Game # 16 Guarantee Rate Field-Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals

We are back on "Our Field of Dreams Tour" after a quick flight home to celebrate our darling grandson Jax 1st birthday. Once back in Detroit we picked up our RV and made our way to Chicago. We were joined by longtime great friends Scott and Lina who flew in from California to meet us. It was a perfectly gorgeous day on Sunday, May 21 for a ballgame with bright sunny skies and temperatures in the 70's. We arrived at Guarantee Rate Field at 11am, two hours before game time to explore the stadium. The "New Comiskey Park" as some of the Southside fans refer to it opened in 1991 replacing the former Comiskey Park which had been the home of the White Sox since 1910. It has since been demolished to make room for a parking lot however, the location of the old home plate is represented by a marble plaque on the sidewalk next to the park. We saw many fans tailgating in the parking lot and getting game ready with barbecues and games of cornhole. As we walked to the main gate we were greeted by several pillars displaying the retired numbers of White Sox players and Hall of Famers. Some of the players were way before my time so I had to read up about their amazing contributions to America's favorite past time. White Sox retired numbers are: #2 Nellie Fox 2B, #3 Harold Baines RF, #4 Luke Appling SS, #9 Minnie Minoso LF, #11 Luis Aparicio SS, #14 Paul Konerko 1B, #16 Ted Lyons P, #19 Billy Pierce P, #35 Frank Thomas 1B, #56 Mark Buehrle P, #72 Carlton Fisk C and #42 Jackie Robinson 2B. Additionally, at this gate entrance is the White Sox Champions Brick Plaza. This plaza is dedicated to the 2005 World Series Champion White Sox and their fans. There are several legacy bricks with inscribed personal messages from fans. The most impressive feature of this plaza was the enourmous white, bronze and granite sculpture celebrating the White Sox 2005 World Championship. Players on the sculpture are Paul Konerko, Joe Crede, Orlando Hernandez, Geoff Blum and Juan Uribe. Jim and I love the fact that former Giants and Dodger player Juan Uribe was a part of that championship team and on the sculpture. We took some pictures which you can view on our Instagram @ourfieldofdreams2023. Once inside the gate we continued our journey of exploration. In the outfield concourse are several bronze statues of several former White Sox players which I have put pictures of on our Instagram. A very unique feature is the Rain Room where fans can cool off during hot game days. Also, something I have never seen before in a ballpark is an outdoor shower! This was brought over from the old Comiskey Park and used by fans to cool off on hot days. Today is a warm day but NOT warm enough for me to try! The White Sox fans are very passionate about their team and they are definitly not fond of Cubs fans. It is kind of like the Dodger vs. Giants rival only a thousand times more. We made our way to our seats on the first base side of the field and met a couple of lifelong White Sox fans Tom and Teresa who were sitting behind us. They gave us lots of fan history of the White Sox and really taught us how to cheer for the home team, including the song they sing when the opposing team's pitcher is replaced. "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, goodbye." Tom and Teresa were great to sit by as they kept us laughing as we enjoyed the game. I really think Tom is a comedian of if not he should be! He said he would read this blog and comment....well we will see. Now on to the fan favorite, the food. Jim did his usual scouting to find the best hot dog in the park. Our very kind usher, Victor recommended the Comiskey Hot Dog. The Comiskey Hot Dog is a foot-long hot dog with toppings of mustard, relish, onion, tomato, pickle, and peppers. It really was a great looking hot dog so much so that our friends Scott and Lina got one as well. Jim gave this hot dog a 7.5. See his Instagram reel if you haven't already. I decided to go with a hot meatball sandwich which was delicious but messy. It had loads of onions and peppers and a very tasty sauce on the meatballs. Yummy! Now on to the game. One thing I heard about was the LED lights and how they flicker when the White Sox get a home run or win the game, for this I was hopeful. The White Sox had Lance Lynn on the mound who started off well with a little struggle in the 2nd inning when Royals player Michael Massey hit a two-run homer. Score Royals 2 - Sox 0. All I could think of was we can't have another home team loss. Our Field of Dreams record is 6 wins and 9 losses. Well the White Sox came to life in the 4th inning with a HOME RUN by Luis Robert Jr. YEAH!!! We got to see the LED lights flash as the fans celebrated this explosive home run. Score Royals 2 - Sox 1. Then in the bottom of the 5th inning the White Sox bats got busy with Clint Frazier and Gavin Sheets hitting singles, Hanser Alberto hitting a sacrifice bunt and a huge triple by Romy Gonzalez scoring two runs. Then to top it off Andrew Benintendi hits a sacrifice fly to bring in a run. Score Royals 2 - Sox 4. White Sox made a pitching change at the top of the 7th inning after an excellent performance by Lance Lynn in 6 innings. The Royals just could not bring the offense and it was lights out for them the rest of the game. To add insult to injury the White Sox used up the Royals bullpen as they tried to shut them down but that did not happen. In the bottom of the 7th inning Tim Anderson and Romy Gonzalez have back-to-back singles bringing up Andrew Benintendi who had a hard hit single to bring in the final run. Score Royals 2 - Sox 5 where the game would end. It's a win for the home team making it 7 wins and 9 losses on Our Field of Dreams Tour. Hopefully this will continue as we go see the Chicago Cubs take on the New York Mets on Tuesday evening. We are really looking forward to our visit to historical Wrigley Field with our good friends Scott and Lina. Until next time, PLAY BALL!