There were skydivers, fireworks, Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps throwing out the opening pitch and singer Mike Demers on the promenade before the game singing aching Roy Orbison songs about heartbreak.
Hotdogs and beer were consumed by the ferry load.
In other words, it鈥檚 opening day 鈥� an annual sacred rite of baseball.
The Victoria HarbourCats opening West Coast League game, a triumph off the diamond with a record crowd of 4,627 in the Royal Athletic Park stands, was also a jubilation on the field of play for the home side with a 9-2 victory over the Kelowna Falcons.
The assemblage set a new WCL opening-day attendance record, eclipsing the 4,212 established last year by the Bend Elks.
Eric Metson, a season ticket holder for all three HarbourCats seasons, was there in his HCats jersey.
鈥淓very half-inning is its own little piece of theatre,鈥� he said, of the pull baseball holds for many in North America.
鈥淭here is something about the ambience of being at the ballpark.鈥�
HarbourCats starter Alex Rogers, whose twin brother Brady Rogers started at second base on opening night, took the win by going 61脷3 innings with five hits, no runs and eight strikeouts.
鈥淚t felt great and I fed off the energy of the crowd,鈥� said Rogers, the Nanaimo Pirates sa国际传媒 Premier grad, who showed why he is headed next fall to the NCAA Div. 1 North Dakota State Bison.
鈥淚t was a big crowd and you鈥檙e excited to be at your best for the fans.鈥�
Victoria Mariners sa国际传媒 Premier graduate Chris Fougner, who appears to be evolving into a serious player, led the offence with three hits and one run scored.
鈥淧laying in front of a crowd like that was just amazing . . . unreal. I adjusted after my first at-bat and then just got into the hitting groove tonight.鈥�
Dane Fujinaka, a native of Hawaii out of Sacramento State, had a hit, walk, run and two RBIs. Jackson Thoreson had a triple, double, two RBIs and a run scored.
鈥淚t was awesome. We had three good days of preparation and the guys came to play tonight, one through nine,鈥� said Tampa Bay Rays scout and HarbourCats rookie head coach Graig Merritt.
鈥淚 was impressed by both our defence and our approach at the plate. And a shout out to the Island players on our roster, who played so well tonight. Island guys can play. I know that from my scouting.鈥�
Six-foot-one Kelowna starter Jayse Bannister from Kamuela, Hawaii, went four innings and gave up four runs on just three hits 鈥� only one earned 鈥� with three strikeout and six walks.
The HarbourCat franchise, in its third season, is looking to improve on its records of 25-29 and 22-32 from 2014 and 2013, respectively.
This is a league in which players are thrown together very quickly from many different U.S. collegiate teams, creating a unique challenge for coaching staffs.
鈥淚t鈥檚 tough,鈥� admitted Merritt.
So, he has the players coming to the park early for team-building exercises, including yoga.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about getting the chemistry and team morale built up,鈥� said Merritt.
Getting the start tonight for the HarbourCats against the Falcons will be returnee Mikey Wright, while Shawn Kennedy II gets the nod Sunday as the opening series against Kelowna concludes with a matin茅e.
