To the Victor Go the Spoils (even in high school baseball)...
Previously, Part 6: Take Me Out to the Ball Game, Please!
The ball continued ascending while Fooch, with his back to us, struggled mightily to turn in the right direction and put himself in position to make the catch. Nothing about his readjustment was pretty. It looked awkward and unskilled and did very little to inspire confidence. With his throwing hand, he desperately felt for the fence…
Players and coaches in both dugouts were on their feet, and some of us were out on the grass, standing in foul territory, watching, trying to will the ball in our favor. The two baserunners were going full out at the crack of the bat, and Repozza was jogging to first base, watching the flight of the ball he had just hit. They were losing 2-1 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the final inning. His run didn't matter.
Fooch jumped, extended his glove over the fence, and then the ball disappeared from sight. It was hard to tell where it went from the dugout area…
Then Fooch held up his glove in triumph, a big smile on his face. He made the catch, the umpire signaled the out, and we won 2-1 in one of the most breathtaking finishes I've ever been a part of.
The kids went nuts! While Fooch ran in with the ball, he was swarmed. Gada collapsed on the mound, and Newk dove on him. It was the biggest win of our season, and not one of our kids was in a hurry to get off the field. They wanted the moment to last forever, and so did I.
The excitement of beating Diman for the first time in 20 years continued on the bus ride home with high fives and testosterone-filled chants. It was the happiest I had seen this group since Captain's Practices. Once they calmed down a bit, Gada's dad and I took a moment to address the team. While the bus rocked, we steadied ourselves, gripping the full-length aluminum poles up front. I spoke about their ability to overcome some early mistakes, their timely hitting, excellent fielding, and incredible pitching. I stressed that it was an entire TEAM effort that won this game. I finished by saying, "If you can beat Diman in their backyard, you can beat anyone!"
Potatah had three hits and an unassisted double play. Newk had two RBI on his big knock in the fifth inning, Fooch had the spectacular game-saving walk-off catch… But the game ball went to Gada. He went the distance, allowing just one earned run on 4 hits, 2 K's, throwing a season-high 96 pitches, and improving to 4-1 on the season. It was a gutty performance.
When I got home that night, my wife had food out on the table for me, but first, I called in the score and highlights. I felt strongly that we deserved some ink! I pitched all three newspapers with the same hype, "The last time we beat Diman, Ronald Regan was President, and Roger Clemens was only 23 years old and on his way to winning his first Cy Young! This was the first time we beat Diman in 20 years!" I kept my fingers crossed…
I wondered how Coach would react to the big win in Fall River. After the game, John was heading to the Super Bowl banquet, and Gada's dad was going to call Coach later.
To be continued…
We were the 'champions of the world' (at least for one incredible moment)…
*All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental…