The crowd of 26,263 murmured and buzzed in anticipation. Bat in hand, a young man emerged from the dugout and stepped onto the on-deck circle, his face resolute. His teammate was retired by the veteran on the mound, and it was now the rookie’s turn to do battle with the right-hander. Approaching the mound, the assembled crowd- inexplicably low for opening day, with entire rows empty- gave him a warm reception. The young man later told reporters that he did not feel any special anticipation on this day, at his first at-bat, but that seems unlikely. Not only was he taking his first at-bat as a professional player employed by a Major League Baseball club, but he was doing so against one of the winningest pitchers in the league.
Brooklyn remains a baseball epicenter
