I made a huge mistake yesterday.
I’ve been at a lot of Chicago Cubs games, and, until yesterday, I can confidently say I never missed any really big moments during those games. Although I definitely enjoy food and drink at the game, I’m pretty artful about selecting my seat-leaving moments, and I suppose I’ve also been lucky.
In the top of the 5th inning, I watched Trevor Cahill mow down the Cardinals, and, as soon as Jhonny Peralta struck out to end the frame, I bolted for the restroom. A tip: if you’re quick, you can always beat the rush to the restroom in the bleachers between innings, but if you hesitate for even 30 seconds, you’re going to face a serious line. Down the stairs, and in and out of the restroom, I would have been back in time for the bottom of the inning, but that’s when I made a mistake. I decided to double up my between-inning errand, and grab a beer, too. I might even have been fine if what happened hadn’t happened so quickly.
As I handed over my bill, I heard the first crowd eruption. One pitch, and Jorge Soler had hit a rocket homer to left. I scurried up the stairs so I wouldn’t miss anything more and I heard the second crowd eruption (only three pitches later) just as I reached the walkway to where I was sitting in the bleachers. I saw Kris Bryant rounding second base, and I knew what I’d just missed:
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Damn those are awesome looking homers. At least I got to see them now, and got to hear the crowd yesterday. *kicks dirt*
I think it’s fun to see that Bryant’s shot went out at 108.3mph and traveled 411.0 feet, while Soler’s went out at 108.8mph and traveled 410.7 feet. They were virtually identical in those metrics, even though they looked fairly different.
That great Soler-Bryant picture comes via @MBDChicago. He gets awesome pictures.