San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies
A work trip to the Bay Area has brought me the opportunity to see a couple of games before the end of the regular season. This visit to Oracle Park is the first of two consecutive Major League games to close out the regular season.
Today’s game is my second game lifetime at Oracle Park. This will also be my fourth different ballpark watching the Colorado Rockies.
Hotel and Transportation
When I visit the San Francisco area, my preferred hotel location has been along the San Francisco side of the bay and then taking the CalTrain. The San Francisco station is short walk from Oracle Park, so the CalTrain is very convenient to getting to and from the game without the hassle of traffic or parking.
Seat Selection
Section LB104 Row 20 (First base side)
Moreso than most clubs, in my opinion, the San Francisco Giants offer regular promos to get seats at a discount. In this case, it was a two-for-one sale with no fees that would put the cost of the two tickets lower than I would have paid for one ticket.
I never found someone to take the second ticket.
However, turns out I was not alone. Next to me is Dave, a longtime Giants fan who also did the two-for-one sale and came solo. His second was supposed to be his wife.
Most of the time, I am a solo traveler to the ballparks. Sometimes though, you get the opportunity to meet someone new, a fan of the home team or someone who is also trying to visit all 30 Major League ballparks. And baseball opens up the opportunity to chat about the game, or about your teams, or about life overall. I won’t ever meet Dave again but moments like these make the ballpark chase so much more enjoyable.
Ballpark Food of Choice
Lumpia and Filipino Lemonade
Oracle Park has one of the broadest selections of food for any Major League ballpark and any choice you make will always be a good choice.
However, I keep going back to the Lumpia and Filipino Lemonade. Only Oracle Park serves the lumpia eggrolls so that alone makes it a uniquely Oracle Park food choice. Plus, the lumpia is really good.
When I go back to Oracle Park for a third time, maybe I try something different or I go back to something I love.
Game Highlights
The greatest highlight of the game is that I got to see Justin Verlander pitch, perhaps, for the last time. There is speculation on whether Verlander will return for a 21st season either with the Giants or another team but I would look at that as a ‘wait and see’.
If today’s game were Verlander’s final start of his career, then, at least, he would have ended it on a good note. Verlander pitched six innings allowing only five hits, one walk, two runs, and throwing seven strikeouts to earn his fourth win of the season and the 266th of his career.
The win was boosted with a three-run home run from Casey Schmitt in the 2nd inning. Rafael Devers doubled in the 8th inning to drive in the fourth run.
The Giants beat the Rockies 4-3.
