First pitch might not be until 7 p.m., but some Milwaukee Brewers fans got to American Family Field bright and early for Game 1 of the World Series on Friday, Oct. 23.
Among them were Joe Stolarczyk and Perry Bauer, two friends who traveled to Milwaukee from Mosinee and arrived outside the parking-lot gates around 11 a.m.
Parking lots didn't open until 3 p.m., while gates to the stadium didn't open until 4 p.m.
"We were expecting it to be a lot busier," Bauer said. "We didn't know how the traffic was going to be, with road construction coming down, especially (because) this is going to be the biggest party in 44 years."
About 20 minutes after their arrival, a second car pulled up behind theirs on Selig Drive outside the Yount Parking Lot.
It was Nate Koss, a stranger to Stolarczyk and Bauer who just happens to be from Mosinee, too.
"We're all from the same town, which is only about what, 5,000, 8,000 people?" Koss said.
Together, the three new friends were the start of the Yount Parking Lot tailgate.
"I'm ready for it. I'm excited," Bauer said. "I've waited a long time to see these guys play."
Also arriving before noon was the Harpke family: Mark and Sam, and sons Andrew and Josh.
At 44 years old, Andrew Harpke is the same age as the Brewers' last World Series appearance. He was born the same day as Game 1 of the 1982 American League Championship Series – a week before the start of the World Series.
Sam Harpke said she remembered the excitement about the Brewers in the air while she was in the hospital near County Stadium, the Brewers' home at the time, about to give birth to her son.
"The doctor would come in to check on me, then sit at the end of the bed and watch the game," she said.
Now, as the Brewers finally return to the World Series, Andrew and older brother Josh decided to surprise their parents with World Series tickets – a gift the brothers said brought their mother to tears.
"Forty-four years ago, I was one week old in [the World Series] Game 1. (Josh was) three," Andrew Harpke said. "We were the two primary reasons they couldn't go to any of the games, so we figured we'd repay the favor 44 years later."
Some early arrivers wanted to get even closer to the field. Jacob Danielsen of Stevens Point was one of a handful of people hanging outside the right-field gates around 12:30 p.m., more than three hours before they would open.
"I'm going to hang out and wait. I'm excited," Danielsen said. "I was here for NLCS Game 1 and NLDS Game 1, as well, and I'm super-excited about it. Hopefully it works out for us."
Around the same time, best friends Jake Starck of Elkhorn and Casey Ward of Cedarburg brought ball gloves and played catch outside the stadium.
"We probably parked at 11:30 and walked up over here," Ward said.
Starck said the plan until gates open is to "hang out, have a couple drinks and then go in, find our nice standing-room spots and enjoy."
For Starck and Ward, who first met at the ballpark, the Brewers are a central part of their friendship. They're both season ticket-holders and have seen nearly every home game and several road games this year. They plan to head to Tampa for another World Series game.
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Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tailgaters arrive hours before parking lots open for World Series
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