Game ball

My writing is pretty infrequent these days anyway. It's that time of year when work and baseball season tends to command a lot of time. And when the baseball games are bad, like Jack's last Thursday, I'm even less likely to want to write. Sometimes I write about them to get them off my chest. Sometimes I just fret and don't sleep well.

But last night was the baseball game was good. So I'll write about it, because you have to savor the good ones.

Jack's team was playing probably the best team in the league; seemed to have the most talent and hadn't lost a game yet. He'd been playing around the infield (he and three other travel baseball kids are the best players on it), but hadn't pitched yet. So we were a little surprised when they took the field and he went to the pitcher's mound to start. It was his first baseball start since, I don't know, maybe ever. Maybe once a couple of years ago. Rare.

He looked tall out there. Shot up an inch or two in the last couple of months, and kids just look bigger in baseball uniforms anyway. He started out a little rough, walking two of the first three batters and then giving up a bunt hit. But he settled down and got out of it with just one run scoring, striking out a couple of batters. Little fist pump as he got the last one.

Retired the side 1-2-3 in the second. Another little fist pump. To me when he pitches it's always a win when he finishes an inning without struggling and maybe getting replaced during it, so I was feeling pretty good.

Third inning it was back around to the top of the order, and he surrendered a hit on a little popup and a walk. The three best hitters on the team were coming up; all friends from his travel team. But he got one on a soft liner to second, and another on a swinging strikeout. Then he faced his buddy James, who he's been on a team with since Tee ball. I'm pretty sure it's the first time he's ever pitched to him in a game (in the first, James had the bunt). Got to 3-2, and then James fouled off like 4 in a row. I'm not sure I'd seen Jack throw 5 strikes in a row before, so I was concerned. But he struck him out swinging and got out of it.

I figured that would be it, but he pitched the fourth inning, too. Bottom part of the order and he got them all. You can only pitch four innings at this level so I knew he was done, and he got high fives from all his team and coaches coming off. He'd never pitched four innings in a game before.

In his last at-bat he had a solid hit to left, knocking in a run and putting another at third. Then he got caught in a rundown long enough for that run to score; just what he was supposed to do. Played the last two innings at short, his team won 5-1. I saw him get the game ball at the post-game huddle, his teammates clapping.

There were little moments, between innings and after the game. I saw him and a teammate doing a little dance to the between-innings music. Walking back to the dugout with his game ball, he was tossing it lightly in the air. Saw a friend of his from school giving him a hug after the game, I think he was glad they'd beaten the team they beat (which ironically enough they were teammates on the previous season).

I saw his coach after the game, said congrats. He complimented Jack and said, I talked to him before the game. Said I heard you were down after the game last Thursday. So what we're going to do is send you right back out there -- you're starting tonight. And he did great.

Jack and I walked to the car later, him smiling with his game ball. In the parking lot of the pizza place when we picked up dinner, he showed me how he adjusted his throwing motion after the first inning, when he was a little high on a lot of pitches. Then we went home, ate pizza, and he did his homework, like any other night. Baseball or non-baseball.

A fun night. You've got to enjoy the good ones.