Dear friends; This is the third and final installment of “Perfect Math.” If you have not had the chance to read this story from the beginning I encourage you to do so. Just go back to Monday’s post and follow along. Read and enjoy…
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So there we were. One out, top of the last inning and just two outs away from making the tournament….and Dave at first.
The next batter up for the other team strolled to the plate with a type of confidence that made me very uneasy. He was a big man and had a smirk on his face I wanted to knock off. As he took his practice swings I called out to the infield “play deep…keep the ball in front of you” and then looked over at Dave and yelled “move back”. I motioned him back towards the outfield grass to make sure he would have as much room and as much time as he would need to field any ball hit his way. By this time in the game our pitcher, Drew, was beginning to struggle and I knew his fastball had lost its steam and that we would have to rely on his “junk” pitches if we were to get out of the inning alive. I set up behind the plate and called for a curveball and set the target low and away. Drew went into his stretch and as he released the ball he made a grunting noise that sounded like a mix of both effort and agony. The pitch seemed to hang over the hitting surface of the plate and when the batter swung he crushed a line-drive into right-center field and slid into second base for an easy double….with that smirk still on his face.
Immediately I jogged out to the pitcher’s mound to calm Drew down. As we talked I said, “I know you’re tired so let us help you. Whatever you do just keep the ball down… make them hit it on the ground… make them put it in play…don’t give them anything easy…we’re with you out here…we’ve got your back.” He nodded and I went back behind the plate for the next batter. This time I called another curve and the pitch broke low and away and the batter reached for it …”strike one” yelled the umpire. I immediately called for the next pitch and again I set up low and away. This time Drew went into his stretch and when he let the ball go…I could see the batter honing in on it and he swung but didn’t get a good bat on it and popped it up towards center field. As we watched, it seemed as if the ball “had eyes” and it landed just between where our centerfield and shortstop could not reach it. The runner on second had to hold up in case we caught the ball but easily was able to make it to third and the batter who just hit the blooper was easily able to make it to first without being challenged.
So here we were… they had runners on first and third with just one out. All they needed now was for the next batter to hit the ball in play virtually anywhere and the runner on third should score. In just three pitches we had lost our advantage.
The next batter strolled to the plate and he also had that same confident look the first batter had…plus the smirk…”what’s with these guys” I thought to myself. This time I moved Dave and the rest of the infield way up so they would have a shot at making a play at the plate on a grounder. I moved everyone in the outfield back so no balls would get over their head and to make sure no matter what happened the runner on first didn’t make it home on a hit. The next batter was number three in their line-up…a spot usually reserved for the best hitter on the team. I called the pitch and set up again…low and away. This time Drew went into his stretch and this time he let a fastball fly. The batter gripped his bat and things seemed to begin to move in slow motion…the next thing I remember was the sound of a “crack” of the bat on the ball and I watched as the ball rocketed towards the left field fence… back…back..back it went until it cleared the fence by a mile …”foul ball” yelled the umpire on the third base line…we all took a collective sigh of relief. Immediately I looked at Drew and we locked eyes and we both nodded and tilted our heads in recognition of the bullet we had just dodged. The umpire handed me a new ball and I threw it out to Drew and as I was walking back behind the plate I prayed to God again…”please God just two more outs…please ”…but I knew God doesn’t answer prayers about baseball.
Again, the batter took his stance and, again, I called the pitch and set-up putting the target low and away and again Drew went into his stretch, let out a loud grunt and let the pitch fly…what happens next is exactly how I remember it.
This time the ball was on target and the batter seemed overly excited and had decided to swing before the pitch was thrown. Because the pitch was low and away the batter had to reach out for it and as he swung he pulled himself off balance and when he made contact the ball popped up towards the first base line. Immediately the batter took off for first and I watched as the ball now seemed to start drifting and floating up, up and up…and… out…out and out. I began doing “the math” and I quickly determined that the only person who would have a chance at it would be our first basemen…Dave. I watched as Dave seemed to “lumber out“ after the ball, taking wide, uneven and unsteady steps and I saw our right fielder, John Massey, sprinting for it as hard as he could and seeing the veins in his neck bulging with every stride he took…but I knew he would not be able to get there and that it would all come down to Dave.
If Dave did catch the ball the runner on third would need to “tag up.” That means he had to wait to see if the ball was caught and then, and only then, could he make his run for home plate. So I watched as the ball drifted up and the runner on third went back to the bag and positioned himself in a sprinter’s stance looking directly at me and home plate. His coach moved close to the baseline and kept one eye on the ball and another on his man and leaned forward ready to yell “GO” the second the ball was caught.
My head was on a swivel as I kept looking at the ball, then back to third, then back to the ball, then back to third… all the time “doing the math” and soon realizing that even if Dave could reach the ball, which was highly doubtful, he would have to make a miraculous throw of the type even the best of players would not likely be able to achieve. Images of Dave’s weak throws in practice kept popping into my mind and I realized there was little hope. Not only did Dave have a very weak arm but he was also running full speed away from the plate, so even if he could make the catch he’d have to stop, turn and make a throw that was simply well beyond his capabilities. A feeling of dread fell over me.
Realizing all of this, I decided I would put it out of my mind and I positioned myself between the runner and the plate and told myself that if he was going to score he’d have to run over me to do it. I steeled my body, locked my legs, dipped my shoulder and put my glove in the ONLY place where the ball could go if we were to have any chance. I had decided that no matter what happened I would not move myself or my glove….if we were to go down then… it would be with a fight.
Out…out… out Dave ran and as the ball began its decent I realized Dave might have a chance if he dove for it. Again, I looked towards third and then back at the ball and steeled myself for the impact I knew was coming. Then at the very last possible moment Dave stumbled and as he was falling forward and, in total desperation, he reeeeched for the ball ….”he got it”… yelled our pitcher and then in one loud simultaneous scream the entire team yelled “throw it, throw it.” Somehow Dave was bale to remain on his feet and then suddenly his body became ridged as he planted his right foot and pivoted on it allowing him to fling his body around like a slingshot with his throwing arm following from behind. As Dave swung around and began to make his throw he let out a yell that seemed to contain all of the humiliation, doubt, frustration, sacrifice and DESIRE he possessed and the ball flew from his hand in a way I had never seen from him before…like a rocket… on its way towards me and the play. I will never forget that sound as long as I live.
The second Dave caught the ball I heard the base coach for the other team yell “GO” and the runner on third broke for the plate like a racehorse jumping out of the starting gate. His head was down, his eyes clear and focused and he could see I had blocked the plate and I saw him lower his shoulder and knew he had committed to the collision that was sure to follow.
I steeled my body again and DID NOT MOVE MY GLOVE ONE INCH. Again my head was on a swivel as I looked at the ball, then back at the runner, then the ball and then the runner… near the end I focused only on the ball but I could hear the runner now…he was close and I knew that with every footstep the collision was getting closer and that he was bearing down on me. Again I started “doing the math” and suddenly realized that the throw was perfect… incredible… unbelievable… and that we actually had a shot… if I could only hold on to the ball.
Now the runner’s steps grew loud and then things went silent. I steeled my body one last time and held my glove strong…and then it happened, I watched as the ball flew directly into my glove where I had held it the entire time and the ball and the runner arrived at the same time. I felt a tremendous crush on my body as the runner plowed over me and suddenly I was on my back. Dust flew up everywhere and for a second I was unsure exactly where I was in relation to the plate. My teammates rushed towards me …waiting to see the outcome. I did not hear the umpire say anything and then suddenly I began to panic because I could not feel the ball in my glove…”O’ my God…don’t do this to him…please God let it be there”. I was on my back with the runner was lying next to me and suddenly the umpire moved himself directly over us and I heard him yell out ...”let me see it…let me see it.”
I remembered the next second feeling like an eternity as all eyes moved to my glove. I could not feel the ball….I could not feel the ball and for a millisecond I refused to open my glove for fear I would reveal the truth. By this time everyone on both teams were standing waiting to hear the umpire’s call. A panic overtook my body and then slowly I opened my glove to reveal our destiny. As I opened my glove for some reason a calm came over me and suddenly I heard it…”OUT” yelled the umpire and a number of my teammates fell to their knees and the place went crazy!
He had done it…it was…miraculous…unbelievable….unreal. For a second I just could not believe it. Dave’s catch and throw were simply beyond his capability and I could not understand what had happened. It was impossible and if given the chance to make the same play 1000 times he could not reproduce those results…under any circumstances. The second the umpire called the runner out I sat up and looked out towards first base and towards Dave. It all felt surreal and I watched as Dave jumped up for joy in the way a child might when they are still innocent and uninhibited. I saw my teammates run out to Dave and begin lifting him, cheering him and hugging him and I will NEVER forget the look of sheer joy on his face. As the celebration continued, I remained sitting …just wanting to take it all in… trying to come to grips with the reality of what had just happened. It was the single best moment I had ever experienced in my entire baseball career …and the moment belonged to Dave.
After a few more moments I got up and headed back to the dugout where the team was still celebrating and where Dave was getting pats on the back. He seemed a little uneasy with his new found heroism but the smile on his face was as big as any I’d ever seen. I changed out of my catchers gear and as the excitement of the moment began to fade, I noticed Dave and I were the two last guys in the dugout.“That was one hell of a throw” I said to him but he just kept his head down as he took off his spikes. I got the feeling he wanted to stay in the dugout for as long as he could and that he knew the moment we stepped out of there his moment would be over….so after we had changed our spokes we just sat there….staring out onto the field and saying nothing.
At some point we both knew we had to head into the field house and so we walked along together in silence. We decided to take the long way home that day and headed out towards the right field gate past the place where Dave had made his big play. When we arrived at the very spot where Dave had made the play, we stopped and I looked back at the plate. It was then that I realized just how impossible the play really was and that what I had witnessed was a small sort of miracle… and that sometimes God answers prayers about baseball. Just as we were about to go, I looked over at Dave and said “do you think you could do that again in a million years”…he stopped, looked back at the plate then over at me and said, “I don’t think I’ll ever get the chance to find out” and it was done.
We went on to play in the NCAA tournament…but lost in the semi-final round. Dave was with us…but he never played in another game. I did not return to baseball the next season…
Epilogue
Not a week goes by when I don’t think about Dave and his story. So often we think our dreams have to be of big things to be worthy of notice or effort. We dream of fame, fortune and glory but maybe all of our big dreams are made up of someone else’s little dreams. Blessed are the dreamers.
One last thing- I have had the very good fortune to have played for a number of great coaches in my life. Whatever success I have in my life it is due, in large part, to the lessons they taught me and the examples they set for me. Thank you Coach Deshon and God Bless all of THE BRIDGE BUILDERS.
All the best!
