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August 7, 2013 (NW Arkansas at Corpus Christi)
This became a bit of a waiting game for me, and I had to stay ready for about an hour before I finally got in. We had a 2-1 lead entering the eighth, but they scored a run to tie it. It stayed that way through the ninth ... then the 10th ... then the 11th ... and they gave me the ball in the top of the 12th.
The last time I entered a tied game, it didn't go well, as I gave up a walk-off double. I tried to shake that thought out of my mind as I prepared for the 6-7-8 hitters:
Rey Navarro (0-for-3, lefty) -- The scouting report says to stick with hard stuff against him, so I threw six straight sinkers and he grounded the final one to short.
Jimmy Cesario -- I threw him a first-pitch sinker, remembering what happened to last night's changeup. It missed by six inches, as did each of the next four pitches (he swung at a bad 2-0 pitch) for a terrible walk. However, I made a quick pickoff throw he wasn't expecting, and just like that, there were two outs.
Paulo Orlando (1-for-4) -- I threw an 0-1 sinker well low and outside, and somehow he got the barrel on it and lined it to shallow right center for a single. He couldn't do that again if he tried.
Sharlon Schoop (0-for-2) -- This guy will swing at anything. Probably why he's the No. 9 hitter. He went at a first-pitch sinker low and away and flew out weakly to right to end the inning.
We scored in the bottom half, and I got the win. Five straight scoreless innings in the books. I can't lie, I'm starting to dig this closing thing.
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