.

Mariners vs. Dodgers Mon, May 19, 7:30pm – 9:00pm Field 1

We won!!! Bottom of the fifth, down by two, bases loaded with two outs. The awesome pitcher throws “Strike one!” ... He winds up again and the batter swings while the ump yells “Strike two!” The batter tenses up and there is a hush over the crowded stands as both teams hang on the pitcher’s every movement. He winds up and with a mighty swing the bat, he whiffs to the yell of “Strike THREE!!!... That’s the ballgame!” The Dodgers then went crazy knowing that they held their foes for a dramatic 7 to 5 win.

Yes this was a perfect night for the Dodgers. We watched a perfect sunset as the glow of the lights created the perfect environment for baseball. The temperature was perfect and this was our very first late night game where we were comfortable in short sleeved jersies. Our last two we were bundled up like Eskimos just trying to not get frost bite on our toes. Without being bundled up you could clearly see the tension on our fans faces in the last two innings as they were antsy in their seats, rocking around back and forth, concerned for every pitch, for every fielding play, and every hit of the baseball. For about 25 minutes, nothing else in the world mattered as we were all focused in on the actions on the diamond. The Dodgers added to the drama as we allowed the Mariners to go up 4 to 2 after our going out one, two, three with the top of our lineup in the top of the third inning.

JEREMY GETS 20 - It was great to see Jeremy out on the mound in the third inning as our pitcher. As coaches, we decided tonight was the night to give him 20 pitches. Jeremy went out there and his first pitch was a strike. What a great feeling it must have been for him to get that first one in there. The pressure was on and he walked the first two batters going to a full count on the second batter. His third batter he had at 1 ball and two strikes and he got him to foul off a couple of pitches before he grounded to Aaron at shortstop who threw the batter out at first.

The next batter then grounded the second pitch to Drew at second base. Drew fielded the well hit ground ball and then threw the batter out at first to Shaun for the second out. Jeremy had used up 19 pitches and I called out to Jeremy, “You’ve got one more pitch Jeremy, so make the best of it!” And with that he threw a big strike one to the batter. At that point it was a joy to walk to the mound while calling Shaun to pitch, move Drew over to first, and Jeremy out to second base. Jeremy was set to hand the ball to me with a huge smile on his face, but I told him that the ball was his to give to Shaun and that he did a great job with his twenty pitches. What a great outing for Jeremy.

Having Jeremy on the mound was one of the great family memory builders for Jeremy, his Dad Coach Street, and his Mom Mary sitting in the stands. The memory of Jeremy’s performance on the mound was enhanced in the next inning when he was playing second base with one out and a good grounder was hit in the hole between first and second and he got the jump on the ball, moved uickly to fill the hole, scooped it up and made the throw to Matt at first to complete the play... What a great night for Jeremy!!!

FOURTH INNING RALLY - I don’t think that I will soon forget huddling up at the end of the third and telling the team that we were only down by two runs and that it was our time to make good things happen. To my delight, we scored three runs in a crazy inning that found Matt leading off with a huge hit deep single followed by two looking strike outs... Ouch!!! With two outs we got the rally going on three straight singles to Shaun, Jeremy, and Brooks, followed by a walk to Jonas. If the Mariners could have an inning back, it would have been this one.

I think the key play of the inning was the smart base running by Shaun who was on second with Matt on third when Jeremy hit a good grounder to the shortstop who knew that Matt was heading for home and that he was going to either tag the runner (Shaun) going from second to third, or go to first for the sure out. Matt scored while Shaun acted like he was going and the shortstop bobble the ball while Shaun just made a dusty mess near him while casually going back to second.... “Safe!!!” ... Everybody was safe with one run scored. It was so cool because Shaun was not even bothered by not going to third because he knew that he was going to steal third base on the very next pitch. This was followed by Jeremy stealing second on the next pitch. Brooks came to the plate and took the third pitch deep scoring two RBI’s on a perfectly placed single. Brooks then stole second and third while Jonas drew his walk. Then Jonas stole second which put runners on second and third. Drew hit to the second baseman, who made the play for the third out to end our rally.

Coming back to our dugout I said to Coach Street, “We got three and we are up by one”, to which he could not believe it. We manufactured those runs with some good hits, but what made it a success was the base running while the hits and walk were going on. This is a real credit to our teams ability to agressively take charge on the base paths.

BOTTOM OF THE FOURTH - You have to give Casey from the Mariners a lot of credit as he drew a walk on Shaun to start the inning and he then stole his way to third on two crazy pitches that Shaun would prefer to have back again. After 7 straight balls, it was clear that Shaun needed a little mental relief and I went to the mound grateful for a unique rule to the Juniors league. The rule allows us to bring a pitcher back in later in the same game, as long as they have not sat out in the dugout. This is why you will often not see Matt, Aaron, and Shaun sit out in games that they are pitchers. I told Shaun that we should let him take a quick mental break and allow Aaron come back out to the mound. Shaun handed Aaron the ball knowing that this was the best move for the team at the time. When I told Shaun that he could come back later in the game, he smiled and gladly gave the ball to Aaron. Aaron then struck out the next batter. With runners on second and third, I was glad that Shaun left the mound in good spirits because the very next batter after the strikeout hit a good shot right to Shaun at shortstop. One run was going to score and Shaun didn’t have a good play at third. Instead, Shaun scooped it up and fired a rocket over to Matt with a perfect throw to first for the second out with a runner now on third base.

GREAT PLAY AT HOME - I love to see runners hold close to the bag due to Aaron’s quick pickoff moves. Drew was holding the runner back on third base when Aaron fired a shot over to third. The ball sailed high over Drew’s head to the third baseline fence. The Mariner’s coach saw the overthrow and knew that he had his fastest runner on third. He sent Joshua home knowing that it was an easy score. Drew hustled over to the fence and with an incredible flick of his wrist he fired a bullet to Adam at home.... Did I say a bullet? Drew has a gift of an arm that requires no body wind up to throw. He gets the ball and with a unique flick the ball sails out of his hand 10 - 20 miles per hour faster than any other player on our team. His throw was incredible and about a foot above Adam’s head so as not to be interefered with by the runner. Adam was out about 2 feet in front of the plate and he caught the perfect throw, grasp the ball with both the mitt and his second hand and placed down the tag for the sliding runner. Joshua never even made it to home plate as Adam laid down the gauntlet. Adam made the call easy for the umpire as the runner never even came close to home plate and Adam had the ball secured in his glove with all his might...... “He’s out!!!” The inning was over and we were tied up on the scoreboard heading to the top of the last inning. Unfortunately we were the Visitors.

TOP OF THE FIFTH - Huddled up outside the dugout, we confidently realized that this was our game to win. To do that we needed to “Hit, Run, Score, Frozen Ropes, Goooo Dodgers!” Aaron led off with a single to left field that found the shortstop overthrowing the pitcher when he was getting the ball back in, and this allowed Aaron to easily steal second base on the play. Aaron then stole third on a controversial play that found him stealing while the pitcher was still in his stance looking home. Let me repeat, the pitcher never even wound up and threw to the plate. He was just standing on the mound looking to the catcher when Aaron led off with a full running gate. It took a couple of seconds for the crowd and the Mariners to realize that such a bold statement was being made on the base paths. Aaron slid into third and was called safe by the field umpire. Now that I look back on it, I think that anybody but a Mariner or their fans praise such a gutsy base running play. It was almost a slap in their face to state that we, the Dodgers, were going to win the game. As a coach, I am going to encourage Aaron not to do this again, unless he absolutely feels it necessary. He did the same thing from first to second earlier in the game, but it went relatively unnoticed, while this play at third just about incited a riot from the Mariner’s side of the field.

CONTROVERSY - The Dodgers fans knew Aaron was safe at thrid base. The Mariners’ fans, players, and coaches were equally certain that Aaron was out at thrid base. The Mariners’ coach protested the call to the plate umpire who reminded him that it was the field umpire’s call to make and that he could not overrule the call. The Mariner’s coach continued the protest by asking the field umpire to ask the plate umpire for his perspective. After much persitance, the filed umpire Mike McChesney asked the plate umpire, who promptly stated that he could not see the play and that it stood as it was called. Meanwhile, the three players in the dugout, and the parents in the bleachers were continuing to grumble to the coach while Adam hit a grounder back to the pitcher for a fielder’s choice to score Aaron for the go ahead run. My son’s triumph was being overshadowed by the scuttle and grumblings on the Mariners’ side of the field. The grumbling still continued in the Mariners’ dugout, but we were now up by one on the scoreboard. Aaron’s statement steal on third totally disrupted the mindset of the Mariners. This was done all on his own, as the coaching staff has given him the complete green light to make his decisions while running the bases. Aaron deserves kudos for changing the outcome of the game.... Wow!

The Mariners were getting more and more frustrated while Julian was at the plate. The Mariners’ coach called over to the third baseman to ask if he got Aaron at third and the third baseman said “Yeah coach, I got ‘em.” This added fuel to the fire as the dugout players and one of the Mariners player’s mother were asking the coach to protest the game. It was at that point that I looked over to the coach and reminded him that it was a judgment call and that judgment calls could not be protested. I was amazed at the disruption and the inability of their dugout to shake it off, yet the pitcher was till out there doing his job. All of this took place while Julian went down swinging with a strikeout.

TWO OUT RALLY - Matt came to the plate with two outs and proceeded to get another great hit, this time with a high hit fly ball to right field that found the outfielder losing it in the lights. Matt then stole second base on a passed ball and was ready to steam roll when Tyler came to bat. Tyler took the first strike and then with a mighty swing he took his second pitch deep to left center for his greatest hit of the season thus far. The timing and placement of Tyler’s hit was perfect to score Matt from second base.

Matt was thrilled to get the round and go sign from me at third base. He did as told without any hesitation, and he used his after burners to make it obvious to the shortstop that there was nothing he could do to stop Matt from scoring the second run of the inning. I would have loved to be Tyler for those brief few moments on first base when he realized what he had done. He came, he saw, and he smacked the ball to the gap. My camera could not capture the late night glee, but I could see the beam on his face from across the field. Zach came to the plate and hit hard once again, but the left fielder made the great catch to retire our side... I guess the Mariners are entiteled to make some great plays too.

The most disappointed player on the field after they caught Zach’s fly ball was neither Zach or Tyler. Instead, it was Shaun who was waiting in the on-deck circle. As he picked up Zach’s bat I made my way over to him and with my arm around his shoulder I asked him if he wanted to finish the game off on the mound or let Aaron bring us home. Shaun gave me that great smile of his and said, “Let Aaron do it.” And with that our final fielding lineup was set with my yelling... “Aaron take the mound!”

PARENTAL SIDE NOTE - As coaches, there is nothing more stressful than standing on the sidelines hoping that we have made the right decisions to place the right young men in the right positions, at just the right time, for them to be able to be successful and build their confidence. We are fortunate in that we can take any 9 of our players and position them on the field in such a way that we are strong as a team unit. This is where all of the switching of positions comes into play in our favor as the season progresses. Those parents that missed the Parent’s Meeting before the season started have probably thought that we, as coaches, are whacky as we switch up the fileding lineup with every inning. Sure it would be easy to just play our players in one strong position, but think of all the positions that your son has played so far this year. There isn’t one of them that hasn’t spent time in at least three different positions in the field. The perfect example is our iron man Julian who has played everywhere but catcher and first base... Julian is gaining experience at 7 different positions on the field this season. I think that we are going to put him at first base and catcher for just one inning in a future game just so that he can forever know that he can play anywhere and has played everywhere while a Dodger. Ultimately, what this means is that our players can play anywhere with a grwoing confidence.

FINAL INNING - So here we were in the bottom of the fith with Matt at first, Zach at second, Shaun at shortstop, Julian at third, Brooks in left, Jonas in center, Tyler at third, with Adam running the show from behind the plate while Aaron took the mound. Several times during the last inning I asked both Drew and Jeremy in the dugout if we could pull it off as a team and they confidently said “Yes.” Aaron proceeded to dig a hole and he walk the first batter. I again asked Drew and Jeremy, and they confirmed that we were okay.

With the first batter walking and standing on first, the second batter was ready to hit. The runner stole second base on a wild pitch that sent Adam to the backstop in an acrobatic play that made it impossible to throw the runner out. The ball hit the mud and Aaron requested a change in balls from the field umpire. Then the second batter struck out looking at the fastball third strike. Then Blake struck out swinging on three straight pitches, all the while Aaron was holding Trevor back on second base. I remember vividly one pick off play at second where Aaron drilled the runner in the bum as he dove back face first towards Zach covering second base. The ball only went about 3’ towards left field as it was a direct blow to the Trevor’s right buttocks (sounding like Forest Gump).

STEALING - Thinking back to the overall running game, it was incredible because the Mariners’runners got no lead offs because they knew that Aaron could pick them off. He has a great move to all the bases. He pitches fast to the plate. Aaron’s speed combined with Adam being the receiver at home left the Mariners with just 3 steals with Aaron on the mound. The fact that he pitched 3 and a half innings with just 3 steals against him is incredible. The Mariners only had 7 steals for the entire game compared to our 16 team steals... Incredible! I am so proud of the team just thinking about it. Even if the Mariners did try to steal they knew that Adam was behind the plate and we have very solid infielders every inning that would make the play and put them out. Our confident play prevented the Mariners from ever gaining any confidence on the base paths.

But wouldn’t you know it, while feeling somewhat comfortable Aaron then walked the fourth batter making it two outs with runners on first and second. The Fifth batter was also walked, loading the base with their number 3 batter at the plate. The tension was incredible. I looked over to Jeremy and Drew one more time and they were up near the fence and they confirmed that we were going to be okay. I looked over to the coaches and they were as tense and excited as could be. Even the Double AA Dodgers’ coach Jay Day ws glued to the game, knowing that he needed to be home 10 minutes prior. The tension felt just like that of our championship game last year. Thinking back it was odd that none of us had any desire to walk out to the mound and talk with Aaron. We had total confidence in his ability to pull himself together, even though he had walked two to load the bases. Even Aaron knew that he was able to bring it all under control...

FINAL BATTER - With Jorgen in the batters box, Aaron pitched from the stretch straight to Adam’s glove for “Strike one!” ... “Yes!” Was heard to escape from my lips as I paced back and forth outside our dugout while spitting on seeds. Aaron rocked back and fired with the Jorgen taking a huge swing while the ump yelled “Strike two!” Yesss!!!” was heard more loudly from my lips as I looked back to Drew and Jeremy. The hush come over the Dodger crowd as the realization of what was happening on the fieldbefore us. This is every young man’s dream.... The bottom half of the last inning with two outs and the bases loaded. There were no balls and two strikes when Aaron rocked back and fired his mighty fastball straight down the plate letters high. This was a home run ball that appeared as big as a watermelon, yet it was about 5” higher than Jorgen’s swinging bat. With the most powerful of swings the ball went straight into Adam’s awaiting glove with a large puff of dust flying into the air while the ump yelled, “Strike THREE!!!... That’s the ballgame!” The Dodgers then went crazy knowing that they held their foes for a dramatic 7 to 5 win. What an incredible rush... I felt pure joy for our team. The outfielders ran towards our huddle of players and coaches near our dugout jumping with enthusiasm... Ahhh what a joy. What a relief. What a victory! This was a team win in every fashion. Sure Aaron deserved the game ball, but we needed 10 balls as every one of our players contributed to this triumphant team victory. As a coach and a father, I couldn’t be prouder of our team, my son, and our players.