I will always have fond memories of Camden Yards. It’s the ballpark were Mike and I began our tour in 2002 and the home of the ballpark revolution. If Camden Yards wasn’t built I might have not turned into a Ballpark Nerd. Nerding out at Camden Yards includes taking in the view of the B&O Warehouse from the Upper Reserve. Railroad historian Herbert H. Harwood proclaimed it an “awesome structure … a truly classic turn-of-the-century railroad warehouse.” This once bustling warehouse was mostly vacant by the 1970s falling into despair prior to its’ renovation in 1992. I’ve always said I could stare at the B&O Warehouse for hours and a few weeks ago I did.
Many teams throughout MLB promote Sunday as Family Day for their fans. A carnival atmosphere pregame followed by Kids Run the Bases post. This promotion is new to me. As a young fan I never had the opportunity which is probably why I was dead set to take Griffin to the Orioles Astros game despite the threatening forecast. Steady rains arrived at 12:45 and did not subside until around 5 o’clock. In the interim the Kids Run the Bases was cancelled and the Orioles offered fans the opportunity to exchange their tickets for another game during the 2016 season. Fortunately I brought the family iPad and baseball cards from home to keep Griffin busy. The delay also kept the lines at the tee ball and fast pitch games short. We were at Camden Yards for Stros Os, heading home was not an option.
As for the play on the field, first pitch was at 5:40 or 4 hours and 5 minutes after the scheduled first pitch. Yovani Gallardo and Dallas Keuchel had easy first innings however after Mark Trumbo grounded out a member of the Orioles grounds crew ran onto the field to alert the Crew Chief a second storm was rolling through. A 30 minute delay was to follow. That’s a total of 4 hours and 35 minutes of rain delays for the day or in baseball terms a Red Sox Yankees game from the early 2000s.
The fans who stuck around were treated to a decent game. Reigning American League Cy Young award winner Dallas Keuchel coasted through 8 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits striking out 7 Os. The Astros’ offense was lead by Carlos Correa’s 2 for 3 which included a Chris Davis aided double which was the difference. The hulking Davis who according to Orioles manager Buck Showalter is the Orioles best option in RF lost Correa’s fifth inning fly ball in the lights allowing the deciding runs to cross the plate. Astros closer Ken Giles closed the win out in the 9th. Astros 5 Orioles 3.
I would say the rain delays chased away 90% of the fans who intended to attend. This gave Griffin and I unprecedented access to field seats and warmups. We made the best of the situation and had a memorable day. He is becoming a good baseball fan, learning players names and positions. I couldn’t be happier spending time with him at the ballpark. The day was a reminder to not chase promotions or purchase tickets ahead of knowing the weather. There’s always something new to learn regardless of how many games I’ve attended. Memories are made every trip to Camden Yards. Until next year!
Nerd Notes
- Yulieski Gurrial (Astros) – MLB debut, 32 yr old rookie from Cuba 1-2 w/BB. Signed with Houston 7/16/16 5 yr $47.5MM contract
- Parker Bridwell (Orioles) – MLB debut 2 IP
- Despite losing 3 of 4 in the series the Orioles out homered the Astros 15-10.
