PNC Park

Earlier today, someone asked if I was at all concerned being a Phillies fan at PNC Park on Sunday afternoon. I wasn't at all. Pirates fans are, for the most part, pretty kind - even the gentleman in the row ahead of us who tried very hard to convince Matt to cheer for the hometown team. It also helps that Phillies fans come out in droves for the series so we were in no way alone. I'd say the stadium was probably evenly split between Phillies fans and Pirates fans and that only added to the experience!

Sunday afternoon was Kids Day, complete with a pirate themed inflatable obstacle course and a Parrot bouncy house on the street outside the ballpark. After we signed some sort of waiver, the kids and I were able to navigate our way up ropes, down slides, through cannons, around palm trees and finally out past a treasure chest.  And yes, as you can see here, I went through the course too (on the record, I'd say it was to help Cathy climb the rope wall, but off the record, I may tell you it was just because it looked fun).

After a brief stop at the playground inside the park (which, by the way, pales in comparison to the Phanatic Phun Zone), we walked up to our seats.

One of the nice things about seeing the Phillies play in Pittsburgh is the affordability of the tickets. The goal was to spend roughly $20 or less per ticket and it was easy to do that at PNC Park. We sat in section 314, Row H - the seats were almost directly behind home plate and, perhaps most important given how hot it was on Sunday, completely in the shade by the middle of the 4th inning.  All for $16 per adult and $10 per child (that's right... kid's pricing).

This is the view from our seats. It was perfect for watching the game, the activity along the river, and for looking over the great Pittsburgh skyline!

Last season, I saw Kyle Kendrick pitch twice (once in Philadelphia and once in Pittsburgh) and I saw Vance Worley pitch a beauty at Citizens Bank Park earlier this year... but I really wanted to see one of the Phillies aces and couldn't have asked for a better one than Roy Halladay. Halladay pitched his perfect game last year on the day my dad died and I really hoped he might pitch another one on Sunday afternoon. Well, that dream died early in the first inning when the Pirates jumped out to a two-run lead on a home run by Neil Walker.

The Phillies offense finally kicked into gear in the 4th inning; by the 5th inning, they held the lead. One of the most spectacular plays I've ever seen came in the 7th inning when Chase Utley had a diving catch on a line drive by Jose Tabata to end the inning. When it was finally over, the Phillies had ended their four-game losing streak with a 7-3 win!

One of the great things about Kids Day was that we were able to take the kids down on the field after the game to run the bases. I am pretty sure it was worth the nearly hour that we waited in line as the kids were so excited to have this opportunity and the view from the field was amazing.

Matt and Cathy were fantastic all afternoon and I love the enthusiasm they both have for watching the game. If the Phillies were playing in Pittsburgh again this season, I would definitely do this again.  Unfortunately, this was their only trip for the season.

If you are a baseball fan, I highly recommend you add this to your to-do list soon. The Phillies will be back in 2012 and we'll be right there to watch them!