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Woman went into labor at Kauffman Stadium during Game 1 of the World Series
Attending a World Series game can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many fans, unless of course you are Marlins Man.
When that rare opportunity comes, it's one you don't want to let pass by if you can help it. In the case of Royals fans Stephanie and Jason Hetherington, that even meant tempting fate and attending Game 1 knowing the due date for their third child was a week away, and that the moment of truth could arrive at any time.
“Hopefully she stays in there long enough for us to enjoy the game,” was Stephanie's thought leading up to Tuesday's game at Kauffman Stadium.
Of course, the baby had other plans for the World Series, and they didn't involve sitting at the K for nine innings. As the couple gathered their pregame snacks, Stephanie realized that her water broke and the baby's estimated time of arrival had just dramatically changed.
However, once again considering how rare the opportunity was to attend and experience a World Series game, Stephanie contemplated sticking around at least for a few innings before heading to the hospital.
"I thought I would just labor at the game for a while because I wasn't really contracting you know? My water just broke,” Stephanie Hetherington said.
But her daughter convinced her to head for the exits.
“I found an usher at the K and said, 'My wife's going into labor can we get a ride to our car?' I think I kind of freaked her out, and I was like ‘No, she's not going to have it here,'" Jason Hetherington said.
The couple's car was parked outside Arrowhead Stadium, which sits parallel and shares parking space with Kauffman Stadium. Still, it's a pretty good jaunt across the parking lot, but the couple made it with some assistance from University of Kansas medical staff on hand. After getting to their car, they drove to Liberty Hospital where they watched the entire game from the delivery room.
Their third daughter, Ali Frances, was born just before midnight, about an hour after the Royals dropped Game 1 by a 7-1 count to the San Francisco Giants. She weighed 7 pounds and 8 ounces.
The Hetherington's were very thankful for the assistance they received at the ballpark and the accommodations at the hospital. It helped turned a potentially chaotic and stressful situation into a smooth delivery. The only thing that really didn't go their way was Kansas City dropping the opener. However, the Royals have bounced back to win the next two games after Ali was born, so maybe her timing wasn't so bad after all.
BLS H/N: Cut 4
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
