The trip to the ballpark today was a special one, as Tyler accompanied Alan for his very first Indians game! Alan was very happy to show him around the ballpark.
The first stop was inside the Kids Clubhouse. Alan showed Tyler the slide, the train table, the model Indians lockers, and the oversized bat and glove. Tyler liked the slide the most.
Tyler also got a taste of being a major league hitter. Alan, of course, opted to be a catcher!
Outside on the family deck balcony, the boys enjoyed popsicles and watched the Indians take an early 1-0 lead on the Orioles in the 1st inning.
After they were finished in the Kids Clubhouse, the boys tried out the outdoor activities on the family deck. In Alan’s debut sprint of 2018, he recorded a career-best time of 6.19 seconds. But that record only lasted until his second run of the day, when he finished with a time of 6 seconds flat! Tyler also enjoyed the race, challenging himself to run against the pace of Lindor (designated fastest Indian) each time.
At Little League Park, Alan and Tyler shared a baseball field together for the first time! Both boys circled the bases in their first at-bats; Tyler got a hit on the first pitch he saw and Alan clocked the pitcher. In their second at-bats, Tyler stopped at second on his hit and Alan drove him in!
Meanwhile the Indians were busy posting a 6-run 4th inning capped by a Melky Cabrera Grand Slam. To celebrate, we next moved to the team shop for souvenirs. Tyler bought a Progressive Field baseball, a foam Chief Wahoo, an Indians bottle opener, and a pack of baseball cards. Alan bought some Indians Legos and a baseball bat pen. I opted for a 2019 All-Star game ball and pin.
Next we showed Tyler around the ballpark. First we sat in the upper deck in right-center and watched Andrew Miller throw in the bullpen directly below us. From there, we also watched the hot dog race – won by Ketchup in come-from-behind fashion. As Alan put it, while drawing some laughs, Ketchup had to catch-up. 🙂 Then we walked the upper deck from right field to behind home plate, showing Tyler the vantage points of the field along the way. While we were in the right field corner, Andrew Miller entered and the customary flames appeared on the scoreboard.
We also noted Jim Thome’s recently retired #25 (as of just yesterday). The #25 will never be worn again by a Cleveland athlete at the Gateway Plaza, as Mark Price’s #25 is also retired by the Cavaliers.
For our next vantage point, we stood on the lower concourse near the season ticket holder lounge area behind home plate. Tyler heard the singing of Take Me Out to the Ballgame for the first time while Slider and some of his mascot friends in town for his 28th birthday party danced on the top of the dugout. After the song, Slider, the Hot Dogs, Dinger (Rockies), Raymond (Rays) and the Oriole Bird walked past us.
With the Indians up 8-0 (which would be the final score), the rest of the game went by quickly. The boys only had enough time to swing by the Kids Clubhouse for some snacks and a quick trip down the slide before it was time to line up to run the bases. Alan got a popsicle to enjoy while waiting in line under the stadium (it gets hot down there), while Tyler opted for peanuts.
When it was time to run, Alan turned on the jets, but Tyler stayed within range. They passed Rajai Davis on the way to the plate. Tyler said he never thought he’d be on a big field like this one.
After the run, Tyler got a close up view of the Indians dugout and the camera bay. On the way out of the ballpark, Tyler said he was sad to leave and wanted to know how many days before we could come back.
The boys had a sleepover together at Grandma Debbie’s house last night, so it was a full weekend of fun together. Last night they made forts with blankets in the living room and read a funny book called Goodnight Underwear.
After the Indians game tonight, they played even more at Tyler’s house, this time along with Carleigh. The cousins wanted to play all night, but alas it was a school night — and for Tyler, the night before the first day of 1st grade!
8/20/18 Update: Tyler wore his new Tribe Town MVP shirt for the first day of school.
