Okinawa: April 9th
The keyboard i'm typing on in this lobby is junk so excuse the typos and no caps.
we're over here for a spring tournament. two teams from okinawa and two from mainland japan, and us (Seoul).
Last night we played the team that has won this tourney three years in a row (Nomo's kid is on the team according to their coach, but he played first, didn't pitch), and won the Kanto Invitational last year. Good team. We're an 11-man team with 8 underclassmen. Underdogs.
We're behind 7-2 in the fifth. We get a couple back in the sixth, but they add one, so we're 8-4. Well, we rally like crazy in the 7th and take a 9-8 lead. A big surprise to our competition. We need to hold them for just three outs, but through an error and two walks they load the bases, nobody out. Looking grim for us.
Next batter hits a hooking fly ball to right. Our RF manages to get there, makes a sliding catch on his knees and manages not to fall over after making the snare. He pops up and throws a bullet to home to nail the guy tagging.
But what's this? Out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw the man on second leave early. Surely no one else would have noticed, because everyone was focused on this great catch, including the infield ump, right? But after the dust settles at the plate and while catcher still has the ball, I (calmly at first) tell him to get the ball to second base. He looks at me like 'what are you talking about?' I'm trying to be discreet because the runner and coach of this team are just a few feet away and I'm worried coach will get the kid on his horse back to second.
By now I'm practically screaming to get the ball back to second. Catcher finally throws down to our SS at second. He touches the bag. No one else has any idea why we're doing this. Quizzical eyes are focused now on the ump standing ten feet from the bag and watching what we're doing. Could he have possibly seen the early leave that I thought I'd seen?
Inedeed he did. Pumps his fist in the 'out' gesture there at the bag. Game over. Fans go crazy (both sides, two different reasons).
Underdogs win 9-8 on a Hail Mary triple play.
Wow! YOU GO, BOYS!
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