Safe! That was the call last night in this game between the single-A Lexington Legends and Lakewood BlueClaws, at First Energy Park in Lakewood, New Jersey.What a delightful park this place is! The game, my first there, was eventful, if not crisp. The Legends (Houston Astros' affiliate) made 7 errors. Their shortstop accounted for 4 all on his own. The BlueClaws (Philadelphia Phillies) capitalized on them all, but also showed some good starting pitching and timely hitting to take a 8-1 lead. It wasn't safe, though, once the starter (Tejeda) was lifted. In the end, a couple of late homers gave the BlueClaws an 11-7 win.
The park is in the mode of the Phillies' spring training park in Clearwater and new Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, yet all three have features distinctly their own. Lakewood is about a two-hour drive from here so I won't be going often but I hope to go at least one more time. There were issues along the way yesterday and I ended up reaching the park just in time for the anthem. No time at all to explore. Only this morning, while looking at the program, did I see that macaroni and cheese, brisket and mashed potatoes, are among the foods available in the food court. Wow!
Best of all the park has a truly wonderful atmosphere. On a beautiful but brisk Monday evening, fans kept drifting in and everyone was into the game. Love it! The only disappointment was that the store was already out of two items I wanted dearly. And there are no plans to get more in. Come on, now, it's only May. Early May, at that.
The Phillies are now in Arizona for a 4-game series. Last night's featured Jamie Moyer vs. rookie fireballer Max Scherzer. In the end, it was no contest. Phils won 11-4. Moyer pitched seven solid and also singled and doubled. Scherzer was born two weeks before Moyer was drafted. On the drive home we switched back and forth between the Phillies and the Mets, who were losing in LA. A good night.
