My first game!

Do you remember your first Big League baseball game? I do. I was
seven years old and my grandfather took me to see the one and only Detroit Tigers! I idolized my grandfather and for him to take me made the experience that much more special. He loved the Detroit Tigers - he loved all Detroit sports in fact. He had a room in his house dedicated to sports memorabilia. It was his office but, I remember calling it the “baseball room”. The room is no longer filled with sports memorabilia but I cannot walk into it without going back two decades. Your very first baseball game is almost overwhelming to your senses. The smell of peanuts, popcorn, hot dogs, and stale spilled beer. The
sound of the vendors wanting you to purchase their product, the cheers from the crowd, the crack of the bat, or the smack of the ball hitting the catcher’s mitt. I was so excited to be at Tiger Stadium with my grandfather, that during the National Anthem, as I stood there in front of our amazing seats behind home plate next to my grandfather who had his hand over his heart, I puked all over myself. When I was a child, I would get so excited about something that I would
get an upset stomach and become ill. It would come out of nowhere. Grandpa just looked down at me with concern in his eyes and asked if I wanted to go. “No Grandpa, I want to stay.” Grandpa bought me a Tigers shirt so I wouldn’t have to wear a vomit laden shirt all day. It was grey Jersey shirt and had the old school Tigers symbol on the front, and to this day I still own that shirt. It was a special day. I saw my favorite Player, Cecil Fielder, hit a home run. I saw Cal Ripken Jr. on the field. And I remember that the Tigers won.

0 members like this

Comment

You need to be a member of Ballpark Chasers to add comments!

Join Ballpark Chasers

Comment by michael schwartz (71) on October 13, 2011 at 9:42am: Speaking of the King Dome (see Ken Lee's comment), I went there with three other middle-aged guys. I was first to hit the concession stand to buy a round of beers, and when I did the sweet young thing behind the counter asked for I.D. She was very apologetic and explained that King Dome policy was to card everyone without exception so there would never be any questions raised about serving minors. I assured her that being carded at my age was the nicest thing anyone had done to me in years. When I returned to my seat and told everyone in the vicinity what had happened, all the old guys went down to get carded so they could tell their family and friends they had been mistaken for being under age 21.

Comment by Ken Lee (30/43) on October 10, 2011 at 12:41pm: King Dome... Mariners vs Yankees, August of 1977. I LOVED being at the game, even if it was inside a gray concrete tomb, with a roof and plastic grass. :)

Comment by Richard (15) on October 5, 2011 at 9:36pm: I can actually say that I did not enjoy my first ballgame. My father took me to a day game. I remember I sat way up in the nosebleeds, this was when Yankee stadium was empty. I remember Ricky Henderson hit one out, though, I don't remember who they were playing. I also remember it was extremely hot and I had on these tight black cheap leather pants (don't judge me, it was the eighties and Michael Jackson was in). I wanted to leave after what seemed like gb forever, was only the third inning.
Wow, its crazy now that i think about it, I would never leave a game. Especially in the third inning.

Comment by michael schwartz (71) on September 17, 2011 at 3:22pm: I saw my first game at Ebbets Field on October 1, 1950. That was the famous game won by the Phillies over the Dodgers in 10 innings that ended the season and gave the Phils the pennant. The late Dick Sisler hit a three-run homer to save the Phils from an epic collapse, as they had blown all but one game of a 7 1/2 game lead in the previous ten days.

My dad had been given free tickets for the last game of the season weeks before, as no one else wanted them. When it became apparent that the game might mean something, all his buddies tried to get dad to take them along, but he was determined to take his seven year old son to his first baseball game, and so we went.

Nothing beat taking the train from New Jersey to NYC, then riding the subway to Brooklyn, and finally the several blocks walk to the ballpark, with the excitement becoming more palpable as we neared the park.

One would think I'd have become a Dodger or Phillies fan, but I was already a hard core Yankee fan. Got to see Joe D. play center field the next season, with the Mick in right, first time at Yankee Stadium. But that's another story...

Comment by Yankeebiscuitfan on September 17, 2011 at 10:52am: My very first game was in 1995, when I spend my vacation in California. I went to Dodger Stadium, had seats on the first deck right behind home plate. I was lucky enough to see Hideo Nomo pitch. The game itself ended in an anti climax when the Dodgers scored the game winning run on a bases loaded walk. But I saw a great throw by Raul Mondesi from right field to nail a Philly runner on third. Awesome.

Comment by Tim Choiniere on September 13, 2011 at 12:36pm: My first game was on Mothers day of 87 at Fenway Park against the then California Angels. Don Sutton vs Bruce Hurts. Sox won 7-0 on a perfect day. Really enjoyed it. Twice my Dad and brother left to go to the Concession stands and twice the Sox hit HRs!!! This was well before there were TVs there to see what you were missing. Have been many many times over the years and still always excited.