At first, Davis Tobin was confused last Thursday when his father, Andrew Tobin, picked him up early from the Springs School. Davis, a third grader, East Hampton Little League player, and fervent Yankees fan, soon learned why.
Surprise! His family had been gifted two tickets to Game 1 of the Yankees-Dodgers World Series showdown in Los Angeles, and he and his father were getting on a plane that night.
Although the Yankees didn't win, the father-son duo reported having an amazing time. "I ate a whole bag of popcorn that tasted like candy. I had a churro and a hot dog this long," Davis said, holding up his hands a foot apart.
"I was excited to see the Yankees play. They lost, but at least they made it to the World Series," he continued. "I never saw a game end like that before."
The Yankees had been winning 3-2 before Freddie Freeman hit a two-out, 10th-inning grand slam that ended the game in the Dodgers' favor. Then it got really loud, Davis said. There were fighter jets flying over the stadium and fireworks booming over their heads. "It felt like my eardrums were bleeding a little bit."
Davis and his dad thought it kind of funny that he's been all the way to Dodgers Stadium now, but has not yet been to Yankee Stadium. It wasn't funny, though, hearing Dodgers fans all around them chanting "Yankees suck."
"It wasn't good sportsmanship," Davis said. "I didn't like it."
The Dodgers went on to win the next two World Series games — including the one that was televised Saturday night at the Newtown Lane block party here — which pushed the Yankees to the brink of elimination.
To the game in Los Angeles on Friday, Davis wore a T-shirt bearing the name and number of the Yankees' Anthony Volpe, one of his favorite players. The shortstop had been photographed as a young boy, also 8 years old, at the team's New York City victory parade in 2009 — the last time the Yankees won the World Series.
Father and son returned home to Springs on Saturday morning. "It was an incredible thing to be able to surprise him with the tickets at school," Mr. Tobin said. "It was a long trip, but it was great to have that time with just Davis and me. We didn't get the result we wanted from the game — that part was tough, there was some emotion for a moment — but in the end we got to see baseball history. That Freddie Freeman home run will be replayed forever. All in all, it was a great experience."