31 May 2008

For the books

After attending well over 1,000 baseball games I finally saw my first triple play last night. It was only the second the Giants have turned at home since moving to San Francisco so it is a rarer sight here than a no hitter. No, I've not seen a no hitter but I have seen a player hit for the cycle. I've seen all manner of feats, records and spectacular plays but the triple play was a genuine thrill for me. Sadly it came in a game the local nine ultimately lost in 13 innings.
The night was also made special as it was the Giants 15th Until There's A Cure Game. Also, they honored Omar Vizquel before the game for setting the record for most games played at shortstop -- by anyone, in the history of the majors. Among those on hand for the ceremonies honoring him was the man whose record he broke, fellow Venezuelan and Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio. I've long appreciated the extent to which the Giants go out of their way to honor the game's and their teams rich history. History (a subject I love) is part of what makes baseball so special. The game's history is richly intertwined with the nation's fabric in a way that no other American sport can claim. Last night provided more examples.
If only the son of guns had won.

1 comment:

VP81955 said...

IIRC, Vizquel was not involved in the triple play; it was the around-the-horn, 5-4-3 variety.

I've seen two triple plays in my life -- one turned by the Phillies vs. San Diego at the Vet in 1991, and the other an unassisted triple play (Oakland's Randy Velarde at Yankee Stadium on Memorial Day 2000).

I've also been blessed to see a perfect game, thrown by David Cone at the Stadium in July 1999 against the Montreal Expos (predecessors of the team I now root for, the Washington Nationals). So as a baseball fan, I consider myself blessed -- now if the woebegone Nats could ever transform themselves into a contender...