Game 3: Turner Field, Atlanta, GA
Kansas City Royals vs Atlanta Braves – Tuesday, April 16, 2013
[It was during dinner on Monday evening that we looked up at the airport TV monitors and learned about the terrible events at the Boston marathon. Being familiar with the city, and having family and friends living in the area, we were shocked, worried, saddened, and angered by what had occurred. What a shame! Our prayers immediately went out to all the victims. In the seventh inning at Turner Field on Tuesday, they played Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline, the signature anthem of the Boston Red Sox, and on the big screen they showed fans holding up a sign that said “Pray 4 Boston.” It was a beautiful and heartwarming moment. We since learned that similar shows of support and unity were on display at other venues as well. Evil will not win.]
Baseball is a strange game.
When Chris Getz stepped up to the plate at the top of the third inning, a taunting message flashed on the giant scoreboard. It noted that “In 829 at bats for the Royals, Getz had never hit a home run.” Moments later, the aforementioned Getz crushed a fast ball over the right field wall for his first homer since 2009, which actually works out to 954 at bats. Ha- ha! Who is laughing now, scoreboard? The Getz homer tied the game at the time after Juan Francisco had staked the Braves to a 1-o lead with a solo shot in the second. The game was pretty tight all the way up to seventh inning with KC nursing a slender 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the seventh, Juan Francisco deposited his second home run of the evening over the center field wall and tied the game. Still, there was no indication that a wild one was brewing on the day honoring #42 in Atlanta.
Then it happened in the bottom of the eighth. Flame throwing Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera fired a 98 mph pitch at Jason Heyward who crushed it over the left field wall to put the Braves ahead 3-2. The very next batter, Justin Upton, turned on a change up and clubbed a mammoth home run deep into the left field stands. After Evan Gattis popped out, Dan Uggla belted a solo shot to left-center off a 99 mph fast ball. Geez! These guys can hit!
The top of the ninth was notable, unfortunately, for the wrong reason. Braves reliever Luis Avilan, just as he was making the pitch, fell off the mound clutching his left hamstring and was writhing in pain. He later limped off the field with some help and was then carted off. It looked pretty gruesome. To add insult to injury, he was called for a balk. KC added a run in the ninth, but there was no stopping Atlanta in this one.
The Braves have a beautiful stadium and the fans were really passionate. We had seats by the right field line just beyond first base and only 12 rows back from the wall. The view was terrific and it was cool to see all the 42’s on the field. Every time the home team hit a home run, fireworks were set off and an opponent’s strike out was celebrated with flames from a local gas company logo. The famous Coke bottle over left field showed some really cool graphics and there was this guy whaling away at a giant drum behind center field.
Given how well the Braves are doing – they have now rattled off 10 in a row and are sitting on a ridiculous 12 and 1 record – we were surprised to see so many empty seats at the stadium. There was, however, a distinguished guest in the stands – home grown hero President Jimmy Carter who was shown briefly on the giant screen. The Braves sure know how to celebrate Jackie Robinson’s Day in style.
Our trip to Atlanta, although short, was a lot of fun. We flew in on Monday evening and on Tuesday morning took a trip over to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. We saw the home where Reverend King was born, his tomb as well as that of his wife Coretta Scott King, and the Ebenezer Baptist Church that the King family attended. We then ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and viewed their collection of rock memorabilia. After lunch we visited the Carter Center and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, before heading over to Turner Field.
We are now off to another city but our hearts and thoughts are with Boston. We’ll see you soon. Bye for now.
