Katherine and I attended our third baseball game of the season yesterday evening. When the game started, at 7:05, it was 90º, humid, and windy. Luckily for us, the sun was behind the ballpark structure when we took our seats. Otherwise, we would have roasted. After the sun set, the temperature began to fall. By the time the game ended, 2:51 after it began, it was 84º and pleasant.
The Texas Rangers went 4-5 on their recent road trip (Baltimore, Detroit, New York) and found themselves in a tie for first place (at 10-5) with the visiting Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Rangers have been in first place since Opening Day, so it was important to win yesterday. I would love to see the Rangers in first place from the first game to the last, as my Detroit Tigers were in 1984. We need to win at least one of the two remaining games to stay in first place. The Angels came to Arlington with a five-game winning streak.
The game was tense for four innings. In the bottom of the fourth, Mitch Moreland, who is mature beyond his years, singled in two runs to break the tension. The 30,799 fans lit up. The Rangers added four more runs in the fifth, making it 6-0. The Angels scored a run in the seventh and the Rangers tacked one on in the eighth. C. J. Wilson pitched a superb game, giving up only one earned run in seven innings against a good-hitting team. We got to see a suicide squeeze by Elvis Andrus, a three-run home run by Adrian Beltre (his fifth home run of the season), and a solo home run by Moreland. Final score: Texas 7, Los Angeles 1. Katherine and I are 3-0 on the season. I realize that 20-0 is unreasonable, but we're hoping for 15-5.
Before the game, we did a little tailgating. We ate Chipotle burritos (delicious!) and drank our favorite beverages (Gatorade for me) while sitting in easy chairs near my car. Later, in the ballpark, I ate peanuts and a strawberry chill. Is there anything better than a Major League Baseball game?
Addendum: The moon rose over the ballpark late in the game. If you click the image in this post, you will see it. I have no idea why it was orange. There have been wildfires west of the Metroplex for the past week or so; perhaps the air was smoky.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 