HIT BY A BASEBALL ON Pi DAY

I have been a Pittsburgh Pirate fan since I was a child and being in Florida during March I decided to get tickets to see a Spring Training game.  I have not seen a Pirate's game for a very long time, so this was an opportunity I could not pass up.

On February 17th I went to Jet Blue Stadium in Fort Myers to buy a ticket for the Red Sox vs Pirates spring training game held on March 14, 2015.  The only ticket not sold was for a handicapped person, so I bought it.

Last Saturday March 14, I drove from Naples, where we are staying, North about 45 minutes to the stadium. I arrived early. The gates opened at 11 am and I wheeled myself to my
seat with no difficulty. The Pirates were on the field warming up, hitting and fielding and this lasted until noon when they retired to the clubhouse. The grounds crew spent the next hour manicuring the field, wetting it down and putting the chalk lines on the batter's box, fowl lines, etc. It was pretty neat to watch.  It was a beautiful day and although it was hot, I had the advantage of shade for the whole game.

The game started at 1:05. The early part of the game was rather slow with the main excitement being the Red Sox's  Mike Napoli hitting two home runs. Going into the 8th inning the score was tied at 2-2. The Pirates used a couple of hits and good base running to score 3 runs in the top of the 8th, held off a Red Sox rally in the bottom of the ninth and won 5-2. Great game and they won.

Oh yes, about "HIT BY A BASEBALL ON PI DAY".

Well March 14, 2015 was "Pi Day" because the date translates into 3.1415---the first five digits of the mathematical term Pi.  Pi is a numerical constant that represents the ratio of a circle'e circumference to its diameter.  The number goes on to infinity.  If you want more details ask a math teacher.

During the rally in the 8th inning, a player by the name Deibinson Romero was at bat and he hit a foul ball that bounced off a mesh fence right behind me. I looked back, saw it coming and ducked.

The ball hit me on the left shoulder and careened down into the stands below. I felt it, but was not really hurt.  The attendants were concerned about my well being, but all I wanted was the baseball.
After some inquiry we discovered who had the ball and he graciously gave it to  me.  The ball has two gray marks on it where it hit and actually broke the fence. I am just glad it did not hit me in the head or I would have ended up in the hospital.  It must have been traveling close to 100 mph when it hit that fence. Incidentally, Romero stuck out, so he was no help in the rally.

So, yes, I celebrated  Pi Day by being hit by a baseball and have the ball to  prove it.