Not a bad opening act.

On a cold night that featured a ridiculous security line, overpriced hot dogs and undereducated vendors, and a blown save that made us rue the prospect of fighting the cold much longer, the last thing anyone expected was such a dramatic finish.

Unless you asked INPY.

“I called it, I called it!” he screamed for 10 straight minutes after Ryan Zimmerman drilled a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the 9th to win the first Nats game at the newly opened Nationals Park.

Yes, INPY called it. He had predicted that Zimmerman would hit the homerun with two outs, nobody on, and Nats’ pitcher Jon Rauch having just blown a save. But I think everyone could claim they called it. Because it was the perfect moment for a Hollywood finish. I thought it. The drunktards banging the metal railing with their beer bottles thought it. Even all the frozen kids huddling under their parents’ arms thought it.

And Zimmerman delivered, christening the new stadium and allowing spectators to revel in an opening night that, despite its many tiny imperfections, still managed to be a perfect one.

More than seven months after I sneaked into Nationals Park to take some photos of the stadium’s construction, I entered the $611 million baseball arena last night for the Nats’ first game of the season — legally, this time.

I went with INPY (who had gone online to get the tickets the second they went on sale weeks ago), Beth, and another friend. And it did not disappoint. We arrived for the 8pm game around 6pm and were greeted with a long security line that snaked down First Street, thanks to President Bush throwing out the first pitch. It took us one hour to get in and only because we “kinda” cut in line.

Once we did, though, we were like kids in a candy store. The stadium was absolutely beautiful, greater than anything I had expected. The field was manicured to perfection, the lights seemed to shine brighter, and there appeared to be no bad sight lines anywhere.

I walked around for a bit and strolled down to field level by the first base side. I beheld the field and decided I wanted a picture to capture the moment. I turned to a teenage girl seated nearby and had this conversation:

Arjewtino: “Hi, can you take my picture?”

Girl: “No thanks.”

Arjewtino: “No, I meant a picture of me.”

Girl: “Oh, sure!”

This was the picture she took:

I snapped some more shots and settled into our seats, Section 237, Row A. Row A! We sat in the very first row of the mezzanine near the right-field foul pole, an incredible view that allowed us to see every other area of the stadium with ease.

It being Opening Day Night, we had hot dogs, cold beers, and Cracker Jacks. Like INPY always says, the best hot dog you’ll ever have is at a ballgame. He had ordered Hebrew Nationals at the hot dog stand earlier in the evening, to a vendor who apparently didn’t understand something as complicated as English.

Finally, after realizing that INPY was ordering the kosher hot dogs with the distinctive name, he yelled back, “Four Heebs!”

Not the most culturally aware group of workers you’ll ever meet.

Bush threw out the first pitch to a mixture of boos and cheers. The Nats’ starting lineup were announced coming out of center field. The game started and I decided to keep score for the first time in years. I thought, if there would ever be ANY game to score, this would be it.

The Nats took an early lead, 2-1, and then their bats went dead. Despite strong pitching from starter and former Dodger Odalis Perez, and a strong bullpen, the Nats held onto that one-run lead for most of the game.

In the 9th, it looked like Jon Rauch would save the game, but with one out, Mark Teixeira smacked a double off the right-field wall that was just a foot away from being the game-tying homerun. Rauch got the second out with Texeira moving to third.

The fans got to their feet, elated in what we all knew would happen. Just one more out. We stomped and clapped and cheered, knowing Rauch would deliver. And then he threw it away. The Braves tied it at 2 and we were headed to the 9th. And with the way both teams were hitting, I suspected extra innings.

But Zimmerman, who had gone 0-3 up until his fourth at bat, came up with two outs and we all knew. We just knew it would happen. Zimmerman hit a rope that just barely cleared the left-field wall, sending everyone into hysterics. We celebrated, high-fived, hugged. We watched Zimmerman circle the bases and watched him celebrate on the huge HD screen in center.

For that moment, the Nats were undefeated and in first. And Nationals Park became the House That Ryan Built.

Here are some additional pics:

First-base side.

Stadium seats.

Crowded vendor area.

I wish I could claim this was Zimmerman’s homerun at-bat. But, alas, this is merely the first pitch ever thrown to Zimmerman at Nationals Park.