Blue Jays at Diamondbacks07.12.24 - 07.13.24
Phoenix, AZ
OK, now we're really going deep -- all the way to Phoenix, Arizona to catch the Jays against another National League opponent, following the Giants, this time against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
I attended the first and second games of the series, which the Jays both lost, the first by a respectable score of 5-4 and the second a total blowout at 12-2. They did win the third game, but by then I had scooted out of town!
I think Chase Field is a pretty typical ballpark -- Phoenix is HOT (the high was 42°C on the day I arrived), so the roof was closed for both games, with the air conditioning going full tilt. I don't think Phoenix in general is a great place to visit in the summer... the whole nearby area was a ghost town until the game started. My walk from the light rail line to my hotel was eerily quiet; it felt like I was about to run into a cowboy standoff at any moment. Not to mention the disturbed individual who was convinced I was following him off the train -- I don't think anyone would have been around to help me if he had taken a swing at me!
The first game was cowboy night; alas, the shipment of cowboy hats they had planned to give out at the game got destroyed in transit. How tragic! They gave out beer koozies instead. The second game was Star Wars night! Thank goodness the Lourdes Gurriel Jr. stormtrooper bobbleheads did not suffer the same fate as the cowboy hats. They went all out with the characters in full costume hanging out around the ballpark, along with Darth Vader throwing out the first pitch. The scoreboard antics were hilarious, calling out the Jays as the Maple Syrup Empire, helmed by Darth Vladdy.
Can't forget to mention food; I got Chick-Fil-A during the first game (I always feel guilty about that one) and some fancy local pizza for the second game. And I got another ice cream helmet, but their soft serve tasted kinda awful.
That'll be it for live Jays games for myself this season. In the games I attended, they had a 3-3 record -- not great, but also not horrible. Especially for what's looking like a team that'll end up outside the playoffs. I'm just glad to get a chance to visit all of these ball parks on the West Coast -- more to come in 2025!
