I am a West Coast girl cheering for an East Coast team. That’s not unheard of, but unusual. I am a blue-and-red-capped fan in a sea of orange (SF Giants) and green (Athletics).
But, you also need to know I am not alone: Jon is also a Red Sox Fan. And no, I am not a Red Sox Fan because of him. It’s just one of the many funny coincidences in our relationship. My first visit to the US happened to be Boston (and I fell in love with the city) and Jon’s mom was born on the East Coast (Connecticut) and Jon spent many summers on the East Coast and in Boston at Fenway Park. Imagine the surprise when we met in California and found out that we’re both Red Sox fans!
It’s not like I’ve never seen any other Red Sox fans here before. Well, at least I thought they were all fans, until I innocently exclaimed “oh, you’re a Red Sox fan” to some of them, and they informed me that they weren’t fans. WHY THE HELL ARE THEY WEARING RED SOX HATS THEN? BAH! (I guess they just like the red-white-blue colors of my team.)
Long story short, we don’t get to see many games of our team here on the West Coast (not even on TV, unless you subscribe to MLBTV), and when I found out that they were going to play the A’s at the end of July in our local baseball park, Sutter Health Park, in West Sacramento (the A’s temporary home), I had to get tickets.
It was such a fun night. Jon sadly ended up not going with me (maybe one of these days it’ll be easier again to get him out of the house), but that didn’t stop me from spending a night at the ballpark by myself. I was so thrilled to see so many Red Sox fans there; many more than I expected. It was a beautiful night out and I don’t know how you cannot love this view.
I was going to get some ballpark food – a hotdog, or nachos, or something like that, but none of it actually looked that tasty and I ended up going with tacos (can’t really go wrong with tacos!). They were good, although I almost spent $25 for three tacos and a water. The ticket itself was reasonable for a MLB game, I thought, but parking + food and drinks add up quickly. (I honestly don’t know how people afford this on a regular basis.)
I have to confess, I wasn’t super familiar with most of the players. We haven’t paid for the MLBTV subscription for a while, so we follow the games on the app, so I knew their names but not necessarily their faces. I admit, I missed some of the old, familiar faces (like Big Papi, Dustin Pedroia (he’s from around here!), or Mookie Betts), but of course, all these new players are now my team and I was there to cheer them on!
Funny fact, there was this guy with a New York Yankees shirt and baseball cap sitting behind me (see photo). As you might know, there’s a well-known Red Sox-Yankees Rivalry and the guy was there in his shirt and baseball cap, rooting for the Athletics. RUDE! But who cares, because the Red Sox hit two home runs in a row and eventually won the game, and I had the last laugh. I mean, the Red Sox had the best July in franchise history! They’re on fire.
I had a really fun night and I am glad I had the chance to see the Red Sox here in California! Of course, I wish Jon had been there with me, but I didn’t regret going by myself. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Do you watch baseball? Would you have gone to a game alone?
Nicole MacPherson
August 25, 2026 at 11:31 amI’m sorry it’s so hard to get Jon out of the house these days, but good for you for going on your own! I haven’t been to a ball game in ages! Well, there aren’t really any around here, I guess.
San
August 30, 2026 at 10:40 amOh that’s a bummer that there are no ballparks close to where you live. Not even minor league teams?
Elisabeth
August 25, 2026 at 1:58 pmI used to be OBSESSED with baseball (the Toronto Blue Jays). Unfortunately, I was too young for the few years they were dominant. They’ve had a few good years recently and even made it all the way to the World Series… AND THEN LOST. It was so heartbreaking. But I don’t watch it much anymore. Just don’t have the time (games are long).
I’ve never been to a live MLB game, so I would 100% go alone. I’m sorry Jon wasn’t feeling up to going, but I’m glad you were able to still use the ticket and make the most of the evening. And the BoSox won—you must have been a good luck charm.
San
August 30, 2026 at 10:41 amOh, I didn’t know you were a Blue Jays fan. I don’t watch the games as much as I used to when we had a subscription, but I do try to catch games here and there when I can. I used to play softball and I miss it.
Tanja
August 26, 2026 at 5:17 amSo glad you had a great evening and those tacos …. I want them NOW lol.
San
August 30, 2026 at 10:41 amThe tacos were really good!
ernie
August 26, 2026 at 8:37 amWhat are the chances that you both are Red Sox fans? I’m glad you went. Sorry Jon missed it. I cannot imagine cheering for a team from another city. I live in Chicago where everyone is either a Cubs fan or a Sox fan. We are Sox fans, so we cheer for the Sox and whoever is playing against the Sox.
San
August 30, 2026 at 10:42 amI know right? Total coincidence that we met on the West Coast and were both Red Sox fans :) It was meant to be with us LOL
I know about the Chicago dedication to the Cubs or White Sox. Haha.
Jenny
August 27, 2026 at 5:40 amWe splurged for MLB TV this season, and we get all the Marlins games. They just played the Red Sox so I saw all the games! Red Sox won two out of three, but we pulled out the last one last night.
Ernie’s comment made me smile. Yes, I grew up in a north suburb of Chicago, so we were all Cubs fans. Team loyalty is VERy strong in the midwest, so you don’t see anyone cheering for the visiting teams.
San
August 30, 2026 at 10:43 amOh, I didn’t know that you also loved baseball and saw all the Marlins’ games against the Red Sox recently!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
August 28, 2026 at 9:59 amOh I am so so happy for you to have been able to see your favorite team play. And I am sorry Jon wasn’t able to join.
Here is a fun fact you might have not know about. I was a Softball coach when I was in Idaho. However, I have never understood the game and my coaching was more on the motivating/yelling side of things.
Ha.
San
August 30, 2026 at 10:44 amHa! You were a softball coach in Idaho, even though you knew nothing about the game, but you were an excellent motvatior/cheerleader! That made me chuckle!
Michelle G.
August 28, 2026 at 4:27 pmI’m so happy that you enjoyed the game and THEY WON! How cool! I’m so sorry Jon couldn’t go, though. I went to a Seattle Mariners game (they played the Texas Rangers and won!) We weren’t particularly fans of either team, but we wanted to experience a professional game, and it was really fun.
San
August 30, 2026 at 10:45 amI agree with you, Michelle – the experience at a professional game is just so fun. You don’t need to be a fan of either team. Honestly, I usually prefer watching games on the TV, because I can pay closer attention to the game… at the ballpark, there are so many distractions. Haha.