JUDGEment day has finally come in the Bronx and I am lucky enough to have been able to attend this glorious day. I bought these tickets about 2 months ago because I really wanted to see Jeter, Rivera, Posada, and Pettite again. Little did I know the treat that I would be in for....
My day started off pretty peaceful until I got to the stadium at around 10:50am because I wanted to make sure I got in way before the ceremonies were planned to start at around 12:00pm. The lines of people waiting outside of the stadium to go in were something that I have never seen before. I have been to numerous playoff games, subway series games, and Yankee/Red Sox games but I have never seen lines this long. Gate 8 had the longest line by far and Gate 6 was just as bad which left me waiting around 15 minutes to get in at Gate 4 because for some reason the line there was much shorter.
As I got into the stadium I went straight to my seats because by then it was around 11:30am but once I got to my seats I could only stay there for about 10 minutes because the sun was so strong and it was so hot that I had to go stand under the shade until the 1996 ceremony started.
Surprisingly the ceremony did not start until around 12:30 which was a half an hour past the scheduled time which left me standing under the shade for about an hour. I feel like they were pressed for time mostly because they had a delayed start to the ceremony and then Michael Kay and John Sterling kept and talking and talking, no offense to either of those guys but I feel like most people didn't really care what they were saying.
First guy out was Posada and then I really didn't know much of the guys until Jeter came out and it felt like the stadium was about to explode. Then when Rivera came out and he passed by Jeter it was weird because they almost look identical to each other with the same skin color and the bald shiny heads. I'm kind of disapointed that nobody had the opportunity to speak but it was really cool to see guys like Jeter, Rivera, Posada, Pettite, Wetteland, Leyritz, Cone, Gooden, O'Neil, etc once again.
As the game started all I was really hoping was that Austin and Judge were able to get at least one hit each so that I could say I was there when they made their debuts and got their first hits. Oh what little did I know....
Lets cut to the Bottom of the 2nd inning, Tyler Austin works himself into a 2-2 count with 2 outs and I honestly was not expecting much from him in this situation. But the next pitch was a high fly ball to right field and it cleared the wall by about a foot right next to the pole and bounced right back onto the field and the crowd was going bonkers for the young Austin.
Next batter up was the 6'7 Aaron Judge, as he was walking to the batters box he looked like he was hungry to murder a baseball.... And that he did! On a 1-2 count he launches a home run 447 feet off of the batters eye in center field. The only thing I remember saying as the ball left the bat was "OH. MY. GOD" That was one of the furthest home runs I have ever seen hit. These kids are the future and I think management are finally starting to realize it.
Tanaka was rolling up until the top of the 4th inning when Brad Miller hit a 3-run homer to left field which put the crowd in a lull because now the Yanks were losing 3-2 now. But the Yankees fired back in the bottom of the 4th inning when Starlin Castro hit a home run to center field tying up the game 3-3.
Then in the bottom of the 5th inning the unthinkable happens, Aaron Hicks hit a 3-run homer in the 2nd deck of right field. I was in pure shock because that was the last thing I would expect Aaron Hicks to do, especially with men on 1st and 2nd. This would give the Yankees a 6-3 lead on a day where 2 of their top prospects are debuting. But it would be very short lived with Brad Miller hitting his second home run of the day in the top of the 6th cutting the Yankee lead to 2 with the score 6-4.
The Yankees home run barrage would finally end after a 2-run homer by Didi Gregorious which led to Tyler Clippard pitching a scoreless 8th inning and Tommy Layne ending the game in the 9th by pitching a scoreless 9th.
Aaron Judge and Tyler Austin ended their MLB Debut by both going 2-4 and hitting a solo home run each. I'm really hoping that these two have found a way into the Yankees everyday starting lineup because they have definitely proved today that they can provide a spark to this team that the current veterans do not provide.
I was very pleased with my experience today getting to see Judge and Austin's first MLB hits/home runs.
What do you think about these new rookies? Let me know in the comments
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Patrick Hennessy....totally enjoyed your great piece. The accompanying
ReplyDeletephotos only added to your word weaving. Nice work.
As like Benny Tomko....the both of you captured the spirit of the day.
A turning point in what was a darkened season ? I think yes.
Better days are near, as the tunnel begins to brighten.
Again....nice work. Stay well.
Appreciate it! It was a great experience to see the future of our organization do so well in their big league debut's.
DeleteAnother great story and another great article. Very well done Patrick.
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