Padres' offense woke up as they hit Mets' starter Jeremy Hefner hard. They touch him up for four doubles which lead to four runs. The Padres tack on a few more runs in the fourth inning to built a 6-1 lead. The Mets' came back with a few more runs but the Padres stormed back in the seventh inning to extend their lead as they went on to beat the Mets, 11-5 in the series opener.

Friday after getting out of work early thanks to the long holiday weekend, I was able to go home and do my laundry before I went back to Citi Field for game two of the four game set. I met up with the King and our friends Frank Anichiarico and Bryan Gilligan at Citi Field.

As for the game we saw, the Padres got on the scoreboard first as they drew first blood to take a brief 1-0 lead. The Mets tied the game in the bottom of the second inning as Lucas Duda hit a solo home run to even the score at one. In the bottom of the third inning, they tacked on a few more runs. They added three more in the fifth inning to put the game out of reach, 6-1. That's how it ended as Mets' starter Dillon Gee pitched seven strong innings to pick up the win.

After the game, we went to Donovan's Pub for a post game meal. I got to enjoy Pork Chops, a few beers and some great company.

Stay tuned as I recap the rest of the holiday weekend in a special post. I will also write about a restaurant we came across in our travels.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman