MLB Parks Tour #7 – Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO – 2009

Working through these as quickly as I can preparing for the trip in June!

The trip that involved Kansas City was a really exciting one for Yvette and I. We had already been a lot of places, not to mention stadiums, but for some reason, the idea of getting on the road again across middle America had us in stitches. Kansas City was the first stop in a three-city, four stadium tour in the summer of 2009, which also included St. Louis and both Chicago ballparks. Kansas City is an underrated place, teeming with great food and culture. Even though we didn’t stay long, and it rained incessantly, we enjoyed our time nonetheless.

Kauffman Stadium was built in the early 70’s, but underwent major renovations starting in 2007 and going through the summer of 2009. The game we attended was in May of 2009, and the park just felt brand new. Adding to the sheen of everything was the incredible amounts of rain we received during the evening, making everything appear brand…spanking…shiny…new. We were concerned that the rain would ruin our parade, as we were leaving the day after for Chicago, but luckily we got the game in after a 2.5 hour delay.

A few notes:

Obviously our lovely weather streak ended, with the 2.5 hour delay as punishment for our previous good fortune.

We were excited to see a brilliant young pitcher who was making waves around the majors. Zack Grienke came in and pitched pretty lights out.

Staying in a tent in the pouring rain, which began again after the game, was less than fun. But it’s all about the memories, right?

The game:

Baltimore Orioles – 1
Kansas City Royals – 8

Friday, May 15, 2009, 8:10PM (Well…10:45pm is more like it.)
Time of Game: 2:46
Weather: 63° F, Drizzle.

Attendance: 38,353

Winning Pitcher: Zack Grienke (7-1)
Losing Pitcher: Adam Eaton (2-4)

The hot dog:

(Hot Dog ratings are for entertainment purposes only. Any resemblance to hot dogs, either real or fictional, is purely coincidental.)

We weren’t expecting much, as the KC Dog isn’t really known outside of Missouri for being anything awesome. Bonus points for being dollar hot dogs that night.

Score (out of 5): 3 Dogs

3/5 Hot Dogs!