Waking Up My Son for Baseball History

For the third time in my son’s life, I woke him up to watch a baseball game. 

The first time was September 25, 2014 when Derek Jeter had his last at bat at Yankee Stadium. I sat there with an almost nine month old, and we watched this:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AejNA_42RRA

It was an amazing baseball moment. I will always remember where I was when that happened. 

The next time I woke my son up for a game was October 21, 2015, when the Mets did this:

The Mets were winning their third pennant in my lifetime. It was the second one I remember. I wasn’t going to let him miss that moment.  I still remember talking to my Dad and brother that night with a cranky one year. 

Last night was the third time when Max Scherzer was on the cusp of history:

We watched him strike out Justin Upton to tie the all-time record with 20 strikeouts in a game. I was disappointed when James McCann grounded out to end the game. I got to watch baseball history with my son, but I didn’t get to see a new record. Side note: yes, I was rooting for Scherzer to do it. It’s history, and I’m a baseball fan. 

I wake my son up so he can experience these incredible moments. Will my son remember these moments?  Of course not. With that said, I do it for him as much as I do it for myself. I want to share these moments with my son as my Dad shared these moments with my brother and I. 

I remember my Dad forcing my brother and I watch Nolan Ryan try to win his 300th game (twice). I remember those countless times when he let us stay up past our bedtime in case this was the time the Mets finally got that elusive no-hitter. One of my fondest memories growing up was the Dad implemented rule that it’s not bedtime unless the Mets give up a hit. 

These are the moments I look forward to sharing with my son. These are the types of fond memories I want him to have. It’s why I’m starting him off early. 

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