Thursday, July 04, 2013
Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer-At the Ball Park
Happy Canada
What better way to
spend a First of July! Sit back, relax, and watch the Blue Jays hammer their
way to a victory over the Detroit Tigers by a score of 8-3, with almost 45 000
friends at the Rogers Centre.
It certainly helps to
have R. A. Dickey on the mound to start the game for the Jays.
But long before the
first pitch was thrown, the festivities began for fans attending the game. They
lined up for free face painting, free ice cream, free balloons for the kids,
and a host of other goodies. The first 20 000 fans who entered the park
received a red Blue Jay hat, compliments of Honda. Many sported red Blue Jay
shirts that they received last year, on Canada
Once seated, almost
two hours before game time, the fans were treated to all of the typical
pre-game activities on the field. By far the most popular event was supplied by
the Tigers’ Prince Fielder. He stroked massive home runs into the netherworld
in right to the “ooohs and aaahs” of those who arrived early at the park.
He has had trouble
finding his home run stroke, as of late. He did have one dinger on June first,
but that was the first in 80 at bats. His practice did pay off, as he launched
a hit in the fourth inning that cleared the fences. Incidentally, he played his
424th game on Monday, currently the longest active streak in the
major leagues.
The Tigers added a
couple of other runs in the game, but the Blue Jays counteracted with more than
enough fire power, and another great pitching performance from Dickey, with
assistance from the bullpen.
The Jays got on the
board in the second inning, and added four more in the third to chase starting
pitcher Jose Alvarez. His replacement, Luke Putkonen, did not fare much better,
as he was tagged for three runs in the fourth.
Jose Reyes,
thankfully back from the injury list, smacked a long home run into the second
deck in the third inning. Mark DeRosa contributed three RBIs with a home run in
the fourth.
The Tigers’ potent
lineup was kept at bay, for most of the game. Last year’s triple crown winner,
Miguel Cabrera, was held hitless, striking out twice in the process.
Munenori Kawasaki has
become a fan favourite in Toronto
The Jays played
without Edwin Encarnacion, their home run leader, who has been sidelined with a
hamstring problem. Rajai Davis proved to be a more than adequate replacement,
collecting two hits in his first three at-bats, driving the Tigers’ pitchers
crazy with his threats to steal bases.
The Jays have their
work cut out for them in order to enjoy post season play. Their bullpen has
been magnificent, their starting pitching improving steadily. Timely hitting
and error-free defence will fit nicely into the scheme of things.
One game at a time.
At the halfway point in the season.
James Hurst
# posted by James Hurst @ 3:41 PM 
