Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Jayson Werth: Booed by Phils and Nats fans alike

In 1962, my Dad took me to the old Connie Mack stadium to see my first Phillies game. Two years later, we went to the then-new Shea Stadium to see the then-new New York Mets play.  In the intervening decades since, I have been to Veterans Stadium, Citizen Bank Park, and about a dozen major league ballparks in cities other than Philadelphia, but I had never witnessed what we saw today until we made our first visit to the Washington Nationals ballpark - there the Phils fans not only outshouted and outrooted their Washington counterparts, they literally outnumbered them.

Now with the Phillies solidly in 1st place and Philadelphia only a couple of hours from DC, it wasn't surprising that Phils fans would come to the 3-game series, but the total number, which formed large seas of red around the stadium, was astounding.

Now for the game itself. The Phils sent their ace Roy Halladay to the mound. On the opposite side of the field, there was outfielder Jayson Werth, who assured his place in Phils fans' infamy when he left this year and signed with the Nationals. There were 4 home runs, 2 by the Phillies and 2 by the Nats.  There was an hour-and-a-half rain delay which forced Halladay from the mound. There was a dramatic go-ahead run for the Phils in the 8th inning and an even more dramatic game-tying home run in the 9th for the Nats which came with 2 outs and a 1 ball, 2-strike count on the hitter. And finally, there was a final (and not so wonderful) 1st for me as I joined the stunned Phils fans as  reliever Brad Lidge  allowed the winning run to score by hitting a batter with a pitch with the bases loaded.

Travelers' Tip:
There is a Metro stop right near the ballpark, but on this day of firsts, we decided to go on a limo bus trip sponsored by The Crystal City Sports Pub, a 3-story club that is a 2 blocks from our apartment, has more than 100 TVs for game day viewing, and has been listed by Sports Illustrated as one of the top 25 top sports bars in the country.  The bus dropped us off right by Home Plate Gate and picked us up at the same place. No fuss, no muss, no bother.  And, oh yeah, Phils fans outnumbered Nats fans on the bus, too.