Take me out to the ballgame!

We were out on a day trip to the mall with a friend when he asked, "So, you guys want to come to the Dragons game with some of us?" Uhm, yeah! So we threw in our money for two tickets with the gang and head out on a Sunday afternoon to see the Dragons at their home, the Nagoya Dome.



Before getting in, we stopped by the mall (literally next door) for a little pre-game lunch and beverages. I had ramen. I missed the hotdogs and peanuts a bit, but I suppose we can't have everything. Then we met up with everyone and walked the 50 yards from the mall to the entrance. We filed in as security checked in our bags and punched our tickets.

We walked up to the appropriate section. A ways up but between home and first, so not a bad view. After having one of the Japanese members of our group ask a nice couple if we couple swap seats with them so everyone could be together, we settled in for the game. Below is a look at the dome.I have to say, it was a pretty uneventful first half or so of the game. No one from our team was really scoring or even making bases. The crowd, though, kept up the energy with small plastic bats of sorts. They would use two of the bats together as noise makers and clap and chant in unison. There were the usual beer, coke, and food vendors there. But, if I remember correctly, they didn't holler as they walked up and down the aisles. Then, after the 7th inning break - which, by the way, wasn't the 7th inning stretch that I was hoping for - the game got much more exciting. It was like the team was just waiting until then to really play. As you can see, the Dragons hit 5 runs in during the 7th, and another run in the bottom of the 9th to finish the game. All in all, it was a lot of fun and the company was good, so I'd definitely go again. And, since it's in a dome, I don't risk the usual sunburn I get from going to the ballgame!