Welcome to ongoing coverage of the Ballpark Tours 2015 … Bleacher Bums XXXIII … Rock N’Roll Adventure. Looking at Day Four (last half) and Day Five in this post For Day One. click here; Day Two, here; Day Three, here. I do apologize for any typos, editing on a moving bus.
—— BPT Day Four – Cleveland ——
The Game
Pre-game action included a fire in a nearby building. Indians’ bats ptoved hotter.
Day Four included a morning/afternoon visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (included in the Day Three report) before the Saturday night Twins/Indians contest, as well as a second consecutive night of Rock N’Blast post-game fireworks. It turns out that FIREworks was the theme of the evening. It started with a pre-game fire in a building near the ballpark; moved on to the Indians’ explosive offense; and finished with another round of what BPT trekkers agreed was best ballpark fireworks display the group has ever seen. (At least the best since the night before.)
On a baseball tour, the game – of course – is the thing. So, let’s start there. The Indians shellacked the Twins 17-4 in a contest that wasn’t even that close. The Cleveland bats were so hot, in fact, the Indians did not even have to worry about their number-one key to the game – Stopping Torii Hunter.
Scoreboard old the story. Today’s Indians’ strategy. Stop yesterday’s hero -Torii Hunter.
(Hunter, the hero of Friday night’s Twins’ win was reported by the Indians’ PA announcer as having the most hits versus the Indians of any active player. Before Saturday’s first pitch, the Indians scoreboard posted “Stop the Hunter” as the number-one key to the game.)
Here are a few observations (clearly, not highlights).
- The Indians collected 19 hits, including four doubles, a triple and two home runs (PH-RF Jerry Sands; CF Abraham Almonte). Twins hurlers also gave up eight walks, while fanning four. Indian pitchers walked three and whiffed 12. Betty White (Hot in Cleveland) probably could have scored for Cleveland Saturday night.
- In keeping with the trend on this trip, we saw 35 players (19 Twins/16 Indians), including 11 pitchers. In the three MLB games on this trip so far, we have seen 35 pitchers take the mound (actually 34, Minnesota’s A.J. Achter appeared in both games in Cleveland). This is definitely not “crisp, clean” baseball.
- The final Twin to take the mound did not come in from the bullpen. Shane Robinson came in from right field to record the final three outs for the Twins (bottom of the eighth inning). A. J. Achter started the eighth and gave up three singles, a home run and a walk to the five batters he faced, before Twins’ manager Paul Molitor made the call to … right field (cell phone in Shane Robinson’s pocket?). Robinson walked the first hitter he faced, then recorded a ground out to shortstop, fly out to center and a strikeout (Jerry Sands on a 64-mph knuckleball). Of the seven pitchers who toiled for the Twins, only Robinson and Kevin Jepsen did not give up at least one earned run.
- The Twins did rap three home runs in the contest: Joe Mauer, Kurt Suzuki and Eddie Rosario,
- It was Michael Brantley bobble head night – and he responded with three hits, two runs, one RBI and a stolen base. The star of the game, however, was Indians’ CF Abraham Almonte (acquired from the Padres on July 31). Starting his first game as an Indian, Almonte went four-for-five, with two doubles, a home run, three runs scored and two RBI.
- To soothe Twins’ fans. Consider this – the Indians scored 26 runs in two games – and only got a split. Conversely, the Twins gave up 26 runs in two games and still earned (earned may be too strong a word) a split.
- Selective hearing? The PA announcer seemed to have a slightly unusual accent. Each time Indians’ catcher Roberto Perez came to the plate, I could have sworn he was introduced as “Rubber Toe Perez.”
Progressive Field
God seats. Game for Twins’ fans – not so much.
I got to the game early to collect my Brantley bobble head (which I later gave to a youngster who hadn’t arrived early enough to grab one of the popular promos). That gave me time to visit Heritage Park (right field corner), with its plaques of past Indians’ stars, as well as the Bob Feller display in the Terrace Club (second deck, left field corner). Both are well worth a visit, and will provide you with a sense of Cleveland’s long MLB history.
Our seats were in the upper deck between home plate and first base – great view of what turned out to be a less than great game. These seats were considerably less expensive ($29) than last night’s left-field, lower-level seats, but offered a better view of the scoreboards and game action. Pre-game entertainment included a live rock band on the concourse level (right field) and a building fire about a half block from the ballpark.
Cleveland knows how to do fireworks,
Then came the game (already described above) and, finally, the Rock N’Blast fireworks and laser display. As I noted yesterday, Cleveland knows how to do fireworks – and tying the display to the history of rock and roll made it “more Cleveland” and a treat for nearly all the senses.
I shared my observations on Progressive Field and its Bloody Mary yesterday, so we’ll move on to Day Five and Detroit.
——Day Five Detroit—–
We departed Chicago for Detroit (Day Game versus Red Sox) at 9:15 a.m. and, apparently, a couple days in Cleveland were reinvigorating. The “Back of the Bus” was in fine form. (Sorry, “front of the bus,” but loyalty is a virtue.) Lots of baseball talk, the sharing of stories from past BPT tours and, of course, the classic rock sing-alongs. On the way to the Motor City, we weren’t just rolling – we were rocking and rolling. It was at this point that a new idea (stolen from Field of Dreams) was born:
Question: “Is this heaven?”
Answer: “No, it’s the back of the bus.”
We also had the announcement of the winner for Friday’s contest to guess how many total runs would be scored in MLB’s 15 games. I missed by one – but that was good enough to earn a twenty-dollar bill. (One trekker, who entered only the free, just for fun, competition actually hit the run total – 118 – right on the mark.)
The Game
I have a lot to say about Detroit’s Comerica Park, so I’ll keep game comments brief. The Red Sox topped the home town Tigers 7-2 in a contest that was tight (3-2 Red Sox), until Boston broke loose for four runs in the top of the eighth – much to the disappointment of most of the crowd of 38,766. A few observations:
- In the “It’s why we play the game” category – Boston was led by an unlikely hero. Number-nine hitter, CF Jackie Bradley, Jr., came into the game hitting just .121, with one home run and four RBI in 24 games. His output Sunday? Two-for-three – with a double, home run and five RBI.
- A sign of the times: We reached double-digits in pitchers used for the fourth straight game. Contest-by-contest pitcher count for our major league games: 12, 12, 11, 10.
- In the fourth inning, we were treated to a beautiful, full-tilt, back-to-the-infield, over-the-shoulder catch in deep center field by – you guessed it – improbably hitting hero, Red Sox CF Jackie Bradley, Jr.
- The game featured just 13 hits, but – unfortunately – also eleven walks (only two of those eleven “walkers” came around to score).
Comerica Park
Count me, officially, as a fan of Comerica Park. The park, which opened in 2000, seems to have something for fans of all ages – while also “displaying” a great respect for Detroit baseball history and tradition.
Comerica Park …offers a unique baseball experience: lots to offer for fans of all ages.
First, our seats were in the lower deck, right field. Despite the distance, the sight lines were good and you still felt close to the action. (If I had any complaint about the seating – and this seems true of most ballparks’ outfield seats – we seldom saw a vendor in our area. This may not be an issue for most fans, but I prefer to remain in my seat, scoreboard at the ready, during the game.)
My suggestion for Detroit is that you get to the park early and walk the concourse. You will not only find a diverse range of food choices (including, in-season, strawberry shortcake), but also solid evidence of Detroit status as a baseball city. You will find displays of photos and memorabilia commemorating each decade of Detroit baseball throughout the concourse, as well as some of the most detail “legends” statues (Ty Cobb, Hal Newhauser, Charlie Gehringer, Hank Greenberg, Al Kaline, Willie Horton) beyond the left field fence. These are some of the most detailed ballpark statues I have seen – and well worth the time to take in.
Detroit baseball history documented throughout the park.
Detroit’s legends beyond LF fence.
Willie Horton – Detroit’s Home Town Hero
As I was looking at the Detroit Tigers’ legends statues at Comerica Park, I heard one fan (from out of town, I presume) questioning why Willie Horton was up there with the likes of Ty Cobb and Al Kaline. That experience prompted me to share this story about Horton. First, Horton is a Detroiter – moving to the city with his family at the age of nine and later starring at Detroit’s Northwestern High School. A four-time MLB All Star, Horton was a star on the field for his home town Tigers. In 15 seasons with Detroit, he hit .276, with 262 home runs and 886 RBI … and he hit .304 in the 1968 World Series. Horton, however, secured his status as a true home town hero (and Detroit legend) not on the field, but in the streets.
On July 23, 1967 – as the Tigers faced the Yankees in a Sunday afternoon double header (remember those) at home – race-related rioting, looting and arson was lighting up the city of Detroit’s streets (ultimately, there would be 43 fatalities, more than a thousand injured and more than 2,00 buildings destroyed).
After the close of baseball action, with smoke from burning areas of the city visible from the ballpark, players were warned to avoid certain neighborhoods, including the area where Horton had grown up. Horton took the warning as a call to action, and followed his home town heart. Still in uniform, Horton rushed to the streets of his old neighborhood, climbed on roof of his car (in an area later described in the media as a “like a war zone) and pleaded for calm. Detroit has not forgotten that effort – or Horton’s still ongoing commitment to the city, his city. And, there is more to that recognition than the Horton statue at Comerica Park. Every year, on October 18 (Horton’s birthday), per legislative decree, the state of Michigan officially celebrates Willie Horton Day.
Two more Willie Horton facts: Horton is the youngest of 21 children in his family. Horton hit his first home run in Tiger Stadium at the age of just 16 – playing in a Detroit All City High School game.
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Kids love the Ferris wheel and tiger-themed carousel at Comerica.
Plenty for the kids at Comerica, including a Tiger-theme carousel and a baseball Ferris wheel.
- The Big Cat Court has some great food items – including (in-season) strawberry shortcake.
- There are tigers – the striped cats – statues and images, in many art forms, almost everywhere you look, adding to the home town feel of the park.
- Tiger fans are knowledgeable and loyal.
- The Amsterdam 416 Bar, above the right field bleachers, is worth a visit.
Comerica Bloody Mary
Not a World Series Champ, but Comerica’s Bloody Mary makes the first division.
The Comerica Bloody Mary ($10) uses McClure Bloody Mary Mix – a Detroit product – developed by the McClure (family) pickle company as a use for its leftover pickle brine. It also contains a sharp combination of spices, tomato paste and fresh-pressed cucumber juice. At Comerica, the drink is topped with a stick of three olives and a pickle. It is a first-division Bloody Mary, unique in its combination of pickle-brine tartness and peppery spice. One of the most “refreshing” Bloody Mary’s I have enjoyed at a ball park. It truly awakens the taste buds. One suggestion, add a dash of celery salt.
Kalamazoo
BPT trekkers have been known to occasionally enjoy a refreshing beverage (Okay, maybe more than one and maybe more than occasionally). )
We bussed to Kalamazoo after the game and BPT delivered again. The Radisson Plaza there proved a great hotel. Comfortable rooms, great bars and restaurants, outstanding breakfast buffet (try the Greek omelet). My evening meal was a pulled pork sandwich with bourbon and Sriracha BBQ sauce, smoked Gouda and jalapeno slaw – with truffle, which cheddar fries on the side. We really rough it on these BPT trips.
Next, back to Chicago (White Sox/Angels).
