Michael Gspurning had one plan in mind when he went to the Mariners game on Wednesday with his wife and daughter and his parents – get a picture with his daughter and Mariner Moose.
He was not prepared to witness baseball history though.
Wednesday was a historic day in Seattle sports as Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez pitched the first perfect game in the franchise’s 35-year history. 27 players from the Tampa Bay Rays stepped to the plate and all 27 were put out without reaching base.
While he is no expert on the rules of baseball, Gspurning still had a good sense of the grandiose performance by Hernandez and the history that was on display at Safeco Field.
“Until the end I was thinking about what a great pitcher Felix is. He was a machine,” said Gspurning, who had been to a handful of games already this season. “In my first season I saw a game which made history – such an epic game. I feel sorry for all the baseball fans in Seattle who didn’t go to the game and I was there … sorry about that. I’m thankful to have that experience. It was an epic game and the crowd was amazing – celebrating every pitch.”
While the end of the game was plenty dramatic, with the crowd of 21,889 reacting with breathless anticipation to every pitch, the highlight for Gspurning came in the second inning – when he and his daughter got their picture with the Mariner Moose.
