#18/30: Comerica Park, Detroit
I was there.
Monday, June 24, 2024
There’s a lot to unpack here.
We start by going back in time - October 21, 2006. Detroit Tigers vs. my beloved Cardinals. Game 1 of the World Series at Comerica Park.
I was there. 18 years ago.
Man, I'm getting old.
And while I'm certainly making tons of memories this season, that World Series game will always be an all-timer. Albert Pujols was in his absolute prime. The Cardinals beat rookie Justin Verlander that night, on their way to winning the franchise’s first World Championship in my lifetime. Shout-out to my friend Brad LaPayne for letting me be his +1 at the last minute. That whole story (beyond just the game) is one of my favorites to tell, but the details shall remain unwritten. As they say… IYKYK.
Honestly, I figured that photo for the side-by-side taken before even entering the ballpark would be the highlight of the evening. I wasn’t expecting a good game. Granted, the star-studded Philadelphia Phillies were in town with an MLB-best record of 52-26. But the Tigers weren't likely to put up much of a challenge given their sub-.500 play and Phillies co-ace Aaron Nola on the mound. Spoiler alert: the Phillies did end up whooping on the Tigers. Nola pitched a gem. But even with the lopsided ballgame going as expected, there was plenty of entertainment along the way.
I chose my seat with ballhawking in mind. Bullpens are a great place to get toss-ups. The front row of the outfield has potential, too. So I got a ticket in the front row of left center field, directly above the Phillies bullpen.
No matter that I was 450 feet from home plate. Ballparks offer different experiences depending on where you sit. I wasn’t close to the infield, but I was very close to a handful of Phillies and each of them had the potential to toss me a ball. I liked my chances. But as I quickly found out, getting a ball from one of them would not be as easy as it seemed.
The game got going and the Phillies wasted no time in the top of the 1st, scoring two runs off a double by Bryce Harper and two more with a home run by Alec Bohm. It was a close one, too…
Can you imagine if I would have caught a home run ball?? All it needed was the right bounce, but it instead landed flat and rolled onto the ground in the bullpen. It sat there for a few seconds, a mere 10 feet below me, as we all pleaded for someone to toss it up. Instead, a Phillies coach grabbed the ball and took it inside. Perhaps he was saving it for Bohm himself.
Then the Tigers got something going in the bottom of the 3rd. Well, almost. Nola gave up his first two hits of the game to start the inning. The Tigers had runners on first and third with no outs.
And then…
TRIPLE PLAY!
It seemed unremarkable in the moment. They happen fast, leaving you speechless and often confused. That’s because they’re usually the result of an offensive mistake rather than defensive excellence. In this case, the runner on third base (Zach McKinstry) didn't realize the pitcher had caught the ball, otherwise he could have easily retreated back and been safe. I'd compare the triple play to a PGA golfer missing a putt inside one foot. Rare as it may be, it's just not something that brings immediate excitement.
Nonetheless, I witnessed history. Triple plays are indeed one of the rarest sights in baseball. They’re not nearly as exciting as a no-hitter, perfect game, or hitting for the cycle… but they're even more rare than those, at least in recent history. At the time of writing this post (July 27), the 2024 MLB season has had two no-hitters and two players hit for the cycle. Triple plays? Just this one. There have been over three thousand games so far this season, and only one with a triple play.
I was there.
And in fact, that 1-3-5 is one of the most unlikely ways of making a triple play. The last time it happened in the Majors was 95 years ago. Amazing!
Obviously, the rest of the game was relatively unremarkable. The Phillies never let up, ultimately winning 8-1.
Did I get a ball?? Yes! But as I said, it wasn't easy. The Phillies bullpen was fairly generous, tossing a ball or two up into the crowd during breaks in play. I just wasn't getting any for myself. Even though I had looked up the names of these guys and were getting their attention, the golden rule applied: kids always get first dibs. They swarmed right by my seat at the end of every half inning. I actually caught two balls that were thrown to kids butting up against me, but gave them up as the player in the bullpen pointed to the kid and made sure I delivered to the intended target. My loyalty was eventually rewarded, but not until after the end of the game. The Phillies got the final out, the bullpen did a quick minute of high-fives, and then did one last round of toss-ups. I looked right at one of the bullpen catchers, calling him by his name - “Flanders! Come on, man. I've been here the entire game!” He smiled, said “You’ve been a good sport” and mercifully tossed me a ball. Close call, but that spot paid off!
Extra Innings
Detroit isn’t one of the first destinations in America you think of in terms of great food. Regardless, my further exploration of Detroit was all about eats.
Before the game, I ventured a block away from Comerica Park to an unsuspecting alley with a food window. The place was called Mom’s Spaghetti, a new installation by Detroit-born rapper Eminem.
The line wasn't very long, but it took quite some time just to place my order. I then had to wait another 15 minutes to get my actual food. Which led me to wonder - why would a takeout place selling spaghetti have any wait at all? Spaghetti is just about the easiest food in the world to prepare, and can be done in massive volume. Considering that their menu options were nothing but spaghetti, you'd think the food would come out as fast as Eminem’s rhymes. But overall, the experience wasn’t bad. The spaghetti tasted like next-day leftovers (which is actually the intention), the small Eminem museum inside was cool to walk through, and it killed the perfect amount of time while I waited for the ballpark gates to open.
After the game I figured I had to double down and really experience the signature food of Detroit - pizza. Among many options, there was Green Lantern Pizza. Detroit-style deep dish. Pepperoni & sausage.
Still wide awake with excitement from the game and a plan to sleep in until checkout time the next morning, I took this back to my hotel room and enjoyed it along with an inspired screening of 8 Mile.
Oh, and as I drove back there were tons of people out in the streets with their eyes fixed on the Detroit skyline. I had no clue ahead of time, but June 24 was the night of the Ford Fireworks. Apparently it's a really big deal. The event has been held annually for over 60 years and is considered one of the best fireworks displays in America.
I was already miles away from downtown, but did catch a few minutes of live action. Later on I found videos posted by local news. Synchronized fireworks came from three boats positioned in front of the skyline on the Detroit River. The show was pretty impressive. And although I had no idea of it in advance, if only by coincidence…
I was there.
Next stop: June 25, Chicago