I'm one of those people that wakes up bright and early and hits the ground running. At 7:00, I was already getting everything prepared for our small tailgate party. Hot dogs, sausage, buffalo grilled chicken, loaded potato dip, and Sweet Water 420 made up the menu that did not disappoint.
The crowd was buzzing from the second we parked, you could almost tell something special was going to happen. Derek Lowe was on the mound, but like 23 of his other teammates, they seemed to just be filler for the real show: Jason Heyward. Making his debut in RF, the Jay Hey Kid had a lot to do with the largest day game crowd in Atlanta.
The pregame festivities were enough to get me choked up, as the greatest part of baseball isn't always the game, its the people who share the game with. Thoughts of my late Grandfather, my dad, and other family members kept flashing in my head as Furman Bisher narrated a video linking important moments in Braves history to important moments in fans lives that happened to overlap. On top of this, we witnessed a potential passing of the torch as Hank Aaron threw out the first pitch to none other than Jason Heyward.
As the game started, I couldn't help but notice the lack of Cubs fans at Turner Field. Often with the Cubs are in town the stadium can get near 50% Cubs fans, but luckily the Braves faithful were spared from the most obnoxious fans outside of the Red Sox
Yes, to the Second City's dismay, the Cubs were only able to lead for half an inning. Big Carlos Zambrano gave up bloopers to first Martin Prado and then Brian McCann. Next, Troy Glaus unfortunately picked up the first strikeout for the good guys and was followed by a big hit from Yunel Escobar to tie the game. What happened next will go down as one of the most magical moments in Turner Field's short history.
Jason Heyward struts up to the plate with the crowd already going a little bit crazier than usual. A lets go Heyward chant breaks out in the middle of his at bat, something uncommon for any player, much less a rookie. After 2 straight balls by Zambrano, the crowd was getting even louder. However, that noise was NOTHING compared to the second after Heyward unloaded on a low fastball.
Before the ball had a chance to pass the infield in flight, Turner Field was rocking. Never have I witness such hysteria and it might be along time before I see something like it. The closest thing that comes to mind was Brain McCann's HR off of Clemens in the 2005 Playoffs, but even then, you didn't have Braves Ushers acting like a 3 year old on Christmas morning. With all the hype that surrounded Jason over the last year, which increased greatly this spring, I guess I have to ask the question: Where we expecting anything less?
Most of the game from after this was just a complete beat down of the "Lovable Losers." Here are some of my random thoughts from the game:
- As awesome as Heyward was, my personal player of the game was Yunel Escobar. 5 RBI, 2 Hits (1 double) and a flashy day on the diamond that amazed me.
- Nate McLouth's catch (or lack of) should be celebrated due to the fact he made a great effort to even get to that ball. Plus he made a great heads up play and got the ball to the infield quickly.
- I've been waiting all offseason to see Billy Wagner trot to the mound to Enter Sandman. I was not disappointed.
- They sold 433 Jason Heyward T Shirts yesterday, including the one I'm wearing right now. Thanks for standing in line for me Lea!!
(click to embiggen)
W: Derek Lowe (1-0)
L: Carlos Zambrano (0-1)
L: Carlos Zambrano (0-1)
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