First Game You Saw

[LoGatto]

As baseball season is upon us again, I start to think of all the fantastic games and history I saw. Do you remember the 1st game you saw as a kid? My 1st game was the 1973 nlcs between the Nymets and Cinninnati reds and the 1st play I saw was Bud Harrelson getting slamed to the ground by Pete Rose.

I have been a met fan ever since. What was your 1st game?

[SeveredSoulX]

My first ever baseball game as a kid was when I was 3 years old. Needless to say I don't remember it but I know it was a Pittsburgh Pirates games back in 1993 (my dad was a huge Pirates fan since he was born in raised in Pittsburgh). The first one I do remember is back when i was in 2nd grade with my class on a field trip. It was St. Louis Cardinals hosting the Chicago Cubs (I lived about 10 minutes from Busch Stadium so needless to say I went to many games). Matt Morris was the pitcher and I remember they won. But that's pretty much it :D

[redeck]

the first games I recall, were probably those early 80s yankee dodgers WS games. the First games I remember erally following would be the 82 playoffs and World series, i was probably 8-9 years old and my family thought i was entirely wierd, as no one else in my family gave a fly about sports at all.

[dennisjames71]

What a great thread…for being 8 years-old at the time, I remembered quite a bit of the 1st baseball game I saw in person. It was Saturday, July 14th 1979 at the Big A in Anaheim. By that time it was in the horrible dual-configuration (baseball/football) getting ready for the Los Angeles Rams to move in…I didnt care since I was going to see the New York Yankees play the Angels that day. My dad bought me an Angels pennant and baseball while I wore my Yankees cap. I got to see my hero at the time, Reggie Jackson and my other favorite Yankee, Thurman Munson who would pass tragically only a few weeks later. I remember giggling like the little kid I was about the Angels starting pitcher that day who was Don Aase. The way they kept pronouncing his name over the PA sounded like they were saying a#s; I thought it was hilarious at the time. Ill never forget that day for the rest of my life. Oh yeah, the Angels squeaked by with an 8-7 win in 12 innings, no less…my first game was an extra innings affair and we stayed for the whole game.

[redeck]

first game i saw in person was at old Tiger stadium, Never forget walking out of the concourse and seeing all that Grass, amazing, never been in a place like that before.. the opponent was Tommy John and the Angels, who beat teh Tigers, but thats all I remember of the game, Petry might have started for Detroit, i remember being dissapointed it wasnt Morris. this might have been 83

[DylanBradbury]

first game i saw in person was at old Tiger stadium, Never forget walking out of the concourse and seeing all that Grass, amazing, never been in a place like that before.. the opponent was Tommy John and the Angels, who beat teh Tigers, but thats all I remember of the game, Petry might have started for Detroit, i remember being dissapointed it wasnt Morris. this might have been 83

Saturday, May 12, 1984 - Angels 4, Tigers 2.

It was the only game Tommy John won at Tiger Stadium as a member of the Angels.

[DylanBradbury]

My first ever baseball game as a kid was when I was 3 years old. Needless to say I don't remember it but I know it was a Pittsburgh Pirates games back in 1993 (my dad was a huge Pirates fan since he was born in raised in Pittsburgh). The first one I do remember is back when i was in 2nd grade with my class on a field trip. It was St. Louis Cardinals hosting the Chicago Cubs (I lived about 10 minutes from Busch Stadium so needless to say I went to many games). Matt Morris was the pitcher and I remember they won. But that's pretty much it

I'm guessing it was this game: Wednesday, June 25, 1997 - Cardinals 3, Cubs 1.

(The other game it could have been was on a Saturday, and earlier in the school year when the school's administration is less likely to permit field trips.)

[emath2432]

I don't remember when, but it was at old Comiskey park. Early 80's. Saw a double header, I think, against the Royals. Seems like Harold Baines hit 2 home runs in one of the games.

I could be wrong, my extended family all went to another Sox game back then as well, and that MAY have been my first. Heck, I don't even remember for sure if it was Baines. I just remember the crowd doing that damn "nah-nah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah-nah, hey, hey, hey, goodbye" song after the second one.

Late 80's I went with the Cub Scouts to Wrigley for a game. Don't remember who they played, but I remember 2 other things. One, they lost (so it coulda been just about any game), and two, some FAT, drunk woman was teasing the guys in the row behind her by exposing her bra, and acting like she was gonna take it off.

First game I really remember was at Cincy in 1991. Cubs were in town, and were winning early. Reds came back in the 9th, and won in extras on a Bill Freakin' Doran home run (of all people). I looked up the box score on BB-ref.com once, but don't feel like looking again. Pretty sure it was in June, or July.

[DylanBradbury]

I don't remember when, but it was at old Comiskey park. Early 80's. Saw a double header, I think, against the Royals. Seems like Harold Baines hit 2 home runs in one of the games.

I could be wrong, my extended family all went to another Sox game back then as well, and that MAY have been my first. Heck, I don't even remember for sure if it was Baines. I just remember the crowd doing that damn "nah-nah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah-nah, hey, hey, hey, goodbye" song after the second one.

Late 80's I went with the Cub Scouts to Wrigley for a game. Don't remember who they played, but I remember 2 other things. One, they lost (so it coulda been just about any game), and two, some FAT, drunk woman was teasing the guys in the row behind her by exposing her bra, and acting like she was gonna take it off.

First game I really remember was at Cincy in 1991. Cubs were in town, and were winning early. Reds came back in the 9th, and won in extras on a Bill Freakin' Doran home run (of all people). I looked up the box score on BB-ref.com once, but don't feel like looking again. Pretty sure it was in June, or July.

So far your games have been the toughest to look up.

I think the White Sox - Royals doubleheader you described would be these two games in June of 1983:

Sunday, June 5, 1983 - Royals 7, White Sox 5

Sunday, June 5, 1983 - Royals 2, White Sox 5

Unfortunately, neither team had a player with two home runs in either game.

Here are all the Harold Baines multiple home run games at home, with the White Sox:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA198207070.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA198406070.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA198408180.shtml

As for the game you attended with the Cub Scouts, as you said it could have been any just about any game.

The first game you really remember:

Tuesday, July 30, 1991 - Cubs 5, Reds 6.

[emath2432]

I get the feeling I am combining the memories from both trips to the Park into one memory. lol

I was thinking the double header was 1983, as we used to have a program from 1983. I am sure my parents still have it, and that would answer some of the questions (maybe) if I went over and looked at it.

As far as the "2" home run game, as I look through the box scores, I am starting to think it was actually the game he hit 3 (July 7th, 1982 against the Tigers). Man, it just suddenly seems like I remember him hitting 3 home runs. When I saw the last one was a grand slam, it triggered something in my brain. I just remember the fans seemed to go extra nuts for the last one he hit, and a 3rd home run (also a grand slam) would go a long way in explaining it. Plus his last one came late in the game (I know that for sure), and the other 2 games his latest shot was the 5th inning.

The Cubs/Reds box score reminded me of a couple of things:

I remember Dunston's Home Run.

I remember Greg Maddux got the start.

I remember Dibble pitching late, because most of the Reds fans in our section left when they thought they lost, and there were only a few people left in our right field Yellow Level area. (last section before the luxury boxes, or whatever was in center field)

Anyway, I was (still am) a very quiet person in public, but I was screaming at the top of my lungs about how Dibble sucked, and he couldn't pitch, and various other things that i think embarrassed my parents. lol

And, until I looked at the box score, I had forgotten Paul O'Neil had actually hit one before Doran did.

Man, Doran's was RIGHT down the line (LF), and I thought it was foul, but no luck. :(

[redeck]

amazing dylan, amazing.

[DylanBradbury]

amazing dylan, amazing.

Haha, thanks redeck! :)

[jogar84]

Mets @ Expos...1991...dont remember the score though but the Mets got blown out, i was in Montreal for a wedding, i was around 4 years old :p

[redeck]

alright dylan, do Jogars game there, blow out in montreal 1991

[DylanBradbury]

Mets @ Expos...1991...dont remember the score though but the Mets got blown out, i was in Montreal for a wedding, i was around 4 years old

alright dylan, do Jogars game there, blow out in montreal 1991

In the 1991 season, the Mets lost only one game in Montreal:

Friday, April 19, 1991 - Mets 1, Expos 2.

But you said it was a blow out, which makes me think it was either this game from the 1990 season:

Tuesday, July 31, 1990 - Mets 4, Expos 7.

... or one of these two games in the 1992 season:

Monday, June 8, 1992 - Mets 0, Expos 6

Wednesday, June 10, 1992 - Mets 2, Expos 8

[redeck]

you are killin me Dylan. you need a hobby...................LOL

[Jim825]

June 3, 1972 - Mets 5, Atlanta 2 at Shea Stadium.

It was a few months before my 11th birthday and I went to the game as part of a school trip. My father came along as a chaperone. As I was reviewing the boxscore, I was surprised to see that Tom Seaver was the starter and that Hank Aaron was in the lineup for the Braves! Unfortunately, I don't remember either of them from the game.

What I do remember is that our seats were in the very last row of the nosebleed section of the upper deck and that the players looked extremely small from where we were sitting.

[SeveredSoulX]

I'm guessing it was this game: Wednesday, June 25, 1997 - Cardinals 3, Cubs 1.

(The other game it could have been was on a Saturday, and earlier in the school year when the school's administration is less likely to permit field trips.)

I'm pretty sure it was the September game. Since that would've been my 2nd grade year. My school always did cool field trips early in the school year (since we started around middle of August). I didn't know Morris stayed the whole game though

Thanks for finding these Dylan. When you're 7/8 years old, you really don't get a grasp of the game, but now to reflect on that day, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside :)

[DylanBradbury]

I'm pretty sure it was the September game. Since that would've been my 2nd grade year. My school always did cool field trips early in the school year (since we started around middle of August). I didn't know Morris stayed the whole game though

Thanks for finding these Dylan. When you're 7/8 years old, you really don't get a grasp of the game, but now to reflect on that day, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside

You had a really cool school.

First off, a field trip on a Saturday!??

Secondly, all my schools wouldn't let us take our photo without a media release form. That form would have been sent out to parents in October by the earliest (for transfer students to have a chance to get the form returned). That meant that if there was a chance the game camera filmed a student, that student had to have a completed media release form. If the student didn't the school was liable for a lawsuit.

Lastly, field trips also were required to have an "Educational Purpose." This meant that an assignment had to be assigned and somehow tied to the field trip. The only ways I could think a baseball game would be allowed would be:

• A physics class measuring something (I never took physics)
• A statistics class recording, tabulating, correlating, and then graphing the events of a game

Consider yourself lucky! :)

[Jim825]

Technically, it wasn't a "real" school field trip since I don't remember any teachers going and we did have to pay some sort of fee to go. I do remember the principal of our elementary school atending and we rode from central Connecticut to New York on a school bus. I'm not sure how he got permission to use the bus.

As for the media release form, this was in 1972. Nobody worried about such things back then.... ^_^

[DylanBradbury]

Technically, it wasn't a "real" school field trip since I don't remember any teachers going and we did have to pay some sort of fee to go. I do remember the principal of our elementary school atending and we rode from central Connecticut to New York on a school bus. I'm not sure how he got permission to use the bus.

As for the media release form, this was in 1972. Nobody worried about such things back then....

Wow! I can't remember I field trip my parents didn't pay for!

[Jaxen]

Ok Dylan try this ...

My first game was in 1980. Mets at Phillies at Veterans Stadium. Phillies won, and my uncle later told me that Mike Schmidt homered twice. That's all I know. It MAY have been a day game. I thought I remember leaving in the daytime.

My next game was in '87, Phils-Cards at the Vet, by then the Phillies stunk so bad it made the Vet smell. Cards won that game, Ozzie Smith homered.

I took about another 7 games at the Vet, the only other win was in '98 against the Cardinals during the Summer of McGwire (and Sosa). Mark hit a ball 11 rows from the top of the stadium ... one section foul. Wayne Gomes then froze him on the next pitch for the K

[SeveredSoulX]

Game 1 - http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI198004220.shtml

I couldn't find Game 2 since none had O. Smith homering in any of the 5 games they played vs Cards at home. :)

[Jaxen]

Game 1 - http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI198004220.shtml

I couldn't find Game 2 since none had O. Smith homering in any of the 5 games they played vs Cards at home.

I could have sworn that game in '80 was in the summer, but maybe not. Even though I was 5, I think I wudda remembered a grand slam.

[LTDigital]

Sunday, September 27, 1964. Cardinals shut out the Pirates 5 - 0 at Forbes Field. Donora, PA native, Stan Musial, was being honored. I was only 8, and it was the greatest moment of my very young life.