Blog post

October 31, 2015 [LINK / comment]

The Mets strike back!

I was hoping the World Series wouldn't end in a premature sweep, and sure enough the Mets rose to the occasion last night, beating the Royals 9-3 and thereby assuring that there will at least be a Game 6 back in Kansas City. [Oops -- me and my hasty calculations.] The Royals struck first with a run in the first inning, but then David Wright hit a two-run homer for the Mets in the bottom of the inning. The Royals retook the lead in the second inning, and then the Mets did likewise in the third, making it 4-3. The Mets put the icing on the cake with a four-run sixth inning, and the Mets' bullpen held firm for the last three innings, not allowing any hits or walks.

In Game 4 tonight, the Royals' pitcher Chris Young (whose age of 36 belies his name) faces the Mets' Steven Matz (age 24).

Kauffman Stadium tweak

For the record, I made some tiny revisions to the Kauffman Stadium diagrams. All that changed was the entry portals in the upper deck, which are larger than before, and some small "balconies" directly behind home plate and near the far ends of the upper deck. It is not worth considering a diagram update per se.

Ballpark news

Mike Zurawski informs me that Tal's Hill [the steep slope in center field in Minute Maid Park] will be around for another year, because of delays in construction and other factors. That's good news to me, but I wish they would just leave it the way it is on a permanent basis. See ESPN.

In Georgia, meanwhile, the shady stadium deal between the Atlanta Braves and Cobb County is revealing some funding gaps that no one seems to want to fill, such as a vital pedestrian bridge over the adjacent interstate. Unless someone shoulders the responsibility soon, the result could be a traffic disaster once Sun Trust Field opens for business in April 2017. Read all about it at streetsblog.org; hat tip to David Finkel.