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The Last Inning: Giants and Phillies Part Two
It was an amazingly (is that a word?) fun thing to watch that ball zoom over the fence, but I, we, still have a game to win.
The Last Inning (The Giants and the Phillies-Part Two)
Once again, I have to corral all my players back into the dugout. They are still whooping and hollering and Chris is really pleased with himself.
"Did you see that coach, did you see that? Blam! Right over the fence. Sorry I hit your van, coach."
I hadn't noticed that the ball bounced off MY car!
"Hey, that's okay," I said. "I'm just glad that you hit it out of the park, it was great. Now take a seat and let's win this game."
Chris ducks inside of the dugout, but before he sits down he grabs the wire fence, gives it a good shake like a caged animal and yells at the Giant's pitcher.
"Hey Pitch! That's what you get for laughing at me!"
The whole park hears that outburst.
I can't let that go, so I turn around.
"That is not necessary, Chris. We don't gloat. It is not good sportsmanship. You will apologize to the pitcher now."
"Sorry Pitch!" Chris yells again.
"Coach, you need to get your team under control!"
"No problem Blue, I am taking care of it."
I ask myself, "What is the ump's problem? He seems to be a bit slow today."
"Chris, after the game you make sure you shake the Pitcher's hand. Understand?"
Chris, looking a bit deflated, sits down.
The ump walks over and hands something to Chris.
It is the home run ball.
"Great hit, kid."
Chris's face lights up.
"Thanks, Ump!"
The ump nods and says "Batter up!"
I send Jeffery to the plate and tell him to go get a hit.
Jeffery, grinning, jogs over to the batter's box.
"Play Ball!" yells the ump as he pulls down his mask.
Jeffery stands there and takes six pitches, three are strikes, without moving his bat a bit.
Bottom of the fifth
Phillies 8, Giants 2
I do not want to let my team relax too much. This is Little League. Earlier in the season the Cubs scored seven runs on us in the top of the first. We beat them 20 to seven. We could have scored more if the 13-run mercy rule had not stopped us. Things can happen, so I just want to shut the Giants down and end this.
As Joel heads out to the mound I tell him to keep on pitching the same way he's been doing it. He nods at me.
The Giants leadoff is a big lefthander. Joel throws the first pitch a bit outside, and the batter fouls it back. Joel throws to the same spot. This time the kid looks at it.
Ball one.
Chris, who is now catching for Joel, shifts and gives Joel an inside target. Joel throws; the batter swings and takes it for a base hit over CJ's head to right-center field. Both Jeffery and Ian make a mad dash for the ball.
I swear, because they argue over who is going to get it. By the time they figure it out, the runner is way past first.
Ian tosses to CJ, who turns toward third, but there is no play.
The leadoff is safely on third.
"Shake it off Joel, no big deal, just get the batter!"
Giving up a triple does not faze Joel. He throws his next three pitches for strikes. The batter goes down looking at the third one.
One down and two to go. Play is at first but we have to guard the plate.
The next batter goes for the first pitch. He hits a high pop over the first base line. Chris is on his feet in a second, follows the ball and catches it in front of the bleachers. He turns and looks at the third base runner.
Two outs and one to go.
I don't know how Joel is doing it, but he bears down and throws three hard inside fastballs. He makes the batter look like a deer caught in the headlights. Three pitches, three strikes, backwards K.
The Inning is over.
That triple was the best hit the Giants have had all day and Joel made sure it counted for nothing.
Top of the Sixth
The Score is still Phillies 8, Giants 2.
Shawn leads off. He fouls the first pitch (good for him!) and then takes four straight pitches, all balls.
Jonathan is up next. First pitch is a ball, second pitch outside for ball two. The third pitch hits my batter right in the helmet. It doesn't bug him a bit as he jogs happily to first.
The pitcher and Zac get into a bit of battle. Zac fouls off the first two. The pitcher throws two for two balls. Zac fouls off another one and the pitcher heaves two more pitching errors. Zac heads to first.
WC virtually repeats Zac's at bat and earns a walk with no place to put him.
Shawn comes home.
Phillies 9, Giants 2
TJ walks on five pitches, and Jonathan scores run number 10.
Ian, well Ian just stands there and swings and misses the last pitch he gets, the third one.
The Giants have one out on us. They are now facing the top of our order with bases loaded. Not good for them. Not good at all.
The Giants pitcher knows things are not good and that knowledge must make him really nervous. His first pitch hits Matt in the side, and he reaches first as Zac crosses home plate.
Phillies 11, Giants 2.
Matt is on first, TJ on second and good ole WC on third. CJ, who is on deck, moves to the plate.
I am standing behind the backstop just in front of the first base side dugout. I can see WC on third base and I am watching him and my other runners. They are set and ready to run on contact.
CJ can hit and I know he wants this one bad. He fouls the first pitch. He hits the second one to the outfield past first base but it lands foul.
Everyone on my side of the field is yelling so loud it hurts my ears.
The next throw is in the dirt. The catcher scrambles for the ball. The pitcher runs in to cover the plate.
My third base coach is waving WC home, but he hesitates.
What is he waiting for? Run!
WC breaks for home but that seconds hesitation may cost him.
The catcher throws the ball to the pitcher, who steps in front of the plate just as WC runs into him. They go down together. The pitcher comes up showing the ball.
"He's out!" Yells blue.
WC gets up and starts arguing with the ump.
"He was holding me!"
I walk over as my third base coach comes running in, grabs the umpire and points back to the Giant on third base.
"Ump, he grabbed my runner's shirt! WC would have been safe!"
The Giants coach is now out of his dugout and we have a real "situation" here.
"Come on, Ump, this is crazy."
My base coach is not going to take this.
"Ump, I am telling you. My guy was interfered with."
The Ump looks at everyone.
"I didn't see it. The runner's out!"
WC looks very unhappy. He pulls off his helmet and tosses it toward third base.
The Ump takes one look at that and tosses him out of the game for unsportsmanlike conduct.
My base coach just shakes his head. My parents and players are booing the umpire.
I tell everyone on the bench we still have one out left and the bases are loaded.
I tell WC that he did great the whole game, but he should not throw his helmet or his bat.
He tells me he is sorry.
I was feeling bad about the Giants situation, but after treating WC like that, I have lost my sympathy.
First base is open, with two outs.
I grab CJ.
"Look, it's 1 and 2, with two outs. Get on first anyway you can."
"You got it, Coach."
CJ is a team player. I know he wants the big home run, but now he settles down to business.
The pitcher doesn't. He throws four straight balls. CJ is on first, bases are loaded again.
"Way to watch em CJ!"
Joel is up. He wants to round the bases and he will wait for the pitcher to make a mistake again.
It is a battle, but Joel has the first pitch advantage. It is a ball way outside. The second one Joel fouls off. He fouls off the third. The count is 1 and 2. The fourth pitch comes in, low and inside, ball two.
Joel steps out of the box. He adjusts his gloves, takes a couple of swings and steps back in. Here comes the pitch, way high for Ball three.
The Giants coach calls time. His pitcher walks over to the base path. I can't hear what is being said but both the coach and his player look agitated.
They don't want another walk, they only need one out, so they need to put the ball in play and get the easy out.
Here we are again, 3 and 2. Pitcher throws and Joel fouls it. Pitcher throws again, same result.
The tension is thick in the air, spectators on both sides are yelling to their players. Everyone is on the edge of their seats, waiting for the next pitch.
This game is really fun. My son is up to bat. What could be better than that?
The next pitch is slow and hangs over the plate. Joel hits it and runs for first. My base runners take off at the same time. It is a long, slow fly into left right field. It lands between the two outfielders; both are running for the ball. By the time they get there Joel is halfway to second base. TJ crosses home plate. The Giants second baseman is frozen on the base path. Joel pushes him out of the way and crosses second. Matt, between second and third, needs to pick it up or Joel is going to run into him and CJ. I see the throw coming in as the second baseman wakes up. He takes a couple of steps into the outfield to catch it. Joel is almost at third. Matt and CJ make it home.
My players start pouring out of the dugout.
The Giants bench is yelling to the infield.
"Throw it home! Throw it home!"
Joel rounds third. He might not make it! The throw comes in but it is way too high. It sails over the catcher's head.
The Phillies rush home plate and surround Joel as he crosses it. The folks in the bleachers are jumping up and down. The guys practically carry Joel off the field.
Phillies 15, Giants 2.
We have a 13-run lead. Mercy Rule is in effect. The game is over.
Not quite yet.
The Giants coach rushes out of the dugout yelling at his catcher, who has retrieved the ball, to tag the plate. He is claiming Joel didn't touch home. Joel says he did. Joel's team was all around him, so I couldn't see the plate at all.
The Ump just stands there.
"Blue, I'm telling you he didn't touch the plate." says the Giants coach.
I am thinking that I would never pull this kind of stunt on his team. There is no way that the ump is going to call out a kid who just scored an inside the park grand slam.
"Runner's out!" The Ump yells.
"Come on Ump, he ran all over that plate and everybody knows it!" My third base coach is getting mad.
The Ump has made his call.
"Play Ball!"
Back in the dugout I lean down to Joel.
"You did step on the plate didn't you?"
"Yea coach, I did. I know I got a home run ... but its okay, we are having fun, let's just play ball."
"So what you are saying is; let's give them one more at bat and show em what we are made of?"
"Yea, coach, we don't let up, Joel will get em!" says Matt.
I am very proud of my team and we are having fun.
What could be better than that?
"Okay. Phillies hit the field!"
They run out of the dugout with a yell. A couple of parents come over to me, including Diane.
I walk with them back to the bleachers and shrug my shoulders at the parents.
"Hey coach, what are going to do about that?" one father asks me.
"Nothing, the guys want to keep playing."
They did. With his team yelling the whole time and the Phillies fans adding to the noise, Joel worked three Giants batters, including two from the top of the order, to a 2 and 2 count before he struck them all out. The last two went down without swinging. With the last out the team gives Joel a hugh cheer.
The game between the Giants and the Philles is now officially over.
Phillies win 14 to 2.
The scorekeeper from the Giants walks over to Diane to compare scores.
Diane looks at him.
"I don't know how you are scoring it, but my son got a grand slam."
"Yeah, he did and he also got three up and three down, quite a kid you have there."
"Thank you" is her smiling response.
Joel got his grand slam (off the record), and Chris got his big home run. I coached a game that, obviously, I would never forget.
Years later, a few days after Joel was graduated from William and Mary, Diane, Joel, Nickolas and myself were staying in our motor coach at the Stone Mountain RV Resort outside Atlanta, Georgia. One day, during our stay, at around 5 p.m. Joel and I were sitting just above first base at Turner Stadium (named for my old boss) in Atlanta. We were watching the Braves take on the Florida Marlins. It wasn't a very exciting game but it was a beautiful June night. Like that time from years before, I was at a baseball game with my son. We were having fun.
What could be better than that?
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