First of all, our sitter was almost 25-minutes late, which made us late in arriving to the game. Boo!
By the time we got there, MBLL was trailing 0-2.
However, we arrived in time to see Jack's first at-bat in which he SCHWACKED it into right-center (i.e., where they weren't)...an RBI single.
His next at-bat was a towering smack into center field -- probably his farthest hit of the year. Alas, it was directly into the center fielder's glove. Drat. Aki (a MLB pitcher as I've mentioned before) smiled at us and said the longest sentence he's uttered in my presence, in response to my sign-languaged "my family is full of 6-foot-tall men and then there's Jack the little one" with: "He makes good contact. Good hitter."
His first two at-bats were against a pretty imposing pitcher (speed up to 78 mph). This pitcher was ejected for tossing his bat after he struck out in the bottom of the inning. The replacement pitcher was just as effective.
Jack played third base the entire game. No errors and a near tag of a stealer that the runner just beat. He made a very solid play of a hard line drive, fielding a wicked hop and throwing the runner out at first. The crowd (er, Jack's Fan Club) went wild.
Above is the JFC (sans me).
Besides, hitting and fielding, our crablet also 3rd-base coached for much of several innings.
Meanwhile, our pitcher wearied and our reliever took over bases-loaded. A towering fly ball to center field (where Jack would normally have been playing) was right to Jack's capable teammate who lost it in the white-dusk sky. It hit right into his glove and bounced into his mouth. OUCH. To the Naval Crab's horror, the CQ was standing, hollering, "It's at your feet. Throw it in!" while the player held his mouth and stood there. By the time the ball got in, three runs had scored. There was some flailing and flat-footed play thereafter. Bummer, but that's baseball.
Jack's third at-bat, ending a mini-threat by MBLL in the fifth inning was a strike-out (swinging). Double-drat!
The top of the sixth (last inning), trailing 3-8, Mission Bay rallied. (Jamie's rally cap worked!)
Lead-off bunt. A fake-bunt. A well-placed hit and run. The boys scored 4 runs. A strike-out and a fielder's choice, if memory serves, were the only bumps. Bringing Whack-a-Mole Jack to the plate with 2-outs and the tying run in scoring position.
But his last at-bat was an infield hit that just didn't have the legs to make it past the shortstop. Unfortunately, that was the final at-bat of the entire team's season.
The season ended with a 7-8 loss to Peninsula LL All-Stars. Bummer.
However, as the tournament host noted, "Mission Bay is a classy team." We enjoyed the experience, the boys were a cohesive unit, and the coaches were awesome. Best of all, of course, Jack got a chance to perform in front of Dad and grandparents and even all the siblings.
Give it to J-crab, Sr. The boy was composure and poise. No tears, no surliness, no negative-talk. He was truly just happy to have been there. After the game, he admitted that he wasn't as confident at the last at-bat as he "usually would be." This from a kid that's never been considered for selection as an "All-Star" until he was in the Major Division this spring.
He also told us that he didn't hear us cheering wildly for him in the field. This from someone with "ADHD"?! "Mom, I was too locked in on the game."
This photo was taken awaiting Pa Crab's fetching of post-game Rubio's. "Time to relax and enjoy my summer now."
And, as Ben said, Jack got so much more than playing time from this experience. Watching him find a place of value, a spot from which to contribute within a group is more than we thought we'd witness. Let alone in a competitive sport scenario. Yay!
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Here's a shout-out to some folks who made this possible:
Patty Kiki, who drove Jack to too many practices & games to count over the years and probably loaned us a cup on occasion (though we'll never admit it).
Patty Dana, who drafted Jack and Tim their first year playing and generally demanded MBLL participation from the boys' mother. :-)
APC, who decreed that I let Jack play in the Majors instead of holding him back in Minors in order to have J-crabs on the same team. "Your convenience isn't how you make decisions for Jack."
GMK, who schlepped him to practices and attended almost every game. (Then again, given the Castle, maybe the games weren't such a sacrifice).
Coach Taylor, who drafted Jack this year and really built up not just his skills but taught him that attitude can overwhelm aptitude. (And, I suspect, ensured that Jack was given a spot on the All-Stars).
J-crab, Jr., whose love of baseball is infectious and endurance/enthusiasm for skills practice is exceptional.
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