Memories of Fall Classics Past

Twice in my life I've been at the World Series. They were two of the more memorable experiences I've ever had at baseball games. They were two of the more exciting games I've been at, too. There's just really nothing like the thrill of the biggest stage, even for fans, and I've been lucky enough to get to see it twice.

In 1993 it was game four at Veterans Stadium. The Toronto Blue Jays held a 2-1 lead in the series, and the game was a must win for the Phillies. Tommy Greene got the ball for the Phillies against Todd Stottlemyre. Neither guy got out of the third inning. In a steady mist/rain all night, the two teams hit the ball all over the yard. Amazingly on this night that set records for World Series offense, the Blue Jays scored 15 runs and didn't hit a single homer. Lenny Dykstra hit two homers that night, and another ball off of the top of the wall, stole a base, and threw a man out at third. He played like a man possessed. Darren Daulton also hit a homer that night off of Al Leiter. The dreary conditions were an omen though, as Mitch Williams blew the save in the 8th inning, and the Phillies lost a crippling 15-14 game that night.

In 2008, it was game three at Citizens Bank Park. It was raining like hell when I got in from Harrisburg that night for the game. The rain delay kept us waiting until after ten, and I actually watched the Penn State-Ohio State game in McFadden's that night. When they finally got the field ready for a game, Taylor Swift sang the national anthem, and Jamie Moyer took the field for the game of his life. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard went back-to-back in this one, Moyer threw well, and yet it still came down to the end. Carlos Ruiz hit a 40 foot roller up the third base line that Evan Longoria simply couldn't handle, and threw away as Eric Bruntlett slid into home with the winning run. It was the first of two wins for J.C. Romero in that series, and after this one I never really had a doubt about the outcome. The Phillies never had to leave Philadelphia again.

We now know that the World Series will make it's debut at Citi Field in Flushing Meadows, NY next week. The Mets will take on either Kansas City or Toronto in the 2015 Fall Classic, and barring someone making me an offer I can't refuse, I won't see a game of it this year. For the fans of the two cities that do get a shot to see a game though, please do me a favor- savor it. The ten year old in me that sat in the rain in 1993 still wants to see the World Series live- again.