My husband is a baseball coach for a high school team. Today was the first game of playoffs. Now, I get really, really, stressed out during Baseball games. I know I shouldn't because A. It's a High School Baseball game and B. I don't even have a kid on the team, but I do. Usually when I watch games I stay until the third inning and then I leave. I go sit in the car and calm down. I'll come back out around the seventh and watch the end of the game.
This game was unlike any other game.
The head coach is leaving this year, sadly. He is the coach who gave Tucker the position. He is the coach who has been at the school, coaching Baseball, for nearly 30 years. This man is wonderful. And we thought this was going to be his last game.
But it wasn't.
I've only been watching baseball since 2009. Before that I hadn't even watched an entire inning of Baseball. Tucker has played his entire life, but I was raised in a track and field family. Baseball was a foreign entity to me until I met Tuck. I had to act excited about the sport because Tuck played, his dad played (at Stanford) and his dad was a coach of a college world series winning team.
When we started dating I feigned excitement, but deep down I was overwhelmed. I didn't get the sport. I didn't understand the nuances of nine innings with no time limit. I didn't get it. You want to know a little secret? I've been watching four years and I still don't understand some things. Yet, instead of dreading games like I did four years ago, I get excited. Probably too excited. I can't even sit through an entire game without getting anxious.
Anyways, this game was unreal. When I left we were up by a run. I went to a store, got some food, and then sat in my car and read a little. I decided to head back about an hour later only to realize that it was the bottom of the seventh (high school games only go seven innings) and we were the away team. When I walked up the bases were loaded. And then I realized we had no outs. My stomach sank; this entire season had been a beautiful roller coaster and it was about to end on a walk-off to a team we'd beat 14-1 the week before. I was texting updates to a player that graduated last year. I am not going to lie, I was convinced this was the end and I was so sad.
I was standing on the fence in left field. I couldn't see the kid at bat, but I could hear him. Our pitcher threw the ball and I heard the tell-tale "PING!".
My heart sank.
Then I realized our short stop had caught the ball in flight. That's an out! Wait, the short just touched second!!! THAT'S an out too! Oh my god what is happening?!
THROW IT TO FIRST!!!! OH MY GOD, THROW IT TO FIRST!
AND THAT IS A THIRD OUT! WE JUST WON ON A TRIPLE PLAY! HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN!?!?!
The moment was truly surreal. I've never been so proud of my husband as a coach or his players as a team.
Updated: NOW YOU CAN WATCH IT ALL GO DOWN!!!!
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