Baseball--In the Park!

National's Stadium
Mets vs Nationals
Washington, D.C.
September 3, 2021

 I went to a Major League Baseball (MLB) game in person last night. 

It was my first in-person professional baseball game since Spring Training in Florida during February 2020. And it was my first regular season MLB game since some time during 2019. 

It was great to be out at the ball park with the crowd. We had great, no we had awesome seats four rows from the field behind home plate. I took the image in this article from my seat while sitting. We heard the crack of the bat, the whump of the ball bouncing off the plate, the sound of a 101 mph fastball smacking into the catcher's mitt, and we saw an incredible play at the plate which resulted in the Mets catcher leaving the game.

We were part of the action. I noticed how loud it is with all the other fans above and around us. 

The game went into the 10th inning, which was incredibly exciting as the Nationals scored two runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the game. Sadly, however, the home team gave up four unanswered runs in the top of the 10th and the Mets ended the evening with a 6-2 victory. 

The only downside was that we did not make it back home until after midnight. Even though the Nationals, like the Orioles, are cellar dwellers, it was fun to watch competitive baseball. Did I mention that Jeremy, our son, scored premium seats that included food, drink, and parking? That also added to the great experience. 

Baseball in person! Wow!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD