October 6, 2017 – Cubs 3, Nats 0 (NLDS Game 1) – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/257722064/nationals-stephen-strasburg-fans-10-in-seven/?topicId=27118414

 

Attendance: 43,898

Duration: 3:02

Weather: 77 degrees, Partly Cloudy

Wind: 5 MPH Out to Left

Umpires: HP: Cory Blaser. 1B: Ron Kulpa. 2B: Fieldin Culbreth. 3B: Laz Díaz. LF: Jerry Layne. RF: Will Little.

 

Section 306, Row D, Seats 19-21 – our home for the NL playoffs, a few sections beyond our usual location behind 3B, but certainly not bad

 

Game notes – Strasburg was dominant through the first 5 innings, allowing only one baserunner (on a walk) while breaking the franchise record for strikeouts in a postseason game (finishing with 10) and keeping his pitch count down … with 2 outs in the 6^th, the no-hitter and shutout ended when Kris Bryant singled on an 0-2 pitch, scoring Javier Baez from second, which he had reached on a Rendon error and a sac bunt … Bryant got to second when Harper missed the cutoff man, and scored on Anthony Rizzo’s single … Cubs added what proved to be a completely unnecessary insurance run in the 8^th off Ryan Madson … Nats “offense” didn’t get a hit after the second inning off Kyle Hendricks and 2 relievers, and only 2 for the game (Harper and Taylor)

 

Other – perfect weather for short sleeves … Metro worked well in both directions … took longer than I expected, but I did get back the remote for my Prius that I lost on Sunday

Tom Petty

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/tom-petty-hall-of-fame-singer-who-became-rock-mainstay-in-1970s-dies-at-66/2017/10/03/57f33aca-a7a6-11e7-b3aa-c0e2e1d41e38_story.html?hpid=hp_rhp-moretopstories2_tom-petty-930am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.06e8ddd87097

 

Like the Doobie Brothers, there’s not necessarily a correspondence between Petty’s best work and his biggest hits.

 

Favorite songs:

Breakdown

A Face In The Crowd

A Woman In Love

I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better

I Won’t Back Down

American Girl

Trailer [Mudcrutch]

The Waiting

Runnin’ Down A Dream

The Last DJ

October 1, 2017 – Pirates 11, Nats 8 – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/256998120/pirates-win-finale-as-nationals-enjoy-moment/?topicId=27118414

 

Attendance: 35,652

Duration: 4:22

Weather: 67 degrees, Clear

Wind: 2 MPH In From Right

Umpires: HP: Chris Guccione. 1B: Dana DeMuth. 2B: Paul Nauert. 3B: Carlos Torres.

 

Section 125, Row S, Seats 3-5 (PNC Diamond Club)

 

Game notes -- longest regular-season nine-inning game in both Pirates and Nationals history … Nats never led, as Gio (apparently under the weather) gave up 5 runs in the top of the 1^st, which featured 2 walks, a hit batter, and a 3-run double by Bucs shortshop Max Moroff … Nats battled back in the bottom of the frame, as Rendon reached 25 HR and 100 RBI following a Turner double and a walk to Harper … Nats continued to battle back throughout the game, but also missed several opportunities as they left 16 men on base (Pittsburgh stranded 10) … Pirates extended their lead with 1 more off Gio in the 5^th, 2 off Roark in the 6^th, and 3 off Oliver Perez in the 8^th … Bryce looked better than at any time after his return from the DL, with 2 singles and a walk

 

Other – “fan appreciation” worked both ways, as the crowd gave standing ovations to Zim, Rendon, Gio, Bryce, and (especially) Jayson Werth, as Dusty removed them one-by-one over the course of the game … as is the final-game custom, the Racing Presidents threw numerous pieces of swag into the stands after the game … we also appreciated the free food, beer, and ambiance of the PNC Diamond Club … personally sampled the braised pork roast, slow-roasted strip loin, roasted root veggies, rice pilaf, tomato salad, hot dogs, cupcakes, dessert shots, and Goose Island IPA