Rangers Yankees ALCS Game 6

I know it's not a very exciting title to this post, but this is all about my experience being able to go to the Game that clinched the Rangers a spot into their first World Series in franchise history. It all started off so randomly. I had no intentions of being able to go to a game because, well, I'm broke. Yet a good friend of mine called me the day before the game and asked "Would you like to go to the game tomorrow?"My only response was "Does a whore like sex? Of course I'd like to go!"

I wasn't expecting much as far as seating since we decided to pick up tickets so late. But my friend, lets call him James, was able to snag two seats in the Lexus club. Funny thing about that is I could swear these were seats right next to where I had previously seen Cliff Lee pitch against the Yankees during the season. A game where I witnessed a 6-0 lead get squandered in the 7th and 8th. So I was really hoping not to have a repeat performance. James and I had arrived to the game a little bit early. Not early enough to watch batting practice, but early enough to watch the players warm up and stretch before introductions. We did have a few brief early downpours of rain, and the constant battle of throwing the pancho on and off, but the fans were dialed in and the rain didn't stop anyone from sitting outside to witness this game.

To no surprise during player introductions everyone on the Yankees were booed, none more than Alex Rodriguez of course, but in the early stages of this game what was so amazing to me was how few Yankees fans there were near me. Rewind the clock a few months when I was last there to see the Rangers v. Yankees I'd easily guess the stadium had about 40% Yankees fans there. Today? There might have been maybe 10% and that's an over estimation. For once I forget any rants on bandwagon fans, and my annoyance with them, because this time they are rooting for my team. Player introductions over. National Anthem done. Air Force F-16 fly by passed. Time to play ball!

Aside from the first inning where Elvis Andrus scores on an infield fielders choice the game was played close up until the 5th inning. When A-Rod scored off a wild pitch from Colby Lewis in the top of the 5th, I wasn't moving. I have a bit of a problem with sports superstitions. If things are going well, I try not to move or do something out of the norm. If things are going bad, I try to change whatever I'm doing as a fan hoping to affect the juju of the game (although I do know it doesn't matter what I do, it's just a habit). Going into the bottom of the 5th the game was tied 1-1. We had been texting some friends that were at the game, trying to plan a time to meet, and at the time I had no intentions of doing anything until the 7th inning stretch. Then we go into the bottom of the 5th.

With Mitch Moreland on thrid, and Josh Hamilton on 1st (A strategy from Yankees Manager Joe Girardi all game to walk the hot Hamilton bat), Vlad steps to the plate and the sections around me start to get electric. Chants of "Come... On... Vlad...Y..." started picking up steam. They continued all the way up to Vlad hitting his 2 run double where the crowd went crazy. You can see from this video I took at that time. Then as a fitting encore to Vlad's double Nelson Cruz decides to put his stamp on the game and crack a 2 run home-run. Now I can relax a little. So this is when we decide to run downstairs to meet up with our friends. This is where we lucked out massively.

As we were trying to find the friends we knew that were there, we ran into some other friends that just happened to have 2 empty seats on their row, which happened to be about 28 rows behind the Rangers dugout. There's no way we're going to pass up sitting there. Closer to the field, closer to the action, closer to the energy! The crowd was very different down there as opposed to up where we were. Could be because we are now winning this game, and with every strikeout, and every Rangers hit, everyone around was high-fiving each other. It was awesome being there, all the way up until the point I realized I left all my cups, and gear in our old seats. So I timed my escape somewhere around the 8th inning to make it back for the Rangers at bat.

I got back to our "new" seats just in time to see the Rangers get out of the 8th and watch Neftali Feliz make his walk to the mound. My iPhone was already dying from taking photos, and videos all game, and I prayed that I had just enough juice to make it through this inning. I wasn't going to miss filming this. Curtis Granderson. Out! Robinson Cano. Out! Up walks Alex Rodriguez. First thought in my head "How fitting would it be that for the Rangers to advance to the world series it would be a Rangers rookie to strikeout A-Rod after calling this team a bunch of kids upon his departure?" I will let my excitement come across in the video posted below of the final pitch, and final out of the American League Championship Series (note you can tell when I'm excited because I go all shake camera).



Being a long time Rangers fan, having grown up in this area and supporting this team through thick and thin, it was an AMAZING experience to be able to be a part of this game. This game has easily taken over the top spot of Best Sporting Event I've Ever attended. That spot was previously held by an Ohio State v. Michigan game that I attended in Columbus, OH with my dad. The only way that would still be the number 1 slot is if Ohio State had actually won that game. This game just had so much more too it. Local team, Championship game, history being made before my eyes.