Attending First World Series Game Ever : Philly Sports Chatter

PHILADELPHIA, PA —How about that Harry?

It was a question —maybe a statement —that broadcast partner Richie Auburn would say to the legendary Harry Kalas about something that maybe happened on the field during a Philadelphia Phillies game.

Well, after almost 50 years of following this team, I’m actually going to a World Series game, the first one hosted by the Phillies since 2009.

How about that Harry?

Yes, I’m a long-suffering Philly sports fan and I basically can count on my hand how many times the Phillies have been to the World Series in my 56-year life: 1980, 1983, 1993, 2008 and 2009.

And now 2022.

I’ve attended Phillies games for years. This year, I went to Opening Day. (I once went to 12 straight Opening Days.) That was my only Phillies game until this coming Monday, when they will host the Houston Astros.

There was no way I was going to a World Series game unless I sold my car or stopped paying the rent on our townhome. Way too expensive.

But something happened Monday that gave me this golden opportunity.

My son had an internship with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs this past summer. The team sent him an email saying he had exclusive access up to midnight Monday to get tickets to either Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.

We got standing-room-only seats at $130 each before fees.

After this playoff run, how could I say no? It's been a playoff filled with magic and this team has momentum.

So we’re going. We’ve been to many games. The photo with us next to Harry’s statue is from maybe a decade ago. It's a statue I always visit since Harry is a legend and I once met him as a journalist covering the first time Citizens Bank Park opened.

So I've got the tickets. Now I need to figure out the logistics —how to get myself from a SEPTA station in Fort Washington through the city and to the baseball stadium.

We all know the place will be a zoo. We all know it's best to watch in the comforts of home on the couch in front of your big-screen TV.

It will be wild. Fans will be frenzied. The Bank will be rocking.

Sometimes life, though, is about making memories and taking opportunities that might never come around again.

So I'm going and I'll be rooting just as much as all of you.