Blue Monster

Baseball is the hardest sport I’ve ever played. Football, basketball, and soccer are all melee sports. You can make yourself useful by out-hustling the other guy. You can redeem yourself through sheer desire. Baseball is different. You have to stand there for hours. Poised. Calm. When your moment comes, you better be ready, because if you fuck up, everyone knows whose fault it is. It’s the 6th inning of Opening Day. I’m playing shortstop. My head is racing through every possible outcome. Man on first. 1 out. If it’s a ground ball to me, be ready to turn it. Stay balanced. Could be a pop fly. Be ready for the steal. Right, left, hop. I’m in position. The pitch. As soon as the batter starts his swing, I know it’s coming to me. I move swiftly towards the ball and prepare to flip it to second. I count the hops. 1, 2, 3. Oh no. I miscalculated. The ball glances off my glove and I scramble to make a throw. SAFE! I hang my head. My teammates console me with half-hearted comments. “Hey, get the next one. Don’t think about it man. Shake it off.” The inning ends with a crooked number on the scoreboard. We are losing 6-5. It’s my fault. 

I sprint to the dugout and hastily put on my batting gloves. In baseball, it’s important to remember that there’s always the next pitch. It’s a new inning, and I’m up to bat. However, when I step up to the plate, all I can think about is my error. I need to make up for this. I face the pitcher, tap the plate once, and lock my hands into place. “Do your job,” I repeat to myself. The pitcher stares me down, winds up, and fires a missile right past me. “Strike 1!” Suddenly the doubts come flooding back. Oh god, don’t mess this up. No. Step out. Deep breath. Step back in. As the pitcher cocks back for the next pitch, I feel the muscle memory take over. My mind goes blank. My hips fire and I throw my hands at the baseball. CRACK. I catch a glimpse of the ball lingering in the air before I put my head down to run. The left fielder trots back, staring up into the sky. It isn’t until I hear the roar of the crowd that I realize the ball had gone over the Blue Monster in left field. Tie ball game.