|
|
When it was first announced the All-Star Game would be coming to Philadelphia in 2026, I was immediately excited about going to the actual game and mildly interested in the other festivities surrounding a typical All-Star Weekend/Week. We were lucky enough to secure tickets for the entire three days of festivities, with Doug and one of his friends attending the Futures Game on Sunday and he and my wife attending the Home Run Derby last night. I had no interest in attending the derby, but as it got closer to the time for them to leave for Philly, I admittedly started having a little bit of FOMO, which developed into a full-fledged case once the festivities began.
The broadcast on Netflix was fine, and the announcers did their best to gush about the palpable excitement at the ballpark. But it didn't compare to their experience of actually being there and it was a night they won't soon forget.
During the pre-derby introductions, Bryce Harper embraced his Showman persona, hoping onto the middle rung of the makeshift boxer's ring situated in the infield, while Michael Buffer did his best announcer's schtick with the obligatory "Let's Get Ready to Rumble," not coming until the tournament's final round. Harper and his teammate Kyle Schwarber both started slow, and Harper's eight home runs in the first round were surpassed by Schwarber's 10 home runs, knocking Harper out of the semi-finals. Schwarber took down Willson Contreras in Round 2, nine home runs besting Contreras' eight. All seemed right with the world when Schwarber connected for 11 home runs in the final round, but the Cardinals' Jordan Walker hit four home runs in a row on his final swings, surging past Schwarber and silencing the 45,000-plus fans pulling for a Schwarber win in his home ballpark.
Doug and Jenna reported it was LOUD and they had never heard such loud and sustained booing, which is saying something since they've both been to their fair share of big Phillies games over the years. As I've done in the past, I created a few Home Run Derby cards for my Chachi set, and I look forward to creating some All-Star cards for the set following Tuesday night's Midsummer Classic.
What an incredible experience this All-Star Week has been!
No comments:
Post a Comment