Last Night

It was a Double Header last night for my oldest, in his first game of the season. He is in the older league now, where the kids pitch instead of the coaches. Last season, coaches tried to get you to hit the ball. They lobbed slow, soft pitches in for hitters to hit. This year, 9 and 10 year old kids are trying their hardest to get their opponents out.

They have nice jerseys, not the one's sponsored by local shops, but jerseys with team names across the chest. My oldest plays for the Tigers. Game one was against the Dodgers. Both pitchers threw hard, and the kids had a total of three foul balls between the two teams. Final score, 0-0.

But game 2 got interesting. We played against the Reds. They were louder and chanted a lot. But we got the early lead, a 1-0 lead. Holding onto a 1-0 lead is difficult in any sport, and soon our Tigers were losing 3-1.

It was the last inning. We were the visiting team, and so we were up first. In this league, the game ends at 8:55, regardless of the inning, so the kids knew it was their last chance.

Bases were loaded with one out, when my son steps to the plate. He crushed the ball down the line. He says it is farther than he ever hit a ball before. Two runs come in, and the game is tied. My son eventually comes around to score, and the team goes on to win, 6-3.