| The Tripleheader |
| On May 23, 2002, a rare opportunity was available � the chance to see three professional baseball games in one day, in three different cities. A major league contest, with two independent Atlantic League games on either end. Atlantic City at 11:00. Philadelphia at 3:00. Camden at 6:30. I couldn�t pass it up. |
| First Game - Atlantic City I set out for Atlantic City at around 9:00 a.m. When I arrived, I was greeted by buses and buses of children, mostly from middle and high schools. I dunno. I never went on a school trip to a ballgame. Without much parental supervision, the crowd was a bit rowdier than usual, but things began to quiet down after the 5th, when the groups started to leave. The visiting Long Island Ducks opened the scoring with 4 runs in the 5th, 3 coming on a HR by Darrel Whitmore. They scored 2 more in the 6th, before the AC Surf got on the board in the 7th, thanks to a 2-run shot by clean-up hitter Keith Gordon. Ducks DH and #4 hitter Patrick Lennon hit a 2-run blast of his own in the 9th, for an 8-2 Long Island lead. The Surf rallied in the bottom of the inning, drawing 3 walks and hitting 2 singles off Ryan Halla before Hut Smith came in the shut the door. Smith gave up a walk to his first batter, but got the next two men on a flyout and a strikeout. Atlantic City batted around and scored 3 runs, but came up short. Now, it was off to Philadelphia. More on Atlantic City Go to Atlantic City, NJ - The Sandcastle |
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| Second Game - Philadelphia Before I embarked on this odyssey, my main concern was that I would not be able to get from AC to Philly in time for the start of that game. I left AC a little after 2:00, and the first pitch was thrown right after I crossed the Walt Whitman Bridge. Now, a few weeks earlier, it took 3-5 minutes to get from the bridge to the ballpark and 1 minute to get from my car to the gate. Of course, that was a Friday, on a night when the temperature dipped below 40 degrees, and the Colorado Rockies were in town. Today, the weather was beautiful, the Mets were in town, it was the Thursday before a long holiday weekend, there was a ton of traffic, and I had to park across the street at the First Union Center. By the time I got in it was the third inning. I set my VCR in advance, so I�ve seen the innings I missed, but it�s not the same. Brandon Duckworth, the starter in the game against the Rockies, started this game for the Phillies also. He held the Mets scoreless for 8 innings, giving up 5 hits, 3 walks and striking out 5. Steve Trachsel pitched well for the Mets, giving up no runs, 3 hits (2 in the 1st), 1 walk and striking out 4 over 6 innings. Jose Mesa came in for the Phils in the 9th. Jay Payton flied out, Joe McEwing singled, and then Mesa hit Jeromy Burnitz. Pinch-hitter Mark Johnson whacked a double, sending McEwing home and Burnitz to third. Robby Alomar then flied out to left. Burnitz tagged, but Pat Burrell threw a bullet to catcher Todd Pratt to get the double play. Mets closer Armando Benitez got the first 2 Phils in the bottom of the 9th. At that point, I left to start the long walk to my car, try to beat some of the traffic, and make sure I didn�t miss any of the game in Camden. I missed a single by Burrell, a stolen base by pinch runner Doug Glanville, and a groundout by Travis Lee. Mets 1, Phillies 0. Whew. More on Philadelphia Go to Philadelphia, PA - Veterans Stadium |
| Copyright 2002 Chris Trapani All photographs and text on this website and webpage are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the holder of the copyrights, Chris Trapani. Direct all e-mail inquiries to [email protected]. |
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