A Pleasant Afternoon

On this pitch Darin Ruf broke a 1-1 tie in the 8th with a double that scored Kris Bryant from 2nd base.

When one goes on a trip and doesn't know when one will go back to that destination, caution and credit-card limits are thrown to the wind.

And so it was that on our only Giants game of the season we sat behind home plate in the best seats that I had ever purchased for a major league baseball game. (My grand uncle Freddie had closer seats for the Triple-A Islanders back in the 1960's, but that was the only thing better then than now.)

My helmet had "SF", not "NY" (Bon Appetit)

The afternoon was warm, not hot, at Oracle Park with only a slight breeze. There was no need to don the sweaters that we always carry to San Francisco even during the summer.

Marking another first, I bought a $20 helmet nachos, a gross-looking but good-tasting mixture of nachos, cheese, guacamole, ground beef, sour cream, and jalapeño peppers ladled into a plastic bowl in the shape of a full-size SF batting helmet.

Did I mention that dietary restrictions were suspended as well?

The Milwaukee Brewers had won the first three games of the four-game series, dropping the Giants to second place in the NL West; the Giants needed the win to keep up with the Dodgers. Augmenting the tension, the game was a tight 1-1 pitching duel through seven innings. The Giants went ahead 2-1 on a double by Darin Ruf in the bottom of the 8th, and Thairo Estrada followed with a three-run homer to seal the deal.

The Brewers didn't go down quietly in the 9th, as a long ball down the right field line was initially ruled a two-run home run, then corrected to a foul ball. Adding to the crowds' pleasure, Brewer's manager Craig Counsell was ejected for protesting the call. After that, the Brewers were done.

A thrilling 5-1 Giants victory (the game was closer than the score indicated) and a pleasant afternoon in the San Francisco sun--it's rare that an experience exceeds high expectations. I'll start saving up for next year's game....