Jackie Robinson Day At Dodger Stadium - What A Night, Indeed

Aloha, everybody, 

On Jackie Robinson Day I attended my first ballgame of the year. It was Dodgers vs Giants, Clayton Kershaw vs Madison Bumgarner, the teams were tied for first place in the National League West, and the Dodgers were giving everybody a Jackie Robinson Commemorative jersey, with fireworks after the game. The best part? I was there. 

We arrived early, because it was a sellout and I didn't want to miss a second of it. 

Check out homeboy's Vin Scully t-shirt. Scully is definitely THE MAN in LA. 

It's about 45 minutes to first pitch and the grounds crew is putting the finishing touches on a large Number 42 on the infield, just beyond second base. 

 They brought out the color guard and we heard an amazing National Anthem. I forget the guys name, but you can look him up if you need a most excellent National Anthem singer. He moved the crowd, he was that good. 

It felt pretty special to be there and see all the players suited up with Jackie's number. 

Almost sunset, and the outfield was bathed in beautiful twilight.  

Frank Robinson, the first African-American manager in the big leagues threw out the first pitch to Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts, the first minority manager in Los Angeles. 

Vin Scully was ready to rock, so it was Time For Dodger Baseball! 

Hunter Pence fouling one off of Kershaw. You can see the ball trailing off behind the umpire. 

Dodgers rally! Kike Hernandez just sent a double into left field (He also blasted two home runs in the game). The Giants are starting the relay in as Dodgers are clearing the bases...

It coulda had something to do with this rally banana in the stands. Kike began the tradition of the rally banana last season. 

Kike and his rally banana led the Dodgers to a 7-3 win over the Giants, putting the Dodgers in first place. Life was good. 

But there was still a fireworks show to come!

I like to think every time a firework explodes, a Giant loses his wings...

We were in higher seats and there was a bit of wind, so the smell of the fireworks wafted over us. Sublime. 

I regularly use the metro option to go to the game. So we headed to the shuttle bus stop after the game. 

 It was a sellout, so traffic was horrendous. Our shuttle buses were stuck in it too, and the line got pretty long...

 Look down that row of trees. See those bright orange-yellow lights at the end of the horizon line? THAT was the bus stop. The line has taken on a "U" shape. We are in the middle of the U. 

We waited about a half hour and suddenly an army of buses pulled up. 

After a bus ride to Union Station, we took the train. Home at 12:30. All in all, it was a wonderful night.  

Stop by LADodgerReport tomorrow morning to check out even more - and larger - photos from the game. Aloha!