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vrobx1 · 11-30-2017, 07:28 PM

"Ball four!"

Oh, come on!

The runner on first moved to second and the Oaks clean-up hitter, Stine Poole, came to bat.

The Visalia Oaks had just gotten Poole from the Springfield Cardinals. It was his first game since he broke his hand in May. He was a 26 year old career minor league first baseman with slightly below average power.

It was the bottom of the first and I could already feel the wheels falling off. Sandy came out to the mound and handed me the ball. We looked each other in the eye and had that mental moment only a pitcher and catcher can have.

Sandy went back behind the plate.

I took a deep breath and delivered my first pitch to Poole.

CRACK!

There is a distinct sound when wood connects with hide and you know the batter got all of it.

The ball took flight into left field. Pablo Rivera started back. And kept going. I watched the ball head for the fence. Anthony kept going back. He reached his glove as high as he could.

The Visalia crowd suddenly went into a silent hush.

"He caught it!" Someone yelled.

Rivera was so close to the fence that the runner tagged and moved to third.

But something changed when Rivera made that catch.

A ground ball to second ended the innning.

I gave up a hit in the second and again in the third. Then I ran into trouble again in the bottom of the fourth. A single was followed by a double and the Oaks had runners at second and third and one out. We were clinging to a 1-0 lead.

I called time.

I motioned to Sandy and the team and gathered everyone at the mound.

"They are not scoring here! We are going to get out of this," I said.

They all kind of looked at me funny. Here was the youngest player on the team saying this. Now, granted, the oldest guy in this huddle was 23. Third baseman John Carlson. He suddenly nodded and said, "no. They're not."

The next batter hit a hard grounder right to Carlson. He held the runner then threw to first for the second out. The next batter hit a lazy flyball to right to end the inning.

The Oaks got a one out double in the bottom of the sixth. Rivera then made a nice sliding catch for the second out and the next batter popped out to second to end that innning.

Then came the top of the eighth. A pair of walks and a single by Sandy and we had bases loaded with nobody out. The other 23 year old, first baseman David Creager, hit a sacrifice fly and we were up 2-0. A groundout moved our runners to second and third and then Jaime Moreno pinch hit for Carlson and smacked a 2-run double down the left field line. Sandy crossed the plate as we went up 4-0 and headed straight for me.

"You're finally going to get that first win."

And suddenly the butterflies started rumbling!

And Sandy knew.

Our lead was 5-0 but the first two Oaks in the bottom of the eighth got a single.

Sandy called time.

Broadway came out.

"I'm okay. I'm okay. Just got a little anxious, you know. I've never won a professional game before."

"Okay, but if those two guys score, you're out."

And wouldn't you know it.

The next batter was Stine Poole.

He fouled the first one off behind the plate. I missed with a curve. He then hit the 1-1 fast ball. On the ground. 6! 4! 3! And then the butterflies were an ancient memory.

I wish I could say it was a complete game shutout. Unfortunately by the ninth innning, I was running on fumes. Remember, I had only pitched into the seventh innning twice since joining the Padres and had never finished a seventh, much less pitched into the ninth innning.

The Oaks got a couple of singles, a stolen base and a ground out to small ball their only run of the game.

Creager picked up the grounder and stepped on the bag to end the game.

I looked at him for a second and then Sandy was giving me a big hug. Soon the rest of the team was mobbing me as we headed to the dugout.

"James, that was some gutsy pitching tonight!" Keith Stephen said. "Gutsy pitching!"

Sandy patted me on the back. "Remember that walk in the first inning?"

I nodded.

"Do you realize that was the only guy you walked all game?"

No kidding! I did not know that.

And then I sat on a metal folding chair and cried.

It was a long 232 mile bus ride back to Reno.

But it was such a short ride at the same time.

I just hoped I could regain this sense of elation once again.

Sent from my K88 using Tapatalk

11-30-2017, 07:28 PM	#12
vrobx1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2017 Posts: 3,430	"Ball four!" Oh, come on! The runner on first moved to second and the Oaks clean-up hitter, Stine Poole, came to bat. The Visalia Oaks had just gotten Poole from the Springfield Cardinals. It was his first game since he broke his hand in May. He was a 26 year old career minor league first baseman with slightly below average power. It was the bottom of the first and I could already feel the wheels falling off. Sandy came out to the mound and handed me the ball. We looked each other in the eye and had that mental moment only a pitcher and catcher can have. Sandy went back behind the plate. I took a deep breath and delivered my first pitch to Poole. CRACK! There is a distinct sound when wood connects with hide and you know the batter got all of it. The ball took flight into left field. Pablo Rivera started back. And kept going. I watched the ball head for the fence. Anthony kept going back. He reached his glove as high as he could. The Visalia crowd suddenly went into a silent hush. "He caught it!" Someone yelled. Rivera was so close to the fence that the runner tagged and moved to third. But something changed when Rivera made that catch. A ground ball to second ended the innning. I gave up a hit in the second and again in the third. Then I ran into trouble again in the bottom of the fourth. A single was followed by a double and the Oaks had runners at second and third and one out. We were clinging to a 1-0 lead. I called time. I motioned to Sandy and the team and gathered everyone at the mound. "They are not scoring here! We are going to get out of this," I said. They all kind of looked at me funny. Here was the youngest player on the team saying this. Now, granted, the oldest guy in this huddle was 23. Third baseman John Carlson. He suddenly nodded and said, "no. They're not." The next batter hit a hard grounder right to Carlson. He held the runner then threw to first for the second out. The next batter hit a lazy flyball to right to end the inning. The Oaks got a one out double in the bottom of the sixth. Rivera then made a nice sliding catch for the second out and the next batter popped out to second to end that innning. Then came the top of the eighth. A pair of walks and a single by Sandy and we had bases loaded with nobody out. The other 23 year old, first baseman David Creager, hit a sacrifice fly and we were up 2-0. A groundout moved our runners to second and third and then Jaime Moreno pinch hit for Carlson and smacked a 2-run double down the left field line. Sandy crossed the plate as we went up 4-0 and headed straight for me. "You're finally going to get that first win." And suddenly the butterflies started rumbling! And Sandy knew. Our lead was 5-0 but the first two Oaks in the bottom of the eighth got a single. Sandy called time. Broadway came out. "I'm okay. I'm okay. Just got a little anxious, you know. I've never won a professional game before." "Okay, but if those two guys score, you're out." And wouldn't you know it. The next batter was Stine Poole. He fouled the first one off behind the plate. I missed with a curve. He then hit the 1-1 fast ball. On the ground. 6! 4! 3! And then the butterflies were an ancient memory. I wish I could say it was a complete game shutout. Unfortunately by the ninth innning, I was running on fumes. Remember, I had only pitched into the seventh innning twice since joining the Padres and had never finished a seventh, much less pitched into the ninth innning. The Oaks got a couple of singles, a stolen base and a ground out to small ball their only run of the game. Creager picked up the grounder and stepped on the bag to end the game. I looked at him for a second and then Sandy was giving me a big hug. Soon the rest of the team was mobbing me as we headed to the dugout. "James, that was some gutsy pitching tonight!" Keith Stephen said. "Gutsy pitching!" Sandy patted me on the back. "Remember that walk in the first inning?" I nodded. "Do you realize that was the only guy you walked all game?" No kidding! I did not know that. And then I sat on a metal folding chair and cried. It was a long 232 mile bus ride back to Reno. But it was such a short ride at the same time. I just hoped I could regain this sense of elation once again. Sent from my K88 using Tapatalk Last edited by vrobx1; 01-02-2018 at 08:34 AM.