I Was There

I had a little time on my hands today, and I don't know how much this interests anyone, but I found every major league baseball game I've ever been to, courtesy mostly of Baseball Almanac.

1. August 31, 1986: Braves 4 Cubs 3

My first game, I saw the Cubs' Shawon Dunston hit a ball that looked like it was over his head for a 3-run HR. Then a thrill for a burgeoning Braves fan: Dale Murphy hitting one to center in the blue seats of Fulton County Stadium. Even more of a thrill: Ted Simmons hitting a game-winning HR in the bottom of the ninth off of Lee Smith for the win. I got to see Harry Carey from afar; even at the visiting ballpark he did the 7th-inning "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Maybe it was because son Skip works for the Braves...I don't know. Dennis Eckersley started for the Cubs...don't remember that.

2. July 12, 1987 Braves 9 Phillies 3

Don't remember much. Vaguely remember the Gary Roenicke HR. Don't remember seeing Mike Schmidt. Just knew that the Braves whipped the Phillies.

3. August 19, 1988 Indians 4 Royals 2

The most I remember about this was Bo Jackson hitting a ball on a straight line to Muncipal Stadium's left field seats. It got out in a hurry. I think it was this game where Joe Carter hit a sprinkler in right field and water started gushing. If not, it was the next game I saw here. Had no idea that when I saw Julio Franco in this game, I would see him 13 years later in a Braves uniform. Future World Series-winning Red Sox manager Terry Francona played in this game.

4. June 28, 1989 Indians 2 Angels 1

As in California Angels. I still have the ticket to this one. The only real excitement was seeing one-handed Jim Abbott pitch. It was nearly impossible to see him transfer the glove to his pitching hand after he threw the ball. Tony Armas hit a HR. I would see his son pitch against the Braves 16 years later.

5. May 1, 1999 Braves 5 Reds 1

The Braves had long been winning division titles and losing postseason series, had destroyed Fulton County Stadium, before I saw another game. Mike went with me on this one. His favorite team being the Reds, mine the Braves, we sat watching Kevin Millwood pitch against Pete Harnisch. I was not a big fan of Millwood entering the game, but this was the beginning of what made him a higher-level pitcher and sought-after free agent in later years. We saw Chipper hit 2 HR, one left-handed, one right. Andruw hit one. Bret Boone hit one. They were flying all over the place.

6. May 23, 1999 Cubs 5 Braves 1

I don't remember whisking back down to Atlanta so soon, but Jonathan and Mike joined me on this one, Jonathan being a Cubs fan. It began with Odalis Perez giving up a HR to future Brave that season Jose Hernandez, then we saw one of the longest HR in Turner Field history hit by Sammy Sosa. Throw in another by Henry Rodriguez, and another future Brave that season Terry Mulholland pitching like a Hall-of-Famer.

7. June 4, 2000 Yankees 7 Braves 6

My first interleague experience. The Yanks behind Andy Pettitte got off to a fast start, but then the Braves pulled into a tie, 6-6, after Reggie Sanders drilled his 1st HR of the season (yet another year where he was often hurt). Terry Mulholland, pitching for the Braves this time, gives up a homer to Clay Bellinger the very next inning. Bobby Bonilla nearly hits a game-tying HR to right field off Mariano Rivera. John Rocker came in to pitch. On this very day he had a run-in with Sports Illustrated writer Jeff Pearlman, who had written the much-ballyhooed article that got Rocker in trouble. The Yanks were eventual World Series champs that year.

8. June 30, 2001 Braves 5 Mets 2

Probably one of the most boring games in which I've ever been. No HR, although Greg Maddux pitched 8 strong innings and Al Leiter did OK. But nothing really special. The Mets, fresh off their World Series loss, began the decline that they are in now.

9. August 4, 2001 Cardinals 3 Marlins 0

Mike went with me on both of these next two games. The Cards were pretty much considered out of the playoff race at this point, but with newly-acquired Woody Williams pitching a heck of a game and an HR from rookie Albert Pujols, they were certainly still in it, and they did make the playoffs as a Wild Card that year but lost to the Diamondbacks.

10 August 5, 2001 Marlins 5 Cardinals 3

Of course, after all that talk, they lost the next game. Ryan Dempster won it for the fish, and we were treated to the power of John Mabry and Luis Castillo (seriously, that's a big moment to see that guy hit a HR). Mark McGwire, who missed the first game we watched, came up 4 times and looked weak, very weak.

11. October 20, 2001 NLCS Game 4 Diamondbacks 11 Braves 4

Even though the D'Backs entered this game with a 2-1 series lead, I had faith with Greg Maddux on the mound that the Braves could tie it. Especially since the D'Backs had Albie Lopez pitching. The Braves took a 2-0 lead as Andruw hit a solo shot, and it looked good. Then the 3rd inning happened. I believe 3 of the 4 errors were made in that inning, and Maddux was responsible for one of them, and he hit Luis Gonzalez with a pitch, and the floodgates opened. It was 4-2 D'Backs and the runs kept coming. Future World Series hero Gonzalez hit a meaningless HR in the 9th, and I saw future WS goat Byung-Yun Kim shut the Braves down in the last 2 innings. My seat was 8 rows back behind home plate, and I bought it that day.

12. October 21, 2001 NLCS Game 5 Diamondbacks 3 Braves 2

This clinched the D'Backs World Series appearance, and I saw them celebrate at Turner Field. Tom Glavine pitched for the Braves, and future co-MVP of the World Series Randy Johnson for the D'Backs. I saw Julio Franco hit a HR off Johnson, but the most important HR came from Erubiel Durazo off Glavine to untie a 1-1 game in the 5th. Now 7 rows back from home plate in this game, when I saw Durazo's ball I thought there was no way it would be a HR, and it was. I was deflated. So were the Braves. I was on the phone with Mike later and he told me about the Yanks beating the Mariners in Game 4 of the ALCS with an Alfonso Siriano HR. The Yanks would win the next day and face the D'Backs in the World Series.

13. September 22, 2002 Phillies 4 Reds 3

Mike, me, and several others went to the final game at Riverfront, then called Cinergy before it got knocked down, featured World Series hero Jose Rijo pitching for the Reds. There was a little bit of pomp and circumstance, but the game wasn't a big draw--in fact, we were looking for some seats to steal closer to the action later. Not much happened in the game. There was an Aaron Boone HR, so I've seen both the Boone brothers hit homers. Saw Ken Griffey, Jr.--but he went 0-4. I saw Griffey, Sr. in a game with the Braves--so at least the 2nd father-son combo I've seen. Jose Guillen was in the game--it would be the 1st of 3 different teams in which I've seen him.

14. June 3, 2003 Braves 6 Rangers 5

My 2nd interleague experience. I saw Alex Rodriguez in this game make a pretty good defensive play, but he was not much of an offensive threat here. It didn't happen here, of course, but this was the night Sammy Sosa's bat broke against Tampa Bay and they found cork in it. There were HRs from Juan Gonzalez and Mark Teixeira but the big blow came from Andruw Jones, who hit what would be the game-winning HR off future World Series hero Ugueth Urbina, later traded to the Marlins.

15. August 29, 2004 Angels 4 Twins 2

In my trip to L.A. I went to a game in Anaheim. Jose Guillen playing for his 6th team since 1997, 2nd that I saw him, hit a double. I think Mike Scioscia got thrown out of this game for arguing but there was nothing in the papers about it. Justin Morneau hit a HR for the Twins, but Adam Kennedy hit a game-winner in the bottom of the ninth.

16. September 1, 2005 Braves 8 Nationals 7

In what would prove to be the Braves MO for the year, they'd get a lead and the bullpen would cough it up. I had seen Smoltz as a closer but not as a starter; he lasted 5 innings. Jose Guillen in his 3rd uniform I'd ever seen him in. Tony Armas, Jr. makes it the 2nd father and son I've seen in person. Andruw hit a game-winning HR in the 10th, the first extra-inning game I've ever seen, the 3rd game I've seen in which sudden death was a walk-off HR.

17. May 30, 2006 Diamondbacks 7 Mets 2

Miguel Batista pitched a complete game, Eric Byrnes and Conor Jackson hit HRs in my first trip to Shea, which isn't as bad a ballpark as I had been led to believe, but it's just not like the new ballparks. The debut of Mets OF Lastings Milledge, if he ever becomes anything.

18. August 4, 2006 Phillies 5 Mets 3

Notable for the end of Chase Utley's 35 game hitting streak, the Phillies still won the game on the strength of HRs from David Delucci and Ryan Howard, and a balk call on Met pitcher Orlando Hernandez, who balked later in the inning and looked very confused. But he pitched well, as did the Phillies' Randy Wolf, in my second trip to Shea.

19. September 1, 2006 Yankees 8 Twins 1

Mike came to NY and we got to see Yankee Stadium before they moved into the new park three years later. A pretty big blowout here, highlighted by 2 Alex Rodriguez HRs. Cory Lidle, who would die in a plane crash a month later, pitched 6 shutout innings.

20. September 4, 2006 Braves 5 Mets 0

Three days later, Mike and I visited the NL park. Really not much excitement here, but young Braves pitcher Chuck James pitched a brilliant game, 8 innings of shutout ball.

21. June 24, 2007 Mets 10 A's 2

A truly awful game...but there was a bit of an excitement in the bottom of the 1st when Jose Reyes turned a double into one of those error-aided inside-the-park "HRs". The way the Mets were playing here, you would have never guessed they would have collapsed later in the season. The pitching matchup was Joe Kennedy vs. John Maine, and this would be the 3rd interleague game I attended. The first Mets win in my presence after an 0-4 start.

22. September 10, 2007 Mets 3 Braves 2

Living so close to Shea, I decided I was going to watch an entire series involving the Braves. Tim Hudson versus Oliver Perez. David Wright hit a HR, Braves catcher Brian McCann made it close with a 2-run shot, but they could not score off Aaron Heilman and Billy Wagner.

23. September 11, 2007 Braves 13 Mets 5

The highest scoring game I've ever seen. It was Orlando Hernandez versus Buddy Carlyle. Yunel Escobar hit a HR, Teixeira hits a HR (the second club I've seen him do it for), and at around 8-0 Paul Lo Duca hits a solo shot that Mets fans went crazy for. Moises Alou also drilled one in the sixth anniversary of 9/11.

24. September 12, 2007 Mets 4 Braves 3

I got to see John Smoltz again, and the Mets enjoyed a 3-1 lead until the Braves scrapped a nice little comeback off Heilman, Pedro Feliciano, and Guillermo Mota in the 8th. The Mets would get the lead right back the next half inning, however, to win the game. Marlon Anderson hit a HR.

25. July 23, 2008 Mets 6 Phillies 3

The Mets had blown a lead to lose the game the night before, and then came back and knocked the Phillies around a bit in the next game. After a quick 2-0 lead, though, Shane Victorino and Geoff Jenkins hit back-to-back HR to tie it. Then after exchanging a couple of more runs, Jose Reyes hit a 3-run HR to seal it in the 6th. The third game where I would see Mets pitcher John Maine. This guy always seemed to play when I went to Shea.

Braves are 8-6 when I attend, home team is 15-10. The Mets began 0-3 under my watch and are now 4-5. Others: Diamondbacks 3-0, Twins 0-2, Angels 1-1, Phillies 2-2, Reds 0-2, Cubs 1-1, A's 0-1, Yankees 2-0, Rangers 0-1, Nationals 0-1, Cardinals 1-1, Marlins 1-1, Indians 2-0, Royals 0-1. And I'm sure there's a ton of other stats I could find, like who was umpiring, and this guy went on to do this, and so forth, but there you go.