I got to the stadium around 4:30 and it was not surprising to see absolutely no one around. School is back in session and that is always a good thing for us Ballhawks!
Around 4:45 most of the regulars showed up at the gate. Chris, Matt, Rob and a few more of the cast of characters that chase baseballs in Anaheim. I had the first spot on the far side of the gate and as I was standing there a guy walks up and says, "Ya ready to race?" It was a guy that every day tries to get my regular spot in the right field corner. Today I didn't care so I told him that it was all his.
I got down to the corner and he had my spot so I just went to the last gate opening in the right field corner. It turned out to be a very good move!
The day started off with a ball from an unknown lefty hitting one down the line. I leaned over the wall to make the easy grab ..... BALL #1
Into the cage stepped Gary Matthews Jr. who isn't known for hitting many balls into the seats during BP,, not even foul balls! Matthews ripped one down the line and again I leaned over the wall and made the grab ...... BALL #2
Now it was time for the Mariners to take their hacks in the cage. The Mariners are one of the favorite teams of the Ballhawks in Anaheim because we all know that there will be plenty of balls into the seats.
Ichiro as usual sent balls flying into the stands in right field. He pulled a few down the line and put many into the bleachers.
One of the balls that he hit down the line ricocheted off the wall and was headed right towards me. I leaned over the wall to grab the slow rolling ball and as I was picking the ball up I heard a girl near my yelling "LOOK OUT!!"
To my surprise a ball bounces off of the wall about 6 inches from my face! It was probably a good thing however that I did not see it because I would have missed the slow roller and might have missed the one that almost picked me off as well! Anyway, I did grab the slow roller for BALL #3
It was pretty uneventful after Ichiro and the first group hit. There were only a few balls hit near me in the next 20 minutes and those were two fly balls hit right at a Mariners fan that completely blew one and dropped the other. In the last group you had 3 lefties and 1 right handed hitter.
The lefties sent at least a dozen balls into the pavilion seats and a few down the line. Near the end of BP Langerhans hit a ball on the fly right towards me. I had about a dozen kids to my right that were not even paying attention. I stood up on the ledge of the gate opening and made the grab. I also probably saved a kid or two from reconstructive surgery had the ball hit them!
That was BALL #4 and the last ball of the day for me! The game itself was good but there were no home runs hit to the corner. That is becoming typical this season. In the games I have attended there has been 1 home run to the right field corner and I wasn't sitting there when it went out. In the games that I haven't been to there has been about 16 HR's into the right field corner!! It will happen before seasons end though ..... I will get 1 more GAME HR!!
Have a great weekend! I should be at Saturdays day game so watch for me on FOX!!
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER ...... @mlballhawk
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