GAME # 30-Angel Stadium-Los Angeles Angels vs. Cincinnati Reds

WE DID IT! On Wednesday, August 23 we attended our final ballpark at Angel Stadium to complete our tour of all 30 MLB ballparks in the 2023 season. We planned our final stadium to be close to home in order for friends and family to join in our final stadium celebration and Jim’s birthday. We had 20 friends and family members join us with the farthest coming from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. We have been to Angel Stadium many times before but this was the first time in 2023. Angel Stadium is the 4th oldest stadium in MLB opening in 1966 with a current capacity of 45,517. There was a period of time when the stadium had a much larger capacity when the stadium was shared with the Los Angeles Rams from 1980-1994. After the Rams left for St. Louis the stadium returned to a baseball only facility. Angel Stadium has some features that are unique, one of those being the “Big A” which can be seen from the freeways and lights up extra bright on an Angels WIN. Also in left-center field is the “California Spectacular” which is a rock waterfall with geysers that erupt when the Angels get a home run or win the game. Additionally the Home Plate Gate is one of the most special entrances with two giant Angel hats and a full-sized brick infield complete with a regulation pitcher’s mound. See our Instagram for pictures of our Canadian cousin Ed winding up on the mound. @ourfieldofdreams2023. The Angels were founded in 1961 by Gene Autry as an expansion team. There is a statue of Gene Autry at the ballpark to honor his 36 years as the owner of the Angels. The Angels made the playoffs three times while Autry was the owner. Unfortunately, Autry who died in 1998 would never see his team win the pennant. The Los Angeles Angels won their only World Series Championship in 2002. I remember that World Series well as they were playing the San Francisco Giants. The Angels have won 7 AL West Division Titles with the last one being in 2014. Over the years the Angels have been known as the Los Angeles Angels, California Angels, Anaheim Angels and now back to the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels are one of three teams who do not have an official mascot. However, I would argue that the hundreds of rally monkeys that are waved across the stadium are certainly as close as it gets to a mascot. When the Angels are trailing by four or fewer runs in the 6th inning the Rally Monkey comes out to the song of “Jump Around.” The Rally Monkey really became a permanent fixture after Game 6 of the 2002 World Series when the Giants were close to eliminating the Angels in a 5-0 lead. The Rally Monkey came out and Angels Scott Spiezio crushed a three-run blast that sparked a come back. The Angels would then go on to score three more runs in the 8th inning to win the game. OH HOW I REMEMBER! The Angels have only six retired numbers with only half of them being players who wore the Angels uniform: #26-Gene Autry, owner; #50-Jimmie Reese, coach; #42-Jackie Robinson, retired by all MLB; #11 Jim Fregosi; #29 Rod Carew; and #30 Nolan Ryan. Here is a bit of trivia for you did you know that Nolan Ryan holds the record for NO HITTERS? Nolan Ryan has 7 no hitters with 4 of them while he wore the Angels uniform. Speaking of pitchers boy did we luck out as the pitcher for this game is the talk of MLB, Shohei Ohtani. We spent some time walking around the stadium with my good friend Cheryl while our friends and family gathered in our seating area. Thanks to Cheryl for taking so many wonderful pictures for us on this final game. Once we arrived back to our seats Jim’s longtime friend from high school Jeff, who works as a head usher now that he is retired, took us to a restricted area to see the players on the field. Since this was a day game there was not batting practice and only a short warm up. Thank you to Jeff for getting us down on the rail and for taking so many great photos for us with Ohtani in the background. Jim did his final hot dog review in the stands with our friends and family looking on. He selected a Pastrami Dog from Crafty Dog which was not only delicious but extremely large! Jim game the Angels Pastrami Dog the highest rating of our tour with a 9.0. The Angels games always begin with the song “Calling All Angels” by Train and of course the National Anthem. As the game began we all took our seats and prepared to watch a great game. In order to keep 20 people engaged in the game I organized a fun “Cup Gambling Game” to be played through the game. Everyone puts a dollar in the cup and then the cup is passed down the row with each batter. The person holding the cup pays or takes from the cup according to their batter’s outcome: Strikeout -2, Fly/groudout -1, Ejection -20, Single +1, Double +2, Triple +3 and Home Run take all the money in the cup. It was a great way to keep a large group in the game. First pitch by Shohei Ohtani was at 1:09pm in front of a crowd of 28,776. It was three up and three down for the Reds in the top on the 1st inning. The first inning for the Angels was the absolute BEST. Following a walk by Luis Rengifo, Shohei Ohtani hit his #44 homer. It was so fantastic to see Ohtani blast that homer! Score Reds 0 - Angels 2. Eric Mauldin wins the cup. The next three batters would go down in order. The 2nd inning Ohtani would walk Spencer Steer and Joey Votto would pop out before tragically Ohtani would leave the mound with arm fatigue. The crowd was not happy to see him leave the mound with over half of the fans wearing Ohtani jerseys. Unfortunately we would later learn that Ohtani is done pitching for the season. The next score would come in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Andrew Velazquez hit a double followed by Luis Rengifo’s double to score Velazquez. Score Reds 0 - Angels 3. In the top of the 4th inning Matt McLain hit a single and Spencer Steer hit a single. With runners on the corners Joey Votto hit a soft grounder to score Matt McLain. Score Reds 1 - Angels 3. The top of the 5th inning the Reds would do some damage, Will Benson and TJ Friedl both flied out with Luke Maile taking a walk. With two outs and a runner on first, Matt McLain came to the plate and would reach on a throwing error by shortstop Andrew Velazquez. With two runners on base and two outs Reds rookie Elly De La Cruz blasted a three-run homer. Score Reds 4 - Angels 3. Shannon Bray wins the cup. The 7th inning began with a pitching change by the Angels with Aaron Loup replacing Tyler Anderson who would not last long. Will Benson hit a single, Luke Maile grounded out and TJ Friedl hit a single. Another pitching change would bring in Dominic Loup. The first batter he faced Matt McLain would take a walk to load the bases up. Rookie Elly De La Cruz came to the plate and blasted a triple scoring 3 runs. Reds 7 - Angels 3. I think De La Cruz is a person to watch! Spencer Steer would hit a single scoring De La Cruz. Score Reds 8 - Angels 3. Fortunately the Angels would turn a double play to end the inning. The Angels sparked a little life in the bottom of the 7th inning with Luis Rengifo hitting a triple. Nolan Schanuel would walk followed by Brandon Drury grounding into a force out scoring Rengifo. Score Reds 8 - Angels 4. The 8th inning would go scoreless. In the top of the 9th inning Michael Siani would walk but soon would be caught stealing 2nd base. Next to the plate was Matt McLain would also walk. Then the threat Elly De La Cruz would come to the plate an thank goodness he would strikeout. Spencer Steer hit a single scoring McLain. Score Reds 9 - Angels 4. Unfortunately it was three up and three down for the Angels in the bottom of the 9th. Final Score—-Reds 9 - Angels 4. Nancy Neill was holding the cup at the end and collected her winnings. What a great day for a baseball game but unfortunately it was not the Angels day. The final score for Our Field of Dreams Tour is 13 WINS and 17 LOSSES for the HOME TEAM. This is very bittersweet writing the blog of our final game. This is not the final post of this blog, as over the next few weeks I plan to write a post recapping our trip with a list of top ballparks and a list of hot dog ratings. People have asked us what adventures we will take on next now that Our Field of Dreams Tour is over. Our answer is we will continue to travel in our RV, spend time with our most treasured gifts (our grandkids) and attend and watch baseball games. Thank you all for taking this journey with us and I look forward to sharing the recap with you soon. Until next time PLAY BALL!

GAME # 29 - Petco Park - San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

It is hard to believe we are nearing the end of Our Field of Dreams Tour 2023 by attending ballpark number 29 of 30. We set out for San Diego on the morning of August 7, 2023 for a day game at Petco Park where the San Diego Padres take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. We selected a day game during the week because we thought it would be less crowded but we were dead wrong! We arrived 2 1/2 hours early and were very surprised by the number of people already lined up outside the gates. While we waited for the gates to open which would be 90 minutes prior to first pitch we chatted with others waiting in line. As per usual our shirts are always a topic of discussion. With questions about how many more to go and which one has been our favorite. Time and time again we hear people say visiting all the MLB ballparks is on their bucket list. We met a man who wants to visit all 30 ballparks in 30 days and what we told him was GOOD LUCK! There are so many factors that play into setting up a schedule just to visit all 30 ballparks in a season let alone 30 days and sometimes a rainout will foil your plans. Additionally, there is always another element that gets the attention of others when we wait in line and that is the HOT DOG HAT. We get asked where did we get the hat and who wears it. We always share that our talented son-in-law Steven made the hat for a family hat contest we had in Lake Tahoe. Then we go on to say Jim wears the hat for his hot dog reviews and I am just the lucky one who gets to carry it into the games. I am not sure who has it worse! We were told by a gentleman who appeared to be the expert on hot dogs at the park to get the “Big Slugger Dog” at the Randy Jones Grill stand. Randy Jones was a former Padres player who has ventured into other ventures since retirement, one of which is the Randy Jones All American Grill. As time drew near for the gates to open we noticed it was “Straw Hat Giveaway Day.” That is always a bonus when there are giveaways and today was a very warm day so a straw hat would be very much appreciated. We entered the Home Plate Gate which has a beautiful water feature. See our Instagram for pictures @ourfieldofdreams2023. Petco Park opened in 2004 and replaced Qualcomm Stadium. Petco Park is home to the San Diego Padres who joined the MLB in 1969 as one of four new expansion teams. The Padres struggled in their early years often finishing last in their division. It wasn’t until 1984 and 1998 that the Padres would win their first National League titles. That was the era of hall of fame Tony Gwynn, who won eight league batting titles. One of our good friends Pat Aitro played baseball with Tony Gwynn in college and had lots of great things to say about him. I highly recommend googling Tony Gwynn to learn more about this amazing man. The Padres have won 5 West Division titles and earned 2 Wild Card berths but have never won the World Series. In fact the San Diego Padres are one of six ball clubs without a World Series title. As we walked around the ballpark we saw the mural that displays their Major League Titles as well as the Breitbard Hall of Fame that recognizes significant athletic achievements in San Diego. One of those we saw on the wall was Dave Roberts which was interesting as we did not know about his athletic roots beginning in San Diego at Rancho Buena Vista High School. The San Diego Padres Hall of Fame opened in 2016 and unfortunately we waited until after the game to visit and it was closed. However, there were many things to see in the Padres Hall of Fame Plaza. Padres in Cooperstown wall has 19 plaques honoring San Diego Padres players who went on to be inducted to Cooperstown Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Jim and I were both surprised by a few of the plaques we saw namely; Rollie Fingers, Willie McCovey, and Gaylord Perry. Neither of us knew that these players had been on the Padres team. Dave Winfield, Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman each have special pedestals as they were inducted to the MLB Hall of Fame as San Diego Padres. Additionally, in this area are two large statues of Trevor Hoffman and Tony Gwynn. The San Diego Padres have six retired numbers: #6 Steve Garvey, #19 Tony Gwynn, #31 Dave Winfield, #35 Randy Jones, #51 Trevor Hoffman and #42 Jackie Robinson. While we were walking the stadium before the game started we went to the Western Metal Supply Co. building, which is a hundred-year-old brick structure incorporated into the design of the ballpark with a corner of the building serving as the left field foul pole. This building has a team store, private suites, restaurant and roof top seating. Inside the building bar area they have several game areas with shuffleboards, pool tables, foosball and other activities. This is a great area to spend pregame if you arrive early enough. Petco Park has a wide range of seating areas and if you want you can check out the area called “The Beach” located behind center field. This area is modeled after Southern California’s beach piers and complete with sand. If you want very inexpensive seats you can sit on the elevated grass area called “Park at the Park.” We selected seats for today’s game on the Field Level third base side in the shade with a beautiful view of the San Diego skyline. After all the walking around Jim was ready to find the Randy Jones Grill stand. Once we located the stand Jim ordered the “Big Slugger Dog” with everything on it. Jim gave the hot dog a 7.5 rating. After the review we walked to our seats and boy was it crowded! There were just as many Dodger fans as Padre fans. Petco Park has a 40,222 capacity but today’s game was beyond a sellout with 44,455 in attendance! First pitch was at 1:10pm with Seth Lugo on the mound for San Diego and Tony Gonsolin for the Dodgers. The first few innings went fast with three up and three down that is until the bottom of the 3rd inning. The Padres would blow the scoreboard up beginning with a walk by Ji Man Choi and a homer by Luis Campusano. Every time the Padres hit a home run a ship’s whistle is sounded. Not only was the whistle sounded but the crowd began to shout BEAT LA. Score Dodgers 0 - Padres 2. Trent Grisham and Ha-Seong Kim hit singles followed by Fernando Tatis Jr. hitting a double and scoring two runs. Score Dodgers 0 - Padres 4. Manny Machado would hit a sacrifice fly to score Fernando Tatis Jr making the score Dodgers 0 - Padres 5. That 5 run inning must have put some heat in the Dodgers bats because the top of the 4th inning became a nightmare for the Padres. Freddie Freeman led off with a single and Max Muncy walked. When David Peralta hit a double it would score the Dodgers first run of the game. Score Dodgers 1 - Padres 5. Next up Jason Heyward who would double and bring in two runs. Score Dodgers 3 - Padres 5. Kike Hernandez walked bringing up James Atman who hit a single followed by Miguel Rojas single to score a run. Score Dodgers 4 - Padres 5. The Dodger fans were on their feet and the Padres fans were quiet as Mookie Betts came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. Mookie Betts did something he would not normally do, he swung on a 3-0 count and he had every right because that ball was GONE! It was a GRAND SLAM and the Dodger fans went wild and Jim Bray was leading the crowd with high fives and cheers. Score Dodgers 8 - Padres 5. It was time for Seth Lugo to take a walk back to the dugout and bring in Steven Wilson to pitch for the Padres. Steven Wilson did a great job keeping the Dodgers from scoring so I don’t know why they elected to pull Wilson in the top of the 6th inning and replace him with Scott Barlow. The first batter Barlow faced was Kike Hernandez who homered Score Dodgers 9 - Padres 5. James Outman would walk followed by a double by Miguel Rojas. The Padres decided to intentionally walk Freddie Freeman. With the bases loaded and one out Will Smith hit a single to score a run. Score Dodgers 10 - Padres 5. The Dodgers bats were not done yet when Max Muncy came to the plate and hit a double scoring two more runs. Score Dodgers 12 - Padres 5. As if that was not injury enough David Peralta hit a sacrifice fly to score another run. Score Dodgers 13 - Padres 5. The bottom of the 6th inning the Padres gave it their best shot to come back from that disastrous inning. Jake Cronenworth hit a double and Luis Campusano hit a single to score a run. Score Dodgers 13 - Padres 6. That was all the Padres could put on the board that inning. In my research I had read that Petco Park was an “extreme pitcher’s park” but that is definitely not the case today! The score board would remain the same until the bottom of the 9th inning. The Padres had their rally hats on when with two outs Luis Campusano hit a homer. Trent Grisham hit a single and then Ha-Seong Kim put the final nail in the coffin with a pop out to end the game. It was a little too late for the Padres with a final score Dodgers 13 - Padres 7. Jim was thrilled with the outcome and well let’s just say I was doing my best to stick to our agreement. It was pretty fantastic to see another GRAND SLAM on our Field of Dreams Tour. This makes two GRAND SLAMS. The first one was hit by Texas Ranger Adolis Garcia in Globe Life Park. This brings our Field of Dreams Tour to 13 WINS for the Home Team and 16 LOSSES for the Home Team. We will be joined by a group of friends and family for our final ballpark on Wednesday, August 23 (Jim’s Birthday) at Angel Stadium for a day game. There should be loads of celebrating on this day and we hope that includes a win for the Angels. Until next time I leave you with a quote from Babe Ruth, “Baseball was, is, and always will be the best game in the world to me.” Very much agreed Babe Ruth…….PLAY BALL!

Game #28-Dodgers Stadium - Dodgers vs. Athletics

It was a beautiful Southern California day on Wednesday, August 2, 2023 when we set out for Dodgers Stadium our 28th ballpark in our “Field of Dreams Tour.” That is until traffic! We scheduled a Dodgers Stadium ballpark tour at 4:00pm and barely made it even though we planned an extra hour for traffic. Suffice it to say it was a stressful drive! Once we got to the stadium we did not have the extra time we thought we would have to take photos around the exterior of the ballpark because we were late for our tour. I have to admit this is probably my most difficult blog to write and the most difficult stadium for me to attend because my blood runs Giants orange. Let’s just say I do it in the name of LOVE for my Dodger fan husband. Fortunately we had a wonderful tour guide named Cat that quickly helped to evaporate the stress of our dreadful drive. Cat gave us loads of information about the Dodgers and Dodgers Stadium as she took us through the stadium. Several places we were able to visit are not open to the general public which made the tour really special. The Los Angeles Dodgers began in Brooklyn in 1883 therefore they have a rich history with many accomplishments. Back when they were the Brooklyn Dodgers they had a fierce crosstown rivalry with the New York Yankees. The two clubs faced each other in the World Series seven times, with the Dodgers losing the first five matchups before defeating them to win the franchise's first title in 1955. It was also during this period that the Dodgers made history by breaking the baseball color line in 1947 with the addition of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. The Dodgers left Brooklyn and moved to Los Angeles in 1958 playing their first four seasons at the Los Angeles Coliseum with one of those seasons, 1959 leading to another World Series Championship. Dodger Stadium opened in 1962 where I remember some of the players from the 1960s as a child when I attended Giants vs. Dodgers games at Candlestick Park. Who doesn’t remember ace pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale? These amazing baseball players were instrumental in two more World Series titles for the Dodgers in 1963 and 1965. Boy is this hard to write about! Then a drought of titles would endure for the Dodgers until the 1980’s. Jim fondly remembers this decade and especially Fernando Valenzuela the pitching sensation for the Dodgers leading to two more World Series titles in 1981 and 1988. If fact the Dodgers are retiring Valenzuela’s number 34 on Friday, August 11, 2023. Current Dodgers retired numbers are: #1 Pee Wee Reese, #2 Tommy Lasorda, #4 Duke Snider, #14 Gil Hodges, #19 Jim Gilliam, #20 Don Sutton, #24 Walter Alston, #32 Sandy Koufax, #39 Roy, Campanella, #42 Jackie Robinson, #53 Don Drysdale. After a 32-year drought, which included 12 postseason appearances and 8 consecutive division titles the Dodgers won the 2020 World Series Championship. Some would say it should have an asterisk next to it because of the 60 game season due to the COVID pandemic. Let’s just say in my household according to my wedding vows and to keep the peace there is no talk of an asterisk. The Dodgers maintain a fierce rivalry with the San Francisco Giants dating way back to when they were both in New York. If anyone wants evidence of this just be within one mile of the Bray’s house when the Giants play the Dodgers. It’s rough! Dodger Stadium is the 3rd oldest ballpark in MLB, after Fenway Park (1912) and Wrigley Field (1914). It is also the largest baseball stadium in the world by seat capacity. I can vouch for that as we put on about 10,000 steps at the stadium according to our Apple watches. The stadium features statues of Jackie Robinson and Sandy Koufax as well as a Tommy Lasorda bobblehead. See our pictures on Instagram @ourfieldofdreams2023. Dodger Stadium is the only stadium in MLB with an officially accredited botanic garden. I must say the gardens are very beautiful and the pictures I put on Instagram do not do it justice. Along our tour we were taken to section that houses an amazing display of Awards by the Dodgers. I had to swallow a big gulp of my Giants pride as I surveyed the hundreds of trophies and awards over the years won by the Dodgers. I have to say they way this memorabilia was showcased was very impressive. Awards include: National League MVP, World Series Trophies, Cy Young Awards, Golden Gloves, Rookie of the Year, Silver Slugger Awards and Manager of the Year. I think I should mention that Jim’s stature and mine were remarkably different as we walked through this area. One thing we found fascinating were the copies of the player and manager contracts displayed from years ago. Sandy Koufax in 1959 paid $15,000; Don Drysdale in 1958 paid $12,500; Manager Walter Alston in 1969 paid $60,000; and Tommy Lasorda in 1978 paid $75,000. Things have changed dramatically! One of the most heart touching moments even for me a Giants fan was the area that is dedicated to Vin Scully. We saw the press box area dedicated to Vin Scully and several pieces of memorabilia showcased. It just so happens that the date of our visit to the ballpark marks the one year anniversary of Vin Scully’s death. Another interesting fact we also learned is there are only three MLB teams without official mascots; Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels. I always love the spirit that a mascot brings to the crowd. As we finished our tour we were able to take in some of the batting practice and warmup by the Dodgers and Oakland A’s. One sweet moment was seeing Clayton Kershaw on the field with I am assuming one of his four children. See picture on Instagram. After watching batting practice we asked our tour guide Cat for hot dog recommendations. Cat of course recommended the Dodger Dog and told us previously they had a variety of hot dogs they sold according to the team they were playing but that has since been discontinued. We ended up getting the traditional Dodger Dog which Jim Bray the Hot Dog Man gave an 8.0. I must say this rating surprised many of our friends and family, but perhaps it was that Jim was a little under the weather due to laryngitis. Since I am not a hot dog fan I set out to find something other than a hot dog to eat. This proved to be very difficult as 80% of the stands sold Dodger Dogs. When I found the area with other options like Shake Shack or Taqueria the lines were way too long to wait in so I left that area and found a secret gem in the Loge level first base side, King’s Hawaiian. I got a pulled pork slider that was very tasty and yes I shared with Jim who agreed it was delicious. As the first pitch drew near we took our seats in time for the National Anthem. Tonight the Dodgers are celebrating Filipino Heritage Night so they sang the National Anthem of the Philippines and the American National Anthem. First pitch with a crowd of 47,711 in a 56,000 capacity stadium was at 7:10pm. Tonight the Dodgers play the Oakland A’s who have the worst record in baseball this season with only 30 wins and 80 losses. You have to feel kind of bad for them. The 1st inning set the stage for what would be the game with the Dodgers dominating. Bottom of the 1st Mookie Betts hits a double followed by Freddie Freeman’s single to score Mookie Betts. Score A’s 0 - Dodgers 1. Then Will Smith and Max Muncy walked with Chris Taylor following with a single to score Freddie Freeman. Score A’s 0 - Dodgers 2. Then James Outman would ground into a force out scoring Will Smith. Score A’s 0 - Dodgers 3. The 2nd inning would continue the dominance by the Dodgers. In the top of the 2nd inning the A’s would go three up and three down. The bottom of the 2nd inning Mookie Betts hit homer number 29 and the crowd went wild! The new LED lights installed this season create some really cool effects after a home run. Next to the plate Freddie Freeman who hit a double followed by Will Smith who hit a double. Score A’s 0 - Dodgers 5. Next to the plate recent acquisition, Amed Rosario who would go yard. Score A’s 0 - Dodgers 7. The game was starting off very lopsided and even though in “Our Field of Dreams” rules we cheer for the home team unless the visiting team is the Dodgers or Giants, silently (very silently) I was cheering just a little for the A’s. The top fo the 3rd inning the A’s would show just a little life, in fact the only life they would show the entire game. Shea Langeliers first to the plate would hit a homer for the A’s. Score A’s 1 - Dodgers 7. In the bottom of the 3rd inning Dodgers Miguel Rojas would hit a hard hit homer into the left center field seats. Score A’s 1 - Dodgers 8. By this time the Dodgers were pulling out some of their key starters like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. The next score would come in the bottom of the 6th inning when Jason Heyward hit a homer to center field. Those new Dodger LED lights were getting a workout!. Score A’s 1 - Dodgers 9. In the bottom of the 7th inning the Dodgers were not done putting numbers on the board. James Outman hit a double followed by Enrique “Kike” Hernandez, who just returned to the Dodgers, hitting a single scoring Outman. Score A’s 1 - Dodgers 10. The 8th and 9th innings would go scoreless with the final score A’s 1 - Dodgers 10. That brings our Field of Dreams Tour to 13 WINS for the Home Team and 15 LOSSES for the Home Team. On Monday, August 7 we will travel to San Diego to Petco Park to see the Padres vs. Dodgers game. You know what that means as per our agreement…..we will both be cheering for the Dodgers. Oh how painful this is for me as a Giants fan, but I will do it seeing as I subjected Jim to five games where he had to cheer for the Giants on Our Field of Dreams Tour. Until next time PLAY BALL!