Baseball Special: Citizens Bank Park

Park #4 was Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia today. We got to see the heated NL East rivalry of the Braves against the hometown Phillies. I do not exaggerate when I say that this was possibly the most boring game I've ever seen at the park. I think things would have been different if the Phillies were good, but due to their poor season, the park was lifeless. The fans were not into it, the team was just as indifferent, and we watched as the Braves took this game 4-1 with ease.

For me, the highlight of the game was the ninth inning of both halves. In the top, I got to see Papelbon pitched. This was the first time I've seen him throw since he left the Red Sox, and it was little bit nostalgic for me. He didn't run out to Hells Bells, he didn't fist bump the security guard, he didn't throw 97 mph heaters and he got booed by everyone in the park (probably because of his interview where he was quoted as saying, "I didn't come here for this" - in reference to the terrible season the Phillies are in the midst of). But I still loved watching him pitch. His intensity was unbelievable and it was the reason he was so exciting to watch in Boston. In the bottom half, I got to see Craig Kimbral throw for the first time. He is a beast, totally worth the hype. He was hitting 97-98 consistently on the radar gun and he had all the fiery passion that I used to see in Papelbon. I look forward to years of dominance from him going forward.

The park itself was nice but nothing to write home about. I did think the view from our seats was pretty, and the park had cool features, but in general it was very plain. The food was average and there was not much diversity in this department. There were no exciting peanut vendors like we saw at Camden. There was no personality to the park.

That being said, I had a great time. This trip has been fun and I've been able to see parts of two cities that I had never experienced before. This was probably the last park we'll see this year, but it was certainly fun taking this road trip.