PITTSBURGH — To this day the first major league baseball game I ever saw in person is emblazoned in my memory.
And that’s awhile ago, since it was 1964 and I was an 18 year-old freshman broadcaster for the Ithaca College baseball team. On a night between games at Army and Villanova, all of us went to se the Phillies play the then-Milwaukee Braves at Connie Mack Stadium.
I recall that Art Mahaffey started and won for Philadelphia while Hank Fischer took the 9-6 loss.
But what stands out most is an at bat by Braves catcher Joe Torre, who smoked a double to right that remains the hardest hit ball I’ve ever seen in person.
Why that piece of my history?
Because on Monday night, I took my 11-year-old granddaughter to see the Pirates and Reds at PNC Park.
Her first-ever major league game was pure circumstance.
We were bringing her back from North Carolina for an Easter week visit and had to stay overnight in Pittsburgh for a conference my spouse attended.
With the Reds in town that evening, the timing was perfect.
It was a weird experience for me … I haven’t paid to go to a sporting event in nine years, since my son decided we should take Quinn, then two, to see the Durham Bulls.
Admittedly I’m spoiled … press credentials and free parking have that effect.
Heck, the only major league games I’ve ever covered were the 1974, ’76 and ’77 All-Star Games in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and New York, respectively.
My recollections, in order, were sitting next to the iconic Myron Cope in the Three Rivers Stadium press box that produced a story about Morganna “The Kissing Bandit” and my binoculars that’s unprintable in this newspaper, being impressed with Steve Garvey’s skill in handling the media at the Vet, and sitting in the Yankee Stadium stands with boards across the seatbacks creating a flimsy auxiliary press box.
Then, of course, there were several visits to Cleveland when Great Valley’s Doc Edwards was managing the indians.
But I hadn’t actually PAID to go to a major league game since I took my kids to Fenway in the early ’80s during our vacations in Maine.
In my mind, I wanted Quinn’s first major league game to be a life-long memory.
And since I’d always wanted to see one from the first row of the upper deck, I bought two almost directly behind home plate that the computer offered at 60 bucks per.
After all, I’m slightly prejudiced. This is a kid who, a year ago, when asked to do a paper on the person she admired most … chose me. That kind of memory stays in your heart forever.
Monday night was beautiful … sunny with temperatures in the low 70s.
It amazed me that I could park in a secure lot, close to the stadium, for only $15.
And while I’ve covered all three games the Bills have played at Heinz Field since it opened in 2001, I had never been in PNC Park.
It’s easy to see why it’s viewed as one of the best stadiums in the major leagues.
Cozy and comfortable with a spectacular view of downtown Pittsburgh on this night fewer than 13,000 were on hand for a fantastic game. Our bid to take a selfie ended when an usher did it for us.
Our seats were superb … only 10 away from the TV cameras directly behind the plate.
Quinn, who isn’t a baseball fan, was still mesmerized.
Unbeknownst to me, our seats were only accessible through a gated area on the luxury box level. So we had dinner inside a private area that was refreshingly uncrowded and only steps from where we were to sit.
She loved the atmosphere … but was appalled at the prices. A beer, soda (there are no small or mediums), two cheeseburgers and an order of fries were $34.
But I assured her that the real surprise would come at the souvenir stand … which it did.
As for the game, Quinn saw a piece of history.
In the bottom of the fourth, with the Pirates down 2-0, Ike Davis, acquired in a trade with the Mets only three days earlier, jacked a grand slam, becoming the first player in major league history to hit a bases-loaded homer for two different teams in the same April.
And what really caught her attention was the fireworks display as Davis rounded the bases.
She dutifully sent a text to be flashed on the message board and was amused, but a bit quizzical about the sixth-inning pierogi race. I explained that one major league team uses former presidents, another opts for sausages and the Pirates chose mashed potato-filled pasta.
My fascination was with the score and message boards which, thanks to the pressure from social media, spew endless information.
Anything you want to know about a batter is posted … batting average, hits, runs, RBI, on-base and slugging percentage, doubles, triples, homers…
The pitchers?
Yeah, there’s velocity and pitch count, but also the vertical and horizontal break … in inches.
Quinn’s only disappointment was that the closest a foul ball came to us was about 20 feet.
And though I gave her the option, she wasn’t about to leave until the game was over. That delighted me as my pet peeve is Bona fans who pay $14 a ticket, watch the game for 38 minutes, then leave with the outcome in doubt merely to be one of the first ones out of the parking lot.
It seemed extra innings were in order, until Pittsburgh native Neil Walker hit a game-winning single with two outs in the ninth.
As the Pirates celebrated the 6-5 victory, the pyrotechnics erupted for the third — Andrew McCutchen homered in the eighth — and final time.
As we filed out, Quinn observed, invoking a nickname she gave me at age 3, “Papa Chuckie … those fireworks are a nice touch.”
(Chuck Pollock, the Times Herald sports editor, can be reached at cpollock@oleantimesherald.com)
