As I mentioned in my last post this week was a blur to me. After the Reds game Tuesday, and work Wednesday, I spent Thursday and the first part of Friday at Ohio University.

(photo from ohio-realty.com)

While I was taking part in the Orientation activities and getting my classes scheduled, James Mcdonald was dominating the Rockies in his Pirates debut. After wraping things up Friday morning, me and my parents drove back home. Despite running on fumes from being up at 4 AM Thursday and 7 AM Friday, I still had a game to go to, and more importantly an Andrew McCutchen Bobblehead to get.

If it was any other promotion I would have most likely done an exchange. I was too tired for batting practice, and took a nap instead. I got to the ballpark around 6 PM. After buying extra tickets for bobbleheads for some family members, I met up with my usual friends for the game.

It was another disappointing loss. Zach Duke was his typical self giving up double digit hits but only 3 runs. Pedro Alvarez made things exciting when he crushed a 3 run home-run to tie it up 3-3. But in the top of the 7th, Chan Ho Park, fresh off of waivers and making his debut out of the bullpen gave up a crucial run. The Rockies would add two more runs off of Joel Hanrahan in the 9th, putting the game away.

 While Friday’s game was a let-down for a variety of reasons, Saturday’s was the complete opposite.

I got to the park shortly before 4:30, since season ticket holders get in extra early on Saturdays. When the gates opened, the Pirates were still stretching and warming up down the third baseline.  

Another great perk on Saturdays is our access to the stadium is not limited to the left field bleachers. I made my way to the main concourse and down to the first row down the line. On the way, I found a ball laying here behind the foul pole.

Though I wouldn’t get a ball from a player, I would get autographs from Daniel McCutchen and newbie Chan Ho Park (pictured below).

I went back to the bleachers as the Pirates started to hit. Shortly after they began hitting Paul Maholm tossed a ball to a dad with his young son and daughter. He couldn’t make the bare hand catch and the ball rolled to me. I gave the ball to his daughter, as I knew it wasn’t for me. Still counts though.

I would get a third from Wil Ledezma shortly after.

BP attendance was light for the season ticket portion, and better yet, the general public was held outside until 5:30 instead of the usual 5 PM on Saturdays. This made snagging so much easier.

To pass the time while the lefties were up, I snagged this picture of Ubaldo Jimenez jogging along the warning track.

Thursday’s hero James McDonald was doing the same.

I was hanging toward the back of the bleachers when BP hero Lastings Milledge began hitting. In what was my most unusual snag of the year, Lastings destroyed a ball that hit off the ramp above the bullpen, then hit off the gate keeping people out…  

…and into the concourse under the bleachers. I was the only person who followed the ball, and I scooped the grounder for ball 4.

I was just one away from tying my season and career high of five. Unfortunately the clock struck 5:30, and the sell-out crowd filled the place. It was nearly impossible to get around and after a while I gave up.

It was a beautiful night for baseball. 

And the park was packed.

At first the game was destined to be another low scoring loss for Ross Ohlendorf. He pitched wonderful again, giving up two runs in 6+ innings. The Pirates would finally get on the board when Chris Snyder hit his first home run as a Pirate, a towering three run homer off of the foul pole in right.

After a Garrett Jones home run in the 7th and another insurance run in the 8th, the Pirates looked poised to coast to a 5-2 victory.

In the top of the 9th however the Rockies would pound Joel Hanrahan again. After back to back singles to lead off the inning, Ian Stewart came to the plate. Me and my friends joked about him hitting a home run to tie the game just to make the Skyblast goers mad (this game featured a ton of pitching changes and was going on three and a half hours). Sure enough, he launched a pitch on to the Riverwalk to make it 5-5.George Thurougood fans were beside themselves

Though we got a good laugh over that, the joke was over in the top of the 10th when Todd Helton hit a two run home run off Sean Gallagher to make it 7-5. All looked lost.

To lead off the 10th, Andrew McCutchen hit a ball off the top of the fence in right center, the umpire signaled for a home run but the play was overturned after the second replay review in as many nights. With Cutch on 2nd, Jose Tabata flew out, and Neil Walker struk out.

Garrett Jones would keep the game alive putting together a 10 pitch at bat to draw a walk. In stepped Pedro Alvarez, and well you know what happens.  

Even better was the call made by Greg Brown and Steve Blass on the radio that night. Steve’s hilarious reaction was very similar to mine the stands that night. It’s quickly becoming an online favorite across Pittsburgh.

Of course there were those debbie-downers on the call in shows shortly after saying whats the big deal, it’s only one game. Maybe that’s the case, especially for a team thats 39-72. But isn’t it moments like this that make it so great to be a baseball fan? The way the stadium sounded and celebrated, you could have sworn you were watching a playoff game, not some run-of-the-mill game in August between two teams with no chance to make the playoffs. Its something I could get used to. There has been a lot of debate about whether this tops Brian Giles walk off grand slam to complete a 8 run comback in the 9th inning back in 2001. All I know is that this was the most exciting game I’ve been to in the 100+ I’ve seen in person.

Unfortunately for me there is one last homestand that I’ll get to before heading off to college. I’m going to try and make as many of the 10 games I can before saying good-bye to the team for the rest of the season. 

STATS

Record: 9-11

28 baseballs /19 games/1.47 average