[2009 Baseball Tour] Part 1.2: Return to Turner Field: KKKKKKenshin KawaKami
Turner Field was nice and cool today, not just because of the storm last night, but also because of all the fanning. XD The Braves struck out 13, including 8 by Kenshin. (Hence the extra K's in the title.)
Before the game:
-I only got 4 hours of sleep, but I took a nap after lunch. Woke up at 2, and arrived at the stadium at about 3:15.
-Parking was free! At least I think it was free, because there was no parking attendant, and to be honest, that particular lot was virtually empty when I got there. XD;
-I went right to the park; there were a few people there, and at the gates a Japanese family approached me. I had a conversation with them (mostly in Japanese), and we waited for the gates to open.
-Gates opened 2:30 before the game, and I went right to my seat. RIGHT NEXT TO THE BULLPEN. (although you can't see the bullpen from there; you either have to go up to the top of the stairs or to the bottom of the stairs by the outfield wall to see. I went right to the bottom of the stairway and saw Kenshin warming up. I (and another Japanese family) shouted "KENSHIN! GANBATTE KUDASAI!" We got his attention, but only for a split-second.
-I also had a long conversation with a security guard, who was intrigued with my sign. (The sign had the Dragons pitcher ouenka on one side, and the other one said "Kawakami Kenshin: Ryuu no Yuusha-oh." YES, I used a GaoGaiGar pun. XD) So we talked a bit about Japanese baseball, which somehow meandered to football, then the economy, then politics. XD; But we talked until the Nats took the field for batting practice. I took that time to get something to eat, then I waited at the top of the stairs for Kenshin to take bullpen practice.
-He finally did with about 30 minutes until game time. I took a few pictures, then went back to my seat.
-I forgot to mention, there were supposed to be fireworks last night, but due to the rain delay they couldn't do it at 2 AM. So they did that tonight. XD
-Let's go to the game recap. Tonight's pitching matchup: the Braves' Kenshin Kawakami vs. Washington's John Lannan.
Top 1st: Kenshin started off well, getting the first two batters to fly out. But then he walked Ryan Zimmerman (Zim was his nemesis all day), and then he gave up a hit to Adam Dunn. Nick Johnson then singled in Zim (Zim just barely dodged the tag at home), but Johnson, trying to advance to 2nd on the play, got caught in a rundown, and he was tagged for out #3 before Dunn could score. 1-0 Nationals
Top 2nd: Kenshin got 3 of his 8 Ks in this inning. It wasn't a 1-2-3 inning (Willie Harris singled with 2 out), but he got all 3 outs this inning by way of strikeout. I made sure to shout "SAN-SHIN!!!" every time he struck someone out. XD
Bottom 2nd: With 2 out, Matt Diaz walked, Casey Kotchman singled, and Jordan Schafer beat the 1B to first on a ground ball. So that made it bases loaded... for Kenshin. He grounded it to 3rd, but Zim was able to beat Kotchman to 3rd, and that was the inning.
Top 3rd: Kenshin got the first batter (Lastings Milledge) out, but Cristian Guzman singled, and then Zim took Kenshin opposite way to the right field stands. Braves fans were left wondering whether Kenshin was a good pickup or not. But Kenshin settled down and struck out one of the most dangerous home run hitters in the majors, Adam Dunn. That makes 5 consecutive outs by strikeout. XD He got Nick Johnson to ground out immediately after, and that was the inning. 3-0 Nationals
Bottom 3rd: Kelly Johnson was willing to help out Kenshin, and he did by leading off this inning with a homer. But that was it here. 3-1 Nationals
Top 4th: Kenshin gave up 2 walks (to Austin Kearns and Willie Harris), but he also notched 2 more strikeouts (to Jesus Flores and Lastings Milledge). He also made a nice play in the field; with Lannan up to hit and with 2 on (1 out), Lannan squared to bunt to get the runners over, and he bunted one in play. But Kenshin charged to the ball and was able to make the throw at 3rd and get the lead runner out, nullifying the sacrifice.
Bottom 4th: And here is where the Braves took control. Diaz led off the inning with a single, but Kotchman almost grounded into a double play. He didn't, though, and it was runner on 1st 1 out for Jordan Schafer. (Side note: I love Jordan Schafer's at-bat theme. It's "Whatever You Like" by T.I., but when it came on the PA system I started singing the Weird Al lyrics. XD) Anywho, Schafer doubled! 2nd/3rd 1 out for Kenshin. He couldn't bunt, so he had to try to at least put it in play to try to get the run in. He grounded it to short, the shortstop held the runners, then gunned it to 1st... Out at 1st, even though Nick Johnson fell down. Braves fans obviously thought that Johnson's foot left the bag when he fell, but that wasn't the case from my view. OK, so 2 out for Kelly Johnson... and he rips it to left to score 2! So it's a tie game, Yunel Escobar reaches on an infield hit, and it's 1st/3rd 2 out for Chipper Jones, and he singles in a run! That would be it for the Braves, though. 4-3 Braves
Top 5th: Kenshin got his 8th (and final) strikeout this inning; Adam Dunn again for out #3. (This was Kenshin's first 1-2-3 inning.)
Middle 5th: They did the Tool Race. The hammer won, to which I shouted "HAMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" XD (This only makes sense if you've seen S-cry-ed.)
End 5th: They did Kiss Cam during this break, and the "lonely guy" ended up being a fat guy wearing a Nats cap. XD; But he would get kissed all the same. (Awwwwww.)
Top 6th: Kenshin got another 1-2-3 inning, all on either line drives or popups.
Bottom 6th: Kenshin's spot in the order came up, but Bobby Cox opted to go for a pinch hitter. (But why? Kenshin was at 90 pitches after 6 innings, he retired 7 straight and had the bottom of the order coming up in the 7th... Not to mention the Braves' bullpen has sucked so far)
Top 7th: Peter Moylan, whose ERA going into this game was #DIV0! (OH SHI-), came in for the Braves. But guess what--he got a 1-2-3 inning all in strikeouts! XD Moylan's ERA: #DIV0! -> 45.00.
Top 8th: Rafael Soriano, who kicked ass last night, came in for the 8th inning, and he got in trouble early with a double by Guzie and a walk to Dunn, but he got Nick Johnson to ground into a double play.
Bottom 8th: Joel Hanrahan came in for Worstington, and he gave up a 1-run double to Schafer. After another out and a 1st-pitch HBP to Kelly Johnson, Escobar singled to bring in an insurance run! But that's all the Braves would get. 5-3 Braves
Top 9th: Mike Gonzalez came in to close, and this time he got a 1-2-3 inning! No drama this time; the Braves held off the Nats for 6 innings after Zim's 2-run homer. FINAL SCORE: Braves 5, Nationals 3
Rain delay yesterday: 2:02
Length of game today: 2:33
After the game, there was a fireworks show set to classical music. I BAWWWWWWW for the lack of 1812 Overture, but I marked for Ride of the Valkyries leading off the show. I don't think anyone here knows this other than the2belo, but Ride of the Valkyries is the song I get into my head when a pitcher is 6 outs or less away from a no-hitter/perfect game. This started in 1994, when after Nixon's funeral KMSP (pre-Fox9) news's introduction mentioned Scott Erickson had a no-hitter in the 8th inning. My dad and I raced to the radio, I hummed Ride of the Valkyries in my head, and Erickson finished off the no-hitter. XD Needless to say, I did this again when Yamai and Iwase had their perfect game to finish off the Japan Series.
And here are 132 pictures from Day 2 at Turner Field. I took pictures of a few things I missed out on last time, and I also took a lot of pictures of the post-game fireworks show.
UP NEXT: It's on to Texas, as I watch the Rangers take on Hillman-kantoku's KC Royals, and then to Houston, where the Cincinnati Reds will take on the Astros.
Before the game:
-I only got 4 hours of sleep, but I took a nap after lunch. Woke up at 2, and arrived at the stadium at about 3:15.
-Parking was free! At least I think it was free, because there was no parking attendant, and to be honest, that particular lot was virtually empty when I got there. XD;
-I went right to the park; there were a few people there, and at the gates a Japanese family approached me. I had a conversation with them (mostly in Japanese), and we waited for the gates to open.
-Gates opened 2:30 before the game, and I went right to my seat. RIGHT NEXT TO THE BULLPEN. (although you can't see the bullpen from there; you either have to go up to the top of the stairs or to the bottom of the stairs by the outfield wall to see. I went right to the bottom of the stairway and saw Kenshin warming up. I (and another Japanese family) shouted "KENSHIN! GANBATTE KUDASAI!" We got his attention, but only for a split-second.
-I also had a long conversation with a security guard, who was intrigued with my sign. (The sign had the Dragons pitcher ouenka on one side, and the other one said "Kawakami Kenshin: Ryuu no Yuusha-oh." YES, I used a GaoGaiGar pun. XD) So we talked a bit about Japanese baseball, which somehow meandered to football, then the economy, then politics. XD; But we talked until the Nats took the field for batting practice. I took that time to get something to eat, then I waited at the top of the stairs for Kenshin to take bullpen practice.
-He finally did with about 30 minutes until game time. I took a few pictures, then went back to my seat.
-I forgot to mention, there were supposed to be fireworks last night, but due to the rain delay they couldn't do it at 2 AM. So they did that tonight. XD
-Let's go to the game recap. Tonight's pitching matchup: the Braves' Kenshin Kawakami vs. Washington's John Lannan.
Top 1st: Kenshin started off well, getting the first two batters to fly out. But then he walked Ryan Zimmerman (Zim was his nemesis all day), and then he gave up a hit to Adam Dunn. Nick Johnson then singled in Zim (Zim just barely dodged the tag at home), but Johnson, trying to advance to 2nd on the play, got caught in a rundown, and he was tagged for out #3 before Dunn could score. 1-0 Nationals
Top 2nd: Kenshin got 3 of his 8 Ks in this inning. It wasn't a 1-2-3 inning (Willie Harris singled with 2 out), but he got all 3 outs this inning by way of strikeout. I made sure to shout "SAN-SHIN!!!" every time he struck someone out. XD
Bottom 2nd: With 2 out, Matt Diaz walked, Casey Kotchman singled, and Jordan Schafer beat the 1B to first on a ground ball. So that made it bases loaded... for Kenshin. He grounded it to 3rd, but Zim was able to beat Kotchman to 3rd, and that was the inning.
Top 3rd: Kenshin got the first batter (Lastings Milledge) out, but Cristian Guzman singled, and then Zim took Kenshin opposite way to the right field stands. Braves fans were left wondering whether Kenshin was a good pickup or not. But Kenshin settled down and struck out one of the most dangerous home run hitters in the majors, Adam Dunn. That makes 5 consecutive outs by strikeout. XD He got Nick Johnson to ground out immediately after, and that was the inning. 3-0 Nationals
Bottom 3rd: Kelly Johnson was willing to help out Kenshin, and he did by leading off this inning with a homer. But that was it here. 3-1 Nationals
Top 4th: Kenshin gave up 2 walks (to Austin Kearns and Willie Harris), but he also notched 2 more strikeouts (to Jesus Flores and Lastings Milledge). He also made a nice play in the field; with Lannan up to hit and with 2 on (1 out), Lannan squared to bunt to get the runners over, and he bunted one in play. But Kenshin charged to the ball and was able to make the throw at 3rd and get the lead runner out, nullifying the sacrifice.
Bottom 4th: And here is where the Braves took control. Diaz led off the inning with a single, but Kotchman almost grounded into a double play. He didn't, though, and it was runner on 1st 1 out for Jordan Schafer. (Side note: I love Jordan Schafer's at-bat theme. It's "Whatever You Like" by T.I., but when it came on the PA system I started singing the Weird Al lyrics. XD) Anywho, Schafer doubled! 2nd/3rd 1 out for Kenshin. He couldn't bunt, so he had to try to at least put it in play to try to get the run in. He grounded it to short, the shortstop held the runners, then gunned it to 1st... Out at 1st, even though Nick Johnson fell down. Braves fans obviously thought that Johnson's foot left the bag when he fell, but that wasn't the case from my view. OK, so 2 out for Kelly Johnson... and he rips it to left to score 2! So it's a tie game, Yunel Escobar reaches on an infield hit, and it's 1st/3rd 2 out for Chipper Jones, and he singles in a run! That would be it for the Braves, though. 4-3 Braves
Top 5th: Kenshin got his 8th (and final) strikeout this inning; Adam Dunn again for out #3. (This was Kenshin's first 1-2-3 inning.)
Middle 5th: They did the Tool Race. The hammer won, to which I shouted "HAMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" XD (This only makes sense if you've seen S-cry-ed.)
End 5th: They did Kiss Cam during this break, and the "lonely guy" ended up being a fat guy wearing a Nats cap. XD; But he would get kissed all the same. (Awwwwww.)
Top 6th: Kenshin got another 1-2-3 inning, all on either line drives or popups.
Bottom 6th: Kenshin's spot in the order came up, but Bobby Cox opted to go for a pinch hitter. (But why? Kenshin was at 90 pitches after 6 innings, he retired 7 straight and had the bottom of the order coming up in the 7th... Not to mention the Braves' bullpen has sucked so far)
Top 7th: Peter Moylan, whose ERA going into this game was #DIV0! (OH SHI-), came in for the Braves. But guess what--he got a 1-2-3 inning all in strikeouts! XD Moylan's ERA: #DIV0! -> 45.00.
Top 8th: Rafael Soriano, who kicked ass last night, came in for the 8th inning, and he got in trouble early with a double by Guzie and a walk to Dunn, but he got Nick Johnson to ground into a double play.
Bottom 8th: Joel Hanrahan came in for Worstington, and he gave up a 1-run double to Schafer. After another out and a 1st-pitch HBP to Kelly Johnson, Escobar singled to bring in an insurance run! But that's all the Braves would get. 5-3 Braves
Top 9th: Mike Gonzalez came in to close, and this time he got a 1-2-3 inning! No drama this time; the Braves held off the Nats for 6 innings after Zim's 2-run homer. FINAL SCORE: Braves 5, Nationals 3
Rain delay yesterday: 2:02
Length of game today: 2:33
After the game, there was a fireworks show set to classical music. I BAWWWWWWW for the lack of 1812 Overture, but I marked for Ride of the Valkyries leading off the show. I don't think anyone here knows this other than the2belo, but Ride of the Valkyries is the song I get into my head when a pitcher is 6 outs or less away from a no-hitter/perfect game. This started in 1994, when after Nixon's funeral KMSP (pre-Fox9) news's introduction mentioned Scott Erickson had a no-hitter in the 8th inning. My dad and I raced to the radio, I hummed Ride of the Valkyries in my head, and Erickson finished off the no-hitter. XD Needless to say, I did this again when Yamai and Iwase had their perfect game to finish off the Japan Series.
And here are 132 pictures from Day 2 at Turner Field. I took pictures of a few things I missed out on last time, and I also took a lot of pictures of the post-game fireworks show.
UP NEXT: It's on to Texas, as I watch the Rangers take on Hillman-kantoku's KC Royals, and then to Houston, where the Cincinnati Reds will take on the Astros.