As the Dodgers travel north to start a series in San Francisco tonight, I can’t help but think back to the first time the Dodgers played at AT&T Park.
↵That was April 11, 2000, and was the very first regular season game ever played at the new ballpark.
↵Kevin Elster was the Dodgers’ starting shortstop on that day, an unlikely member of the club having been out of baseball for a year and a half. The 35-year old Elster had a career game in San Francisco that day, slamming three home runs as the Dodgers walked away with a 6-5 win, the best kind of first impression.
↵Elster told the Los Angeles Times after the game:
↵↵↵“When I decided to come back and play, I wasn’t going to go into it unless I felt I could contribute, and a day like today makes me feel like I am. No one ever comes to the ballpark thinking they’re going to hit three home runs, least of all me, but it sure feels good to do this on a day like today.”
↵
The Dodgers have a 48-42 record all-time at AT&T Park. Will their 91st game in that park — which is an amazing ballpark, something that pains me to admit as a Dodger fan — be as memorable as their first? We will find out tonight.