Senators Fan Club tradition alert: no matter what baseball trips we schedule throughout the season, we always spend the final regular season Sunday home game at Nationals Park. So last Sunday morning (10/2/2016), we packed up and headed for the ball yard by the Anacostia River.
MLB’s new 3:05 start time for every game on the final day of the regular season makes sense baseball-wise. However, for those of us UN-retired folks, it means a later ride home and shorter night’s sleep.
I say, “Bring it on!” I will always trade sleep for baseball. After all, I can sleep during the off-season.
We met Howie, the Wolf’s Bus Lines driver, for the first time. Howie’s sense of humor fit right in with our group; plus, he was helpful and flexible with us in every way possible.
The ride into DC went smoothly enough that we had plenty of time to soak in the park during pregame. Our seats in Section 133 (just inside the first base gate) couldn’t have been more convenient. We’ve cornered these tickets two consecutive years and I hope we continue to do so.
The concourse behind us features all kinds of food and drink as well as a souvenir shop. I could quickly pick up a yearbook as a gift and return to my seat between innings without missing a pitch.
We had a great view of Danny Espinosa’s 3-run bomb as well as Bryce Harper’s upper deck foul ball. We celebrated with Max Scherzer as he drove in four runs with a pair of singles and notched his 20th win of the season.
Spencer Kieboom, a Senators backstop most of this season, currently carries a 1.000 OBP% in the majors. Spencer’s patient base on balls in his very first MLB plate appearance led to a run scored.
Following an entertaining 10-7 win over the Marlins, we witnessed Dusty Baker’s never-ending class. He walked toward the Marlins dugout to shake hands with Don Mattingly and others.
Due to the time (our game finished later than most every other contest), we needed to forego our usual buffet near Thurmont, MD. We settled for a quick, satisfying stop at Roy Rogers.
Part of the satisfaction lies in a tap on my shoulder while seated inside. A gentleman wearing a Nationals logo introduced himself to me. He and his wife lived in DC, then retired and settled near York.
They had attended today’s game as well! What are the odds?
He expressed interest in joining the Fan Club and signing up for our baseball trips. I gave him our URL and told him to get ready for a busy 2017 road schedule!
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