Sean Gibbons

First Game

            A few games into the season as a 7^th grader I was not playing at all.  I followed the path going to the baseball field walking away from the school leaving all math problems and people from history behind. Reaching the field my coach pulled me aside right away. He looked tall as a mountain that day. I could smell the freshly cut grass between the two of us.

            “You’re up second on the pitching schedule today.” he said.

            “Yes sir” I said trying to hold back the excitement.

            “Okay, go get over there and get warm” coach said while he patted my arm.

I grabbed my glove and ran over to throw, I stepped right in my spot close to the end. After throwing we walked over to the dugout, nobody was quiet. We all ate our sandwiches and waited for the game to start. The beginning of the game seemed like an eternity, besides getting a foul ball I was sitting around waiting for the call. Half paying attention to the game I heard my call from the end of the dugout.

            “Sean go get warm you’re going in next inning.” He yelled across the dugout.

I grabbed my glove and ran out to the bullpen. My heart was racing each step was a struggle not being able to feel my legs.

“How many pitches do you need?” my catcher asked me.

“I don’t know, I’ll tell you when” I said back

After every pitch I knew I was getting one pitch closer to getting in.  I kept throwing until I heard that we were coming in to hit, I knew I’d have to go in three outs later.

“Let’s go in now” I said to my catch while I was shaking.

I walked back into the dugout shaking as I sat down. Waiting for those three out it seemed like time kept on freezing. Finally, I heard the bat hit the ball I looked up from the ground and saw the out being made at first. I looked up at the scoreboard I saw the up arrow and the number 5 signaling for the bottom of the fifth and the down 11 to 2 and we were losing. I grabbed my glove and walked to the field. My coach stopped me while everybody else kept running

“Just get out there and throw strikes, the field will take care of the rest” he said as I was still walking out slowly. I walked up the mound and placed my foot on the stained brown rubber. I started throwing my warm-up pitches and waited for my first batter.

The first batter stepped in the box as I got my sign the catcher signaled for an outside fastball. I took a breath, still shaking my heart was beating faster then everything before. I threw the first pitch and it went way outside making the catcher jump up to grab it.

“Calm down Sean” I heard from my teammates behind me. I calmed down and threw a strike that the batter hit straight to second base for my first out. After letting up a few hits I finally got a strikeout by then allowing five runs. With two outs a lefty stepped up he was bigger than any kids I’ve seen at my age. I came up ready to pitch. I threw that pitch knowing that I had left it up in the strike zone. I heard the high pitched sound of an aluminum bat hitting a ball. I followed the ball and watched it go over the fence and never stopped rising until it hit a tree bringing a branch down with it as they both dropped to the ground. I watched him as he rounded the bases knowing that I blew my first chance to prove myself. I got the next out quick as a ground ball to first. I walked off of the field and sat on the bench knowing that I ruin my chance.

I waited till the game was over and went to grab my bag and leave. Suddenly I knew I would get another chance eventually and I wanted to be ready for then. I turned the anger and sadness from that appearance and turned it into motivation to work harder and be ready for when I got another chance. I went from keeping my head down and brought myself back up.