Somewhere between the 7th and 8th inning, a slight breeze kicked up and you could smell the Potomac/Anacostia River air waft into Nationals Park. The zephyr was too warm, and mixed more with the smell of BBQ instead of seafood, but judging by the sea of Red Sox fans filling the stadium, it felt like Fenway. Albeit the columns of concrete that make up Nationals Park aren't green; the neon signs for every food vendor in Nationals Park would be considered a distraction in Fenway; the food and beer service people at Nationals Park operate at about a tenth of the speed of those at Fenway; and there was far too much technology used to encourage the audience to participate, from blaring music played over loud speakers as every batter for the home team stepped to the plate, to running jumbotrons telling the crowd to Make Some Noise!!!
At that point the game was close, Boston had just taken a 4-3 lead at the top of the 7th. But, by then the Nats had already gone to their bullpen and the inevitable was well underway. The top of the 8th made it feel even more like Fenway; but instead of the Red Sox peppering the old-school scoreboard in left field of Fenway, they were just lining up one after the other to hit singles, doubles and a Jacoby Ellsbury triple (his second of the game). By the time the smoke cleared, the Nats had gone three more pitchers deep into their bullpen and the Sox were up 10-3. They would later add another in the top of the 9th.
The 'rental unit had made the trip up from Southern Virginia to take part in the game festivities and it was good to have them at the game with us. The section that we were sitting in was filled with Red Sox fans who had come from far and wide, including a family from Lewisburg, WV who sat next to us for their eldest son's first Major League game. They were Red Sox fans because the boy had an uncle who lived in the Boston area. It seems that Red Sox nation knows no bounds, and some fans by proxy through extended family will travel a long ways to catch a glimpse of the Sox in action. I'd like to see the Yankees pull that off in Nationals Park...
