July 20th, 1998: A Doubleheader to Remember

16 years ago today, I was 12 years old, and the Yankees were playing host to the Detroit Tigers. It was a single-admission double header at Yankee Stadium, scheduled as a make up game for a previously postponed rain out.

For my family, it was a unique celebration. We were attending the double header to honor my mother's recent remission from cancer after a year long battle. It would turn into a day that none of us would ever forget.

The first pitch for game 1 was scheduled for 4:05 that afternoon. David Wells, amidst his overwhelming 1998 season, started the first game for the Yankees. Despite a strong 6.1 inning start, he would come nowhere close to finishing the contest. The game was tied at three after nine innings, and remained tied until the top of the 17th. A go-ahead single by Joe Randa off of the Yankees Darren Holmes put Detroit ahead 4-3, where they would hold on to win. The last out of the first game was recorded at 10:00 PM, with game 2 scheduled for 10:30.

After a grueling loss that took six hours to play, it was decision time. We asked my Mom, who only recently had been declared in remission, if she wanted to go home. Surely no one could have blamed her for wanting to leave. She would have none of it. She made it clear we were there for the haul.

Hideki Irabu started the second game, which the Yankees would win in a comparatively brief nine innings, by the score of 4-3. It was a hard earned split for every fan still in attendance. The second game ended at 1:15 AM. 

This memory is bitter sweet, as my mother is no longer with us today. Though, even after a charmed life as a baseball fan, that day is my fondest memory of the game, and the old ballpark. Moreover, I cannot put into words how stalwart she was to remain for the entirety of nine consecutive hours of baseball. Especially for a woman who was still experiencing considerable physical discomfort. 

July 20th, 1998 was one of my mother's finest moments, among countless fine moments in her life, and specifically in 1998. It is yet another example that baseball helps heal all wounds. 

The box score for 7/20/1998. Courtesy of baseball-reference.com

                                    (The arrangement is the beautiful work of Rosie's Floral Boutique)

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