Tag: blue jays

Blue Jays Hoodie Day

September 27, 2015
Rainwater

It was the final Blue Jays home game today and it was Fan Appreciation Weekend. They were giving Blue Jay hoodies to the first 20,000 fans. We made our usual trek down to the Rogers Centre to get in line. Claudia chowing down on our pre-game ritual hot dog.

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We arrived at 9:30 am and the lines were already longer than usual. We were at Gate 4 and there might have been 200-300 people ahead of us.

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We all got a hoodie and everybody entering was given a rally towel.

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Today’s starter was Mark Buehrle.

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He gave a up a triple on the first pitch of the game, and it was a collective, oh no, here we go again.

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Josh Donaldson.

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Jose Bautista.

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We were sitting in section 214 and with my big lens I was able to get some close-up shots.

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Donaldson crossing the plate after Justin Smoak’s double.

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Smoke with a lead-off of second.

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Kevin Pillar.

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Ryan Goins.

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Some of the bench players watching the Jays fall behind 4-1.

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Buehrle ended up going 6.0 innings, giving up 5 hits and 4 runs.

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The Jays were able to tie the game in the eighth inning, which allowed Josh Donaldson to come to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, with 2 out and walk off home run to left field for the victory. Here he is in the red sunglasses coming to the plate.

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It was a terrific finish to a good game.

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Nobody left their seats for a good 10-15 minutes after he hit the home run.

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Silver Elvis at his usual location just up the bridge from Batman.

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The girls showing off their new Blue Jays hoodies.

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And one with Chloe who wanted to get in the picture.

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David Price Game 1

August 3, 2015
Rainwater

After getting back from Seattle on Friday and hearing the news that David Price would be held back a day to start the first game of the Minnesota Twins series, I started to look for tickets on line. Gillian was already going to the game with her friends. Angela had a soccer game, so her and Susan stayed home. They ended up going to see Jurassic World. I picked up a pair of tickets for Claudia and I and we planned to go down early and wait in line for our Russell Martin Bobblehead. This was the line-up when we arrived.

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Claudia and I had a plan, as soon as we got in we were heading straight for the WestJet Flight Deck out in centre field. We got a spot on the first level and watched the game from there.

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The roof was closed when we got in, but it started to open shortly after that.

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We were able to stay in the shade for the entire game. They were hitting a lot of balls out during batting practice. When a ball didn’t make it over, they would yell for the ball. Claudia said they looked like baby birds.

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A BP ball landed in the second level of the Flight Deck, almost in some lady’s beer.

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David Price walking out to centre field to do some stretches.

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He ended up stopping right below us.

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The first pitch of the game.

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It was a good game, David Price was awesome going 8 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run and 11 strikeouts.

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The final box score.

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Surprisingly it wasn’t that busy coming home. We got to Union and the subway platform was still empty. Even the 401 was moving well.

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Bobblehead Day!

August 3, 2015
Rainwater

Claudia and I are waiting in line for the Blue Jays game today. It is David Price’s debut for the Jays, as well as Russell Martin bobblehead day.

Bothell, WA

July 26, 2015
Work Posts

I was out in Bothell, WA last week for work, I was part of an external review team visiting a mercury analytical lab. There were five of us as part of the team, the others were from Denver, CO, Champaign, IL, Jacksonville, FL and Augusta, GA.

Bothell is north of Seattle and only a 15 minute drive from our friends, Nikki and Richard, who live in Woodinville. I was able to spend a couple of nights with them on the weekend. On Sunday morning I got a chance to watch their daughter Sarah ride at a horse show. Here she is in one of the events. She did well overall in about five events.

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In the afternoon Richard and I headed to the Seattle Mariners game, they were playing the Toronto Blue Jays. Nikki had picked up tickets ahead of time for us.

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Safeco field is an open air stadium, but has a roof that can roll over during inclement weather. Even though it was raining in the morning they had the roof off.

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We were sitting down the right field line. There were probably more Blue Jays fans then Mariners fans.

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Although it was not a sellout as noted by the empty seats.

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This was just after the bizarre triple play by the mariners.

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The skies started getting dark, and the roof started to close.

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The roof can move fairly quick. The roof just covers the field and stands, it doesn’t seal the stadium.

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This is the roof fully closed.

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Blue Jays Game

July 2, 2015
Rainwater

On Thursday we headed down to the Blue Jays game with Shanna, Jesse and G-ma. The Jays were playing the Boston Red Sox in the final of four games. On Monday night Shanna, David, Jesse, Claudia and I went to the opening game of the series. They lost that one 3-1, in a close game.

Before the game we met Shanna, Jesse and G-ma at Xam Yu Restaurant in Chinatown for some noodles, mussels in black bean sauce, deep fried shrimp balls, cantonese chow mien and crispy beef. It was the first time we have had the crispy beef with orange sauce and it was delicious.

The roof was open for the game, it is always a better experience when the lid is open.

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I brought my big lens, Claudia said I looked ridiculous, but I could zoom right in. All of these pictures are the original framing, there was no post production cropping like I have done in other posts from baseball games.

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Josh Donaldson didn’t have a great game, he went 1 for 5.

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Jose Bautista on first base after one of his two walks, he fared better with a 2 for 3 night and a couple of rbi’s.

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Bautista taking a big cut.

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Donaldson making a throw to first base.

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David Ortizonly went 1 for 5, but he made it count with a 3 run homer in the first.

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Devon Travis on second.

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Angela had taken G-ma up to the seats, while the rest of us went to the Jays Shop. The game had started and before we could sit down it was already 5-0 in the first inning. The Red Sox ended up batting around and then some. The Jays starting pitcher Matt Boyd didn’t record an out and was pulled after facing only seven batters. It was the first time in Jays history that they allowed seven runs before recording an out. He’s in good company as the only other Jay to face seven batters without recording an out was Dave Stieb.

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There was a play at the plate that was under review, the video was inconclusive so the call on the field stood. If the roof was closed they would have had the overhead angle. The Jays had chances in this game, as they left 14 base runners on base.

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Roberto Osuna came in for some work. In all the Jays went through eight pitchers. The starter Matt Boyd was promptly optioned to Triple A Buffalo after the game.

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The box score from the game.

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Last night was a full moon. Here are a couple of shots I took after we got home.

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This one was cropped.

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Happy Mother’s Day

May 10, 2015
Rainwater

We headed down to the Blue Jays game on Mothers Day. It was Josh Donaldson Replica Jersey Day. The University subway line from Downsview to St Clair West was shut down for maintenance, so we had to park at Kipling.

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R.D. Dickey was pitching.

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Angle, Claudia and I had our pre-game hotdog outside the stadium.

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The lineups were long and started early.

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Angela and Claudia.

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The girls before the game. We were sitting in section 204, in right field.

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Happy Mothers Day to Susan!

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For the second time in a row, the Blue Jays lost, this one was over in the top of the first when Dickey gave up four runs, including a three run shot to Mike Napoli. The box score for the game.

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After the game we headed into Chinatown for dinner. We took the streetcar up Spadina.

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Along Spadina Avenue. We went for dinner at Xam Yu for noodles, cantonese chow mien and shrimp balls.

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Bautista Bobblehead

April 19, 2015
Rainwater

We headed down to the Blue Jays game on the 19th for Jose Bautista bobblehead day. We got there at our usual bobblehead arrival time ~10:00am and the line-ups were longer than normal.

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The Jays were playing the Atlanta Braves.

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The roof was closed, and that always changes the way the game looks.

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New Blue Jay Josh Donaldson went 0-4.

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Jose Bautista.

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Rookie and Mississauga native Dalton Pompey. He didn’t have a good game, a misplayed ball and an overthrown ball led to a few runs.

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Rookie Daniel Norris started but only didn’t make it out of the third inning. Here he is getting the hook.

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We were sitting up in the 500 section (520, row 10).

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The Jays lost 5-2, here is the final box score.

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We’re heading down on Mother’s Day for the game against the Red Sox. It is Josh Donaldson Replica Jersey Day.

Peanut Reduced Baseball Game

August 24, 2014
Rainwater

We headed down to the Rogers Centre for our last baseball game of the year. I ordered tickets for one of the peanut/nut reduced game. There were six games this year, they dedicate Section 204 as a peanut/nut reduced zone. They leave a buffer of seats on either side of the section. There is a special entrance at Gate 1, a peanut/nut reduced washroom, and the concession stand closest to the section doesn’t sell any peanut/nut products.

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The seats are in the 200 level in right field. The roof was open and it was sunny. We got there early since it was also Mark Buehrle bobblehead day.

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We were seated in row 2.

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During the Jays batting practice someone hit a ball that hit the seat a couple over from Claudia as we stood in the first row waiting for balls. I was able to catch a ball that was being thrown up from the field by one of the players.

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Jose Bautista at bat in the 6th inning. He watched a called third strike go by.

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Then proceeded to argue the call and you can see the umpire eject him from the game.

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It was a close game that went to the 10th inning, but the Jays came out on the wrong end of a 2-1 decision. The player that replaced Bautista was Nolan Reimold, he ended up misplaying a fly ball in the 10th inning that eventually led to the go ahead run. In the bottom of the inning he struck out to end the game with the tying run at third base.

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Dancing Usher

May 18, 2014
Rainwater

When we were at the last Blue Jays game the usher (not to be confused with rap artist ‘Usher’) near our seats was really getting into the music between innings.

R.A. Dickey Bobblehead Day

April 27, 2014
Rainwater

We headed down to Rogers Centre for the Blue Jays game. It was R.A. Dickey bobble head day and R.A. Dickey was pitching.

Before the game we were down near the field. Brett Lawrie waiting to take some BP.

The first pitch.

Jose Bautista.

Edwin Encarnacion with one of his 2 hits.

It was a good game, mainly because the Jays won after losing the previous 4 games.

Happy fans, a bobble head each and a victory.

After the game we went for noodles for dinner. We tried Oniwa on King Street, but they were closed. So we headed up to Dundas Street to go to Kenzo Ramen.

The box score from the game.