Giants Baseball Corner

George Will, whom I despised for his politics, but respected for writing about baseball, called Fenway a hitter’s park. With the Baltimore Orioles in Beantown for my first game at the venerated oldest park in the majors, it would be a battle between AL East rivals chasing a wild card position, so I expected extra base hits.

The thing is, I love defense; old school, National League pitching battles: nothing-nothing through eight, everyone wondering if anyone will make the slightest mistake – a hanging slider, a booted grounder. It’s nerve-wracking and tense, requiring taut defense, calculated baserunning.

Nope. This was an American League slugging show of five homers, seven doubles and a total 21 hits as the Boston Red Sox pummelled the visiting Baltimore Orioles 12 – 3 at Fenway last night.

There were some great defensive plays, including a brilliant diving catch of a ball ripped to right of center that AP described thus: “Baltimore center fielder Cedric Mullins made a nifty diving catch on leadoff hitter Jarren Duran’s scorched liner.”

But back-to-back homers by Rob Refsnyder and Tyler O’Neill, in the bottom of the third and the eighth innings, stamped this one.

Meanwhile, the Orioles’ Anthony Santander hit his 40th home run of the season, becoming only the eighth switch hitter to ever do so.

It was as if these guys were featuring not only the power of the AL East, but all the unique features of the yard just for me: I got to see two over the Monster and one around Pesky’s Pole. It was a spectacular first game at Fenway.

Wiith the Sox basically out of it except to play spoiler in the O’s fight with the Yanks for the division, the Monday night crowd a week after Labor Day was small. Announced attendance was 30,600.

My section included several Orioles fans from out of town, and a couple who, like me, were not fans of either side, but present to experience a game at Fenway.

Fenway was … I’m saying it … the best baseball seat I have bought in any stadium outside ours. This is a place that adores baseball. It was a great pleasure to visit and see the Red Sox and their fans, a sweet family.

The place is tight, intimate, wooden and unassuming. When seated at field level, the field feels raised, like at Wrigley and as mimicked in Houston and elsewhere. I really felt in the action.

The fans were friendly, likable and knowledgeable. Their behavior with the team was familial, collegial and encouraging. With the Red Sox all but mathematically eliminated, Alex Cora had thrown together a platoon night for the late season game.

It was a gorgeous night in Boston and I had a great time singing the stretch with the fans.

Fenway, you won the game and my heart.