This Week In Ballhawk History - First Dodger Stadium game and Game HR
On August 31, 1987 I went to Dodger Stadium for the very first time. The Dodgers were playing the Phillies that night and of course that meant Mike Schmidt was in the lineup. After an uneventful 7 innings my brother and I decided that it was about time to leave. I saw that Schmidt was coming up in the top of the 8th so I told my brother to go ahead and I would catch up with him right after Schmidt hit.
I picked a spot underneath the left field pavilion where I could see a TV by the concession stands and also look up if anything was hit. All of the sudden on the TV I saw that patented Mike Schmidt Home Run swing. I looked up and there the ball was flying over my head and into the stands. After about 5 seconds the ball came falling down to the area between the fence and the railing. I jumped over and picked up the home run ball. I saw later on the replay that the guy that attempted to catch it closed his glove to early and it bounced off of it and down to where I was.
Less than a minute after I retrieved the ball a security guard came and got me and said that the Phillies wanted the ball back. Evidently Schmidt was keeping all HR's after 500. I was hoping for a bat or something but the guy said if that was what it would take I could keep it. I was actually happy to give it back however and traded it for an autographed ball and some tickets to the next nights game.
It was definitely a great way to start off my ballhawking in LA since we had just moved there a week before.
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