Bottom of the Ninth

It's hard to believe our trip has already come to a close. We've seen a lot of incredible games the past few weeks, and tonight was no different. We made our way back to Kansas City, Missouri bright and early this morning to make a 7:10 pm game, the St. Louis Cardinals were facing the KC Royals. This game was the one that I had been looking forward to since day one of the trip. A face off between the Royals, my hometown team, and the Cardinals my favorite team of all time, what could be better?

As we walked into the stadium I couldn't believe the number of fellow Cardinals fans that I saw. As I looked out into the crowd, I saw the stadium flooded with Cardinal red, I couldn't wait to watch the game unfold! This game was by far the most exciting and energetic game that we experienced throughout the entire trip. Because there were so many fans present for both teams, there was applause for every play. You don't really realize how quiet a typical crowd at a baseball game is until you experience a 'rivalry' game like the one we saw tonight.

Michael Wacha was pitching for the Cardinals and Yordano Ventura was the starter for the Royals. Cardinals started off strong in the second inning when Peter Bourjos tripled and sent Jon Jay home to put the Cardinals ahead 1-0. In the top of the fourth the Cardinals scored their second and final run of the evening when Matt Carpenter singled on a sharp ground ball and allowed Jay to score again.

The Royals remained scoreless through most of the game, but in the bottom of the 6th, they came back with a vengeance. Nori Aoki, the Royals lead off batter, doubled on a ground ball to left field and allowed Escobar to score. Eric Hosmer then singled, allowing Aoki to come home. The game was now tied and the crowd went wild. We finally had ourselves a game! Salvador Perez singled on a ground ball to center field, sending Hosmer home for the winning run of the game. Royals defeated the Cardinals in a 3-2 victory, clenching the series.

I was sad my Redbirds lost, but I couldn't have asked for a better final game! We are spending the last evening of our adventure at the historic Muehlebach Hotel in downtown Kansas City, another perfect ending to our trip (thanks Dr. Bob!). In the morning we will have a final breakfast and get on the road to make our way back to Cedar Rapids. What an incredible journey!

Kaylie

Photos from Royals v. White Sox

Photos both days at Kauffman taken by Rachel!

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Stretch Time! - Kauffman Stadium

Sponsored by Harrah's Casino at Kauffman Stadium means that the stretch is titled the "Lucky Seventh Inning Stretch." I hardly think that it's luck that allows the fans to stretch, and the break didn't unlock any magic for the Royals offense tonight, but this moniker certainly gets the casino noticed by all who attend this ballpark. As usual, we sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" karaoke style, with a ball bouncing across the lyrics on the bottom of the screen. The rest of the giant jumbotron was filled with larger-than-life versions of the girls dancing on the dugouts two decks below where we were sitting. I guess that kept people's attention focused up on the screen. The song concluded, and game plan began again with no extra frills. While living up to the tradition, Kauffman's version of the stretch fits right in with modern society, which is fraught with product placement and short attention spans.