After a losing streak of three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Dodgers snapped the New York Mets’ winning streak of six games on June 2nd, beating them 2-0. The Eagle’s Scream was lucky enough to get tickets to this great game, supplied by Jeff Reich and Robert Morgan at Cort Furniture. Like many Eagle Rock students and people who grew up in Los Angeles, I’ve been a fan of the Dodgers ever since I can remember. I’ve been lucky enough to attend Kershaw's first no hitter, multiple opening days and the historic game three of the World Series where the Dodgers beat the Red Sox after 18 long innings. But out of all these amazing and memorable games, this game has to be one of my favorites.
After a year of not being able to watch the beloved Dodgers in person, being able to return to blue heaven on earth was better than I could have imagined. Like many people during the pandemic, I had a hard time coping with family sicknesses and the hiccups that came with being stuck at home for over a year. Although the pandemic was one of the hardest times in my life, the Dodgers managed to always put a smile on my face while watching. 2020 was a historic year for many reasons but something that was a positive memory for me was when The Dodgers won the 2020 World Series against The Rays. This year, the Mets’ and Dodgers’ records had been neck and neck, and seeing these two teams play against each other was a great way to be welcomed back to Dodger Stadium. When I got the opportunity to go to this long awaited game, I had the option to bring one other person along with me. I chose to bring my dad.
Watching and talking about the Dodgers has been my dad and my favorite activity all my life. My love for the players and the stadium has stemmed from childhood memories of eating Dodger Dogs, Dippin’ Dots, and elbowing people for a foul ball that never seemed to come. All of these possible experiences vanished and were taken from me when the pandemic hit and in November 2020; the Dodger talks with my dad vanished as well. The coming months after the Dodgers won the World Series brought great pain to my family when my dad was admitted into the hospital with Covid-19. Instead of getting over the symptoms like we thought he would, he spent the next six months in the hospital fighting for his life while I was at home waiting to be able to talk to him about the most recent trade. After months of doubt about whether my dad might be able to enjoy another Dodger game, he came out, but needed to have oxygen delivered through a tube.
By that time the MLB season was in full swing, and we were able to enjoy a game in person again, but we always had to consider my dad's reliance on a plastic tube that was quite literally his life line. When opening day 2022 finally came around, my dad and I were once again excited to enjoy the upcoming Dodger season that was said to have the best starting lineup. Although it was said to be an exciting season and it has been so far, my dad was still unable to attend a game because of a lung transplant that he was fortunate enough to get. So when I had the chance to go to a much anticipated game like the Dodgers v. Mets, I was so glad that I could once again enjoy a game with my dad at Dodger Stadium.