Home Team: Cincinnati Reds (Andrew Abbott)
Visiting Team: San Francisco Giants (Alex Cobb)
Venue: Great American Ball Park
Game Time: 12:35 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: None
My first Business Day Special! I've long been fascinated by these weekday afternoon games, but I had never been to one before. So a few weeks ago, when Brandi said she would be going to Cincinnati for a conference, I checked the Reds schedule and decided the time was right to finally make it happen. I drove down to Covington in the morning and then walked across the Roebling Bridge back into Ohio and arrived at the stadium right around the time the gates opened.
In the days leading up to the game, my main concern was the weather. That was valid, but not in the way I expected. There was a good possibility of storms, but that did not come to pass. Instead, it was just hot, and while there were some clouds, a good portion of the game took place in the blazing sunlight. I had sunscreen, but by the time I reapplied I think I was too sweaty for it to really help, and I definitely waited too long to get water. No harm done, other than a light sunburn on my face and neck, but I definitely learned (or at least remembered) some lessons for future afternoon games I may attend.
Reds starting pitcher Andrew Abbott was so, so good today, even with plate umpire Dan Iassogna (my least favorite MLB ump since 2000), um...not doing him any favors. He only gave up one hit and two walks in eight innings. I was really hoping to see him come back out to pitch the ninth--seeing a complete game shutout would have been awesome--but taking him out was probably the right move. I still had hopes for the shutout, but a solo home run with two outs of the ninth meant I had to settle for just the win.
And the one hit Abbott allowed led to a pretty cool moment. He had walked Wilmer Flores, and Luis Matos drilled the ball to left center for a double. Will Benson fielded the ball and threw it to shortstop Elly De La Cruz, who unleashed a laser to the plate to erase Flores as he tried to score--99.8 mph, the hardest-thrown infield assist recorded to date. It was pretty impressive to see it in person.
Leaving the game, I could tell how much the heat had taken out of me. I ducked into the team shop for a few minutes of air conditioning, and also in hopes of picking up a new City Connect hat. Alas, I didn't like the band on the adjustable version, and I learned I have an awkwardly sized head for a fitted one; the 7 1/2 was too small and the 7 5/8 was too big. I looked for a 7 9/16, but they didn't seem to have any. So, no new hat for me, which is fine; I already have a bunch of Reds hats (and to be completely honest, I'll probably eventually suck it up and grab the adjustable one anyway). From there, I went into the Filson for a couple of beers (and three glasses of water) before heading back over the bridge to Kentucky.
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