Monday after work I came home for a rare night of relaxation. After I made myself dinner, I took it easy because I was so tired from being out late the night before. I struggled through the day at work. It was tough for me. Old age is catching up to me.
Tuesday night after work I went to Taste of Dolly's on my way to Citi Field where I saw the Mets open a three game series with the Colorado Rockies who were making their only visit to the area. I saw my pal Sam Citron when I entered through the Rotunda gate. I proceed to go out to the center field area where I showed my Citi credit card and I got a $10 gift card since it was another Citi Tuesday. When I was done, I walked back around to go up to the Royal Court which was in session in section 515. We had Martin Caamano, David Sack, Phil Butleman, Manny Morales & Pat Gorman on hand that night. Later on in the game, I got a special visit from Bob Kelly who returned from a business trip he took to Montreal on Monday. He decided to see another Met game when he got back to NYC. He actually had a seat downstairs near the Met dugout he said. He came up to pay respect to the King & I. I want to personally thank him for doing so. That was very nice of him.
As for the game we saw, the Mets took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when center fielder Juan Lagares delivered a two out, two run triple to right center field. The Rockies got a run back in the top of the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly by third baseman Nolan Arenado to make it a 2-1 game. In the sixth inning, the Rockies got even when Charlie Blackmon hit a pinch hit home run to tied the game at two.
Thankfully Eric Young Jr. hustled around the bases on an infield single to second base by Juan Lagares as he slide in safely which turned out to be the difference in the game in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Mets beat the Rockies, 3-2.
Wednesday night after work I went to Subway & Carvel for my pre game meal as I returned to Citi Field for more baseball. All-Star starter Matt Harvey was pitching so I knew I had a chance to see something special. When I got upstairs in section 515, I was joined by William Frank Guthrie, Michael Abrams, Steve Tepperman, Frank Anichiarico, Manny Bonilla & Rich Wolber. In addition, Phil Butleman, David Sack & Pat Gorman came back for more too. Furthermore, we had the Hooligan's who provided some added entertainment in section 513. It was a fun night to be at the ballpark.
As for the game we saw, Matt Harvey was as good as advertised on this night. He pitched his first complete game of his young career. He allowed four hits and he struck out six as he earned his ninth win of the season as the Mets beat the Rockies, 4-0 in a quick one for a change. The game lasted only two hours & twenty minutes. It should be noted that Mets' rookie Wilmer Flores got his first major league hit in the second inning. He also added a double in the eighth inning which cleared the bases to give Matt Harvey the insurance he needed to have an opportunity to finish what he started. It was a rare feeling indeed.
Thursday night after work I came home since the Mets & Rockies played an afternoon game to wrap up their three game set. It worked out well for me because I needed to do my laundry and I wanted to pack my bags in anticipation of my big week long trip to the West Coast. It turned out to be a very productive evening as I got everything done as I planned to.
Friday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees open a three game weekend series against the Detroit Tigers. Before I went inside Yankee Stadium, I decided to try a different place for dinner. I went to U.S. Fried Chicken where I had a few pieces of chicken and cole slaw. It was good. I'm glad I gave it a shot. As I like to say, it never hurts to try. You can't succeed if you don't. When I got done, I walked back over to the Stadium. It stopped raining after it started briefly when I got off the subway.
When I got upstairs to my seat in section 420B row 7, the tarp was on the field for no apparent reason. The Yankees notoriously like to hold their fans hostage even when it's not raining. By doing so, they delayed the start of the game by 47 minutes. Needless to say, the King & I weren't too happy especially since we had to catch an early flight in the morning.
Among us unhappy campers were our pals William Frank Guthrie & Steve Tepperman who can't understand it either.
As for the game we finally saw, the Yankees' starter Ivan Nova pitched well allowing just one run over seven innings. He left the game with a 3-1 lead. It stayed that way until the ninth inning when Mariano Rivera came on to try & close it out. Quite amazingly, he failed to do so. With two outs, and a man on second, Miguel Cabrera battled Mariano. He fought off a few foul balls that hit off his ankle. He could barely walk. He finally gathered himself & he proceeded to launch a ball over the center field fence that tied the game at three which stunned the crowd that was still left. After the Yankees failed to score in the bottom of the ninth inning, the game went into extra innings. I really wanted to leave since I needed to get some sleep. I decided to stick out an extra inning. Luckily with two outs in the bottom of the tenth inning, Brett Gardner poked a ball through to left field which scored the winning run as the Yankees outlasted the Tigers, 4-3. He was the last batter I was going to see.
Stay tuned for the numerous special posts I plan to write that will recap the big West Coast trip that the King, our friend Frank Anichiarico & I took. Please bear with me as I try to find the time to go into detail about it.
Thank you for reading & following along.
Yours truly,
Gary Herman
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