I had been weather watching all week. The weather gods were not going to be kind to the Baltimore-Washington region around July 9. While there was some hope early in the week that the chance of precipitation was going to decrease, that thought quickly and not too subtly disappeared.
Fan X and I had circled July 9 on our calendar long ago. This was going to be our chance to see certain Hall of Fame outfielder Mike Trout, the Vineland, NJ native, and Shohei Ohtani, who is blowing away MLB with his pitching and hitting.
We had talked many times of seeing Trout if the right Saturday 4:05 start would appear. This was before the onset of Ohtani.
When the 2022 schedule first appeared, I saw that the Angels would be in Baltimore for a four game series in early July. And finally on a weekend, with a late afternoon start time. We were enthralled.
Then there came the labor problems which threatened the start of the season. We winced but remained highly optimistic that the two sides would settle their differences. Which we all know they did.
You got to hand it to Fan X. He makes the drive to Baltimore—which is usually plagued with some kind of traffic mess in New Jersey, more likely in Delaware and along Interstate 95 in Maryland—in a way that only he can. Or maybe the way Mario Andretti might have. For we leave at noon time on game day and have yet to miss a start, although we have eked our way into Oriole Park just in time for the first pitch at least once. Plus he did this particular drive with an injured hamstring—a truly gutty performance.
He loves the ability to get seats down low—we were in the third row behind the O’s dugout this time. It is his lament that this could not happen in New York where it is a small ransom to sit in comparable seats. And he does not like Citizen’s Bank Park, which isn’t as far.
Fan X actually likes dealing with the Orioles ticket office. He praised their demeanor and efficiency—things which he likes in his life. To use his own works, working with them on seats “is a pleasure.”
So when I began my multiple source weather watching—The Weather Channel, AccuWeather, Weather Underground and WBAL-TV—I saw the chance of rain was real. Which became even greater as the week moved along.
I told Fan X of my findings. He said that with a 70% chance of rain, there was a 30% chance of it not raining. I love his positiveness.
By Thursday, I had my doubts we would have a game to attend as the percentage climbed to the 90th percentile. That only increased to 100% along with a Flood Watch issued by the National Weather Service.
Nonetheless, Fan X’s positive approach offered hope each time I updated him about the murky forecast. I started calculating what the Orioles and MLB might do if the Friday night game was rained out. How would that impact our trip, given the fact that the two teams were set to play on Sunday at 12:05 in a nationally televised contest on Peacock, was replete with calculations on what we might do with our tickets if the game was actually postponed.
I went to bed early on Friday night because I had physical therapy the next morning and with the knowledge that the Friday night game proceeded, ending in an Orioles win. Surprisingly, I slept well.
Saturday morning’s radar showed heavy rain in the Baltimore-DC corridor. The rain percentages were high, but now were trending lower in the afternoon—just not ending until much later.
I readied myself for the trip, clad in my Orioles Hawaiian shirt from our last visit to Baltimore, along with a New York Jets hat which matched my shorts, the shirt and my deck shoes, not to mention my rain jacket. Along with sustenance, I loaded 2 umbrellas into my clear bag given to me by the Jets for my loyalty as a season ticket holder.
Noontime arrived and so did Fan X. His car was fully gassed and ready for the excursion. We expected traffic. We anticipated rain. We were prepared for the Orioles to postpone the trip anywhere during our drive.
Yet we were still optimistic as the rain finally started in Burlington County. A check of the radar showed the heavy precipitation was north and east of the Inner Harbor. All we had to endure was the heavy traffic we encountered in the Diamond State. It was a good move to hit the last rest area in New Jersey prior to crossing the bridge.
The GPS in the car gave us a rough estimate that we would make it to Camden Yards around 3:30. The overhead signs in Maryland were not so cooperative, projecting much more time for shorter mileage.
Then, miraculously, the signs started making normal mileage/time projections as we were getting nearer to Baltimore County. Soon we had passed I-695, then Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and we knew we were nearing the Harbor Tunnel.
What wasn’t reassuring was the time from the tunnel to the ballpark. There seemed to be a delay. We had never encountered this before. Sure enough, a huge line snaked from I-95 to I-395 and down to the stadium. A line which was in the direction of our preferred parking lot.
Gambling that the GPS might lead us to a better way, we followed its direction. It put us on the other side of the signature B&O Warehouse which is just beyond the right field stands of Oriole Park.
Always intrepid, Fan X hailed a Baltimore police office to ask how to get to Lots B/C. He told us to make a U turn at the next light, which pissed off a few drivers behind us. Then we made a right turn into the area near the warehouse, maneuvered around traffic and arrived at Lot C without a problem. The traffic gods had shined on us, although the wether gods still were giving us some intermittent raindrops.
We hustled our way to the gates, found that my clear bag needed to be tagged at a certain entry point. Each one of us picked up an orange Hawaiian shirt as part of the giveaway.
Two old guys hurriedly hit the men’s room, purchased food, heard the National Anthem as we were headed to our seats, and then we sat down. We had made it before the start once more. The seats were phenomenal. It was game time. All that we had to worry was if the game would become official after five innings.
It rained through most of the early stages of the game. The intensity of the rain picked up in the fourth inning. Somehow, the game went to a conclusion. Our worries were for naught. Over 32,000 must have entertained the same thought.
Those fans were treated to a tight contest, won by the Orioles by a score of 1-0. A wild pitch put a runner in scoring position and a single in the fourth inning scored that run. There were plenty of strikeouts—12 for each team. Each team managed 5 hits and there was only one extra base hit—by Luis Renigifo of the Angels.
The game came down to the last pitch. With a man on, Los Angeles’ Kurt Suzuki hit a hard liner to left field which was run down in the area where the left field stands used to be (vacated to take home runs away from the opposition). Game over. Orioles win their seventh straight.
The ballpark, celebrating 30 years, looked great. The atmosphere was jovial despite the loyal O’s fans having little to cheer about until the last out was made. But they left happy.
As for us, we hightailed it out of Camden Yards as quickly as we could. The rain had ceased, although I could not find any rainbows in or near the clouds in the Northeast when the sun finally shined.
`In under three hours, with little traffic, I was sitting in my den, watching the Yankees and Red Sox. That’s a storyline for later in the season.
It was a blast. Maybe the best ballgame we’ve seen so far in all our outings.
For the record, Trout had no hits and hit into an odd 5-3-5 double play; he sure is muscular. Ohtani had a called second strike throw him off in his second at bat, causing him to roll his eyes and shake his head numerous times before and after he struck out. No doubt caught on camera by the migrating Japanese photographers present in the park.
One thing is obvious about these eminently enjoyable sojourns. There is nothing like driving with Fan X to a game.
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