Throughout our lifetimes we all experience several “Where were you when…” moments – moments so monumental that we will always remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when they occurred for the rest of our lives. In most cases these moments involve science, politics, religion and unfortunately tragic events; but many others are individual or personal in nature such as the birth of a child or death of a family member, etc.

During my lifetime my most significant “Where were you when…” moments include the assassination of President Kennedy, Neil Armstrong’s first step onto the moon and, of course, 9/11 – among several others.

But there are also “Where were you when…” moments in sports and during my lifetime, as you might imagine, many of them involve the Dodgers. And while these sporting milestones may not be anywhere near as life-changing or as monumental as those mentioned above, they are nonetheless moments that I will never forget.

A few of my “Where were you when…” Dodger moments include all six Dodgers World Series championships, Koufax’s perfect game on September 9, 1965 (right in the midst of another “Where were you when…” moment – the Watts Riots), Don Drysdale’s and Orel Hershiser’s scoreless innings streaks, Fernandomania and arguably the greatest moment in Dodgers history – the Kirk Gibson home run.

On Sunday afternoon, May 25, 2014 at 4:12 PM at Citizens Ballpark in Philadelphia, PA, 34-year-old Dodgers right-hander Josh Beckett gave Dodger fans yet another “Where were you when…” moment when he tossed the first no-hitter of the 2014 season and the first for the Dodgers since Hideo Nomo on September 17, 1995.

When Sunday’s game started, I was enjoying my last day in New York, having spent a week there visiting my daughter, which just so happened to coincide with the Dodgers three-game series versus the Mets at Citi Field. (Okay, it was no coincidence). My daughter and I were on a walk in her Astoria (Queens) neighborhood on what can only be described as one of the most beautiful days of the year in New York City. We were at Astoria Park walking along the bank of the East River and I decided to check in on the Dodger game on the MLB At Bat app on my smartphone. It was 1-0 Dodgers after one inning.

This is where I was when I first became aware that Josh Beckett had yet to allow a hit in Sunday’s game against the Phillies. That’s the Robert F. Kennedy (Triborough) Bridge with the Manhattan skyline in the background.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

By the time we returned to my daughter’s apartment and left for JFK airport the score was 2-0 in the fourth inning. I again noticed that Beckett still hadn’t allowed a hit and the Phillies line score was 0-0-0. “Hmm,” I said to myself. As I normally do whenever a Dodger pitcher is throwing a “mm-mmmmmm,” I sent out a Tweet:

It’s not that I’m superstitious or anything, it’s because it is written in The Baseball Code.

When we arrived at JFK the score was 6-0 in the seventh inning and, as I said my good-byes to my daughter, I told her “This is getting serious now.” (My daughter, of course, is a lifelong Dodger fan in spite of living in the heart of Yankees and Mets country).

After checking my bags I got into the seemingly endless line for the  security checkpoint. It was the bottom of the ninth and Beckett was three outs away… and then two… and then one. But at the same time I was nearing ‘The Thing’ – that security checkpoint X-ray booth thing that you stand in while your carry-on stuff (including your smartphone) goes down the conveyor belt X-ray machine well out of you reach and, more importantly, out of sight.

“Oh no,” I said to myself as I began emptying my pockets, removing my belt and shoes and putting them into the plastic bins preparing to enter The Thing.

But good fortune shined its light on me. The very last item I set into the plastic bin was my smartphone with MLB AT Bat Gameday on the screen and the count 3-2.

And there it was… “Called strike.” Beckett had done it, he had thrown a no-hitter. Into The Thing I went with a huge smile on my face.

On the other side of The Thing, I grabbed my two bins and shuffled over to the bench in my stocking feet. I set my bins on the bench, grabbed my smartphone, confirm that I had read it right (I had) and immediately sent a text to my daughter informing her that Beckett had done it.

After getting dressed again (or so it seems) I began seeking someone to share my excitement with.

There was no one.

Dodgers catcher Drew Butera congratulates Josh Beckett on his no-hitter. It was the 21st no-hitter by a Dodgers pitcher – the most in MLB history for one franchise. Ironically, Butera also caught Francisco Liriano’s no-hitter while with the Twins on May 3, 2011. (Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

Finally, I saw a guy a few feet away wearing a cap from some unknown country club – at least unknown to me.

I said loud enough for him to hear: “Josh Beckett just threw a no-hitter.”

To my utter surprise, the guy said “Really? That’s the first one of the season, isn’t it?”

I was stunned.

“Yes!” I said emphatically.

“So, do you think California Chrome will win the Triple Crown?” he asked me.

Okay, so the guy isn’t a big baseball fan, but he knew that Beckett’s no-no was the first of the season, so there’s that.

As I was walking to my departure gate, I walked past a bar in the terminal and stopped in my tracks. The name of the bar was…

When I saw the name of this airport bar I had to stop and take this photograph. It wasn’t until later that I noticed Josh Beckett being interviewed on the second TV from the left only minutes after throwing his first career no-hitter. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

While the memory of Beckett’s no-hitter will undoubtedly fade quickly for most non-Dodger fans, it joins the long list of other great “Where were you when…” Dodger moments for those of us who bleed Dodger Blue.

Go Dodgers!