Take me out to the ballgame

I don't really do American sport. I watch IndyCar, have a passing interest in the MLS and take part in fantasy NFL despite knowing nothing about it.

A couple of years ago I went to watch the Washington Capitals ice hockey team while in DC and enjoyed it. I've been to a few Braehead Clan games back in Scotland since and have had fun, but wouldn't want to go every week. I know nothing about basketball aside from the names of a few star teams and players and it's a similar situation in baseball.

Last season I arrived in Chicago the night the Cubs made it through to the equivalent of the semi-finals of baseball's World Series for the first time in years. I was amazed as to how crazy the city was going for them, even though they have another baseball team and had a hell of a lot of games to negotiate to get to the next stage and the chance to win it all. Sure enough, they bombed against the New York Mets and the Curse of the Billy Goat lived on.

"Them Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more!"

This year's trip to North America took me and my brother to Toronto, home of the Blue Jays. The problem we've always had when it comes to seeing sport in our holidays is the teams have either finished for the season, haven't started or are in the play-offs and thus the tickets, if available, cost a fortune.

As holiday time approached, the Blue Jays were trying their best to miss out on the play-offs but stumbled into the wildcard game. If they made it through that, the third of their five game series with the Texas Rangers would be at home in the Rogers Centre during our stay. We decided to gamble and buy some pricey tickets (although we'd get our money back if they didn't make the play-offs). The first thing I did the morning we were due to fly out was to check if they'd won - they did. Even better was they went on to win their first two games against the Rangers (as a St Mirren fan news of a Rangers defeat always goes down well), meaning if they won at the game we were at they'd win the series.

We were aaaaaaaaaaaaall the way up there.

Our tickets were up high in the nosebleed 500 section, so high they have barriers in front of the seats to stop you falling. The Friday before the game on the Sunday we went on a tour of the stadium and were able to work out where we'd be watching from. We reckoned we'd have a good view - which we did - and were just to the right of home plate. Unfortunately for me, my brother had done some Googling and fancied himself as quite the expert on baseball - which isn't exactly the hardest game to understand.

As fans of a team that sees 5,000 as a big crowd, it was unusual to be in a stadium with around 10 times that number all rooting for the home team. I was delighted to be given a free towel as I went in, which it seems I was expected to wave at appropriate moments. The roof was shut - something confirmed in a rather amusing, if unnecessary, video involving someone who turned out to be quite important later on.

Just incase you were wondering why you couldn't see the sky.

As this was a sporting event in North America, we had to stand for the national anthem - in fact, we had both the US and Canadian ones due to being in Canada (obviously). This was at least a chance to see some Mounties for the only time all holiday. Thankfully, neither of us were rumbled as tourists despite not joining in the anthems or being the only people in the Rogers Centre (formerly known as the Skydome) not wearing any Blue Jays stuff.

The teams were introduced - well, the Texas Rangers team was. When it came to the Blue Jays it was the players and just about everyone else they employed, from physios to deputy second base coach. One of the Rangers players was given dogs' abuse by the fans when he came out. We assumed this was because he used to play for the Blue Jays but a quick check revealed that wasn't the case. I asked a friend back home who was still awake if he knew to be told: "He punched a Blue Jays player this year." Ah. That'll do it.

As mentioned, baseball is simple to grasp. Each team has nine innings, which end when three batters are out. The team with most runs at the end of the nine wins. If it's tied, extra innings are played until someone finishes up ahead. Having noticed a game the night before provided the grand total of one run, we were hopeful of something a little more exciting. We needn't have worried.

Texas went first and scored a run in their innings. Then came the Blue Jays. We'd noted with amusement in the programme that while fans were allowed to keep balls hit into the crowd, any bats that somehow made it to the fans were to be returned. Incredibly, this happened with one of the first round of Toronto batters. Unperturbed, he smashed the next delivery (or pitch seeing as this isn't cricket) into the stands and duly set off for a home run. In the same innings another Blue Jay just managed to sneak the ball over the fences for a second home run. The place was going absolutely wild, the divisional title as good as in the bag after one innings. Er, maybe not as it turned out that was Toronto's last home run of the night.

The second innings saw no runs before Texas pegged one back in the third - only for Toronto to add another two. This was easy and things were going so badly for Texas that the changed their pitcher. This was a surprise to us as it meant that was his night done, however it soon emerged changing pitchers is a relatively regular - and tedious - occurrence in baseball. Slightly more amusing was folk trying to sneak between bases, which rather annoyed the pitchers who tried - and failed - to get them out.

We weren't quite as close to the action on the Sunday...

So things were going well. The fans were in good spirits with songs and chants for every Blue Jays player - most fairly similar to what we sing back home at football just with different names with the noise echoing off the roof - and the abuse continued to reign down on our punching pal. However, he was about to turn the tables as he promptly smacked a home run to bring the Rangers to within one of tying the game.

On we went, the changes between innings and pitchers somewhat frustrating for fans of a sport used to one 15 minute break rather than several three minute ones. Various forms of entertainment were provided, including a 50/50 draw that had a prize of more than $100,000 on offer! A slight change from the £100 you usually stand to win in Scotland.

Things took a turn for the worse in the sixth innings when Texas scored two runs to move into the lead for the first time. In response, Toronto managed to get guys on two or three bases and you knew they had to take advantage if they were to stand any chance. They managed one run - not great but better than nothing.

Sadly we couldn't see the CN Tower from the stadium due to the aforementioned roof closure.

That was your lot in terms of normal time with no more runs. The pitching changes continued to bemuse - the most baffling coming when a new guy came in for the Blue Jays, got rid of two folk without conceding a run and was promptly hooked. Even the fans who knew what was going on seemed confused and the replacement wasn't exactly popular, one regular near me encouragingly calling out "Come on you little bitch". By this time Texas had moved on to a pitcher who'd spent time in jail, confirming their status as the Livingston of MLB.

By the time of the ninth innings we were effectively into sudden death. Texas couldn't take advantage but, despite the noise levels increasing further, neither could the Blue Jays. On we went to the 10th innings and again Texas were eventually dispatched. One guy seemed to survive a rather dubious call from the umpire only to be dismissed next ball anyway, my rather Scottish cry of "Aye, now ye can get tae f**k" amusing my neighbour.

Jose and the bat. Apparently this is a thing.

The anticipation was building. Surely this time the Blue Jays would make it count? They managed to get runners to first and second base before Jose Bautista (victim of the punch) stepped forward. He seemed to be pretty popular in these parts, not least because of the way he'd flung his bat after smashing a home run against the Rangers a year earlier. It felt like being at the Ryder Cup with chants of "Jose" ringing around the stadium. Unfortunately, he could not oblige - not surprising, considering he'd twice managed to run out two of his team-mates earlier in the night.

You worried that if the Blue Jays couldn't make it count this time whether they'd have missed their chance. Next batter in hit a half decent shot that set the runners on their way. The guy heading to second base was out first, but bad fielding from the punching Ranger meant the batter made it to first. By this point Josh Donaldson - the guy from the roof report because he is apparently the "bringer of rain" - had decided he might as well try to run from second to third to home, dived and made it. Cue bedlam. Cue pandemonium. Cue absolute scenes. The Blue Jays had won the game and the division series!

Except... In amongst the chaos, the big screen cut to footage of the umpires discussing things. Seemingly they weren't happy with something. At first we thought they were debating whether Donaldson had made it home in time but it turned out the Rangers' coach had challenged whether there had been interference (ooh, er) on the fielder at second base. Thankfully, the officials decided there had been no problems, the run stood and there was no need to worry about a riot as the pandemonium resumed. There were also banners talking about "sweeping up Texas" - the sort of fate tempting that is only funny if your team ends up winning.

Scenes!

For the most part, when I've been to a sporting event in Scotland you celebrate in the stadium if you win (a rare occurrence for St Mirren fans lately) then go home. And while the Blue Jays fans may have been heading back home, they weren't going about it quietly. There was cheering and singing as soon as you got out the stadium, someone was hawking "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" T-shirts, the streets were packed and car horns were being used with the sort of gay abandon only found in the Middle East when a dictator is overthrown. This continued almost the whole way back to our hotel, which was a good few miles away.

It was an incredible night, easily one of the best I've had at a sporting event not involving St Mirren or Scotland. The atmosphere was amazing and the ending was unbelievable. It kind of spoiled the following day's trip to see the Canadian football (NFL equivalent, not what they call soccer) team the Toronto Argonauts in action. They struggled to fill half their stadium, got gubbed and the most excited their fans got was when a squirrel appeared on the field.

The Argonauts' star player.

So was one night at the Rogers Centre enough to get me hooked on baseball? Probably not. Like the trips to the ice hockey, it was great as a one off - especially as it was such a big game - but I don't think I could watch it regularly, especially as each team has almost 200 games just to get to the play-offs!

I will be keeping tabs on the play-offs to see if the Blue Jays win it, although it looks like there could be the nightmare scenario of them facing the Cubs for the World Series. However, as the Blue Jays have lost their first two games against Cleveland that looks unlikely and them Cubs are more than welcome to finally rediscover their winning ways.