Chris Kershaw's Autograph

Lights blaring into my eyes, the crack of the bat, the shouting of the overly-devoted parents, the salty aroma arising off of the freshly roasted peanuts, all came together to create the overwhelming presence of a little league baseball game. This was a place where I spent most of my time on week day afternoons, in the spring, watching my brother succeed at America’s pastime. He was really quite good at this sport called baseball; he had just been granted the position of starting pitcher for the team. Sometimes things that have occurred in my life, and stuff I have received, that I may not have necessarily deserve, can be taken for granted. However, after what was about to take place my eyes are given a new perspective.

The game was headed to the bottom of the ninth and the Marlins were looking for a come back. Johnny Field lead off the Marlins with a huge double to put the tying run into scoring position. The Braves were able to retire the next two Marlins up to bat. It was then Scotty Stanton who was up to the plate. In Stanton’s last plate appearance, he flew out to the center fielder just in front of the four hundred and seven foot center field wall. While walking up to the plate, Stanton thought to himself, “Get yourself a pitch that you can drive, make sure you get this tying run in.” Stanton stepped into the box and took the first pitch for a strike on the outside corner. The second pitch he saw was a curveball that seemed to be high, but the umpire called a questionable strike on Stanton. He knew that he had to battle and foul off some tough pitches. The next two pitches were off-speed and low, Stanton knew that the pitcher was trying to get him to chase a bad pitch. The Marlins fans were on their feet, cheering as loud as they could, rooting for Stanton to get in that tying run on second. The pitcher was set, Stanton’s focus was completely on the ball. The pitcher delivered a high and in fastball and Stanton did not miss it. Stanton gave the ball a ride to deep left field, the crowd jumped as soon as the ball left his bat knowing that it had the chance to get out. The left fielder ran all the way to the

Autobiographical review: Starting and Closing John Smoltz, a Cy Young Award winner and World Series title holder writes the book starting and closing describing the struggles, “career ending” injuries and hard work that it took over his 14 years in the Major leagues to earn the title of being one of

The most recent edition to the Brooklyn Dodgers, a young farm boy from Connecticut named Roy Tucker (The Kid), becomes a phenom in the League with his brilliant pitching. But a freak accident ends his pitching career, forcing Tucker to find a new place on the team. John Tunis’s work resembles the story of current Major League outfielder Rick Ankiel. Ankiel is a star pitcher-turned outfielder, same as The Kid was. Although Ankiel’s heart-warming comeback story took many years longer, the similarities are still there. Both had to face the hard fact that they just were not going to pitch in the Majors ever again. Ankiel and Roy Tucker also had to have incredible perseverance and self-confidence to reach the Majors again, as outfielders. Tunis

Then Casey went back and made one scornful look and the audience was quiet again. Then his face grew cold and his so called “muscles” were straining. The whole population of the stadium knew that Casey would not let that ball pass by again. Casey was no longer sneering, he had his teeth clenched in absolute hate. He wanted the pitcher dead, or for him to get a home run and save his team. He signaled one last time to the pitcher and the pitcher threw the ball. The air was still until he hit the air was shattered by his blow. Casey had missed the

The first pitch came in. ¨Ball outside,’’ the umpire said as I stepped out of the box to take a breather. The second pitch came in as a Strike as I tried to get a hack at it but it broke across the plate. I stepped out of the box to regain my composure. Bases loaded 1 out. The third pitch came in and was a fastball that was traveling across the plate at 72 miles per hour, but I got my bat on it at the right time and the ball was in the outfield in a matter of seconds. The ball rolled passed the outfielder as I ran the bases as fast as I could. The outfielder struggled to get the ball in and threw to the cutoff man. By the time he got it in I was already at third for a straight up triple to score three runs to tie it up . “ Timeout,” I called as I took off my helmet and got ready to pitch.Jose took my place to pinch run for me as I needed to start warming up to pitch.

Competing for the spot. This kid named mike plays center field for the rangers, his high school baseball team. He is the captain of his team and his teammates and coach expect a lot from him. Their first day of training there was a foreign exchange student that plays the

One day, I was walking to the New Jersey middle school with my best friend Alex Collins. We were super excited for baseball to start. It was coming up in a couple of days. “I can't wait for tryouts Alex” I said. “Yea, but I hope John Gordon doesn't tryout. He is so annoying.” When they got to school they saw the poster for baseball tryouts.

The first pitch that the coach threw to me seared the hair right off my head since it was going so fast. “Strike one!” called the ump. Alright, I needed to believe in my abilities. The next pitched was hurled right in line with my face! When I opened my eyes, I saw that the baseball was a perfect pitch and the catcher hadn’t moved his glove. The coach was making a fool out of me with his famous curve ball. “Strike two!” the umpire proclaimed. The next pitch was the one that I would make my mark on. The pitcher wound up and thrust the ball toward the catcher’s glove. I loaded and fiercely swung as hard as I could. After what seemed like forever, I looked into the catcher’s glove, and there was the ball. I felt dreadful. “Strike three!” I heard in the background. As I walked back to the dugout, I wondered what did I do wrong, what could I have changed, and what does the coach think of

Brooks Gosswein is on top of first base, eyes squinted and staring at the conference on the pitcher’s mound. The sun above the third base dugout blinds him, as he peers through the dirt, sweat and eye black caked on his face, fresh off a single up the middle. As the umpire walks to the mound, ensuring the mound visit is all but over, Brooks peers at the scoreboard: two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning with Waterdown High up by one. Brooks returns his focused gaze to find the pitcher is now matching his, as he pats his glove twice and toes in the rubber. He briefly pauses, before taking his usual five and a half foot lead, his eyes become intense, affixing on the pitcher’s body, as his fingers bend the leather of his batting gloves into a

My teammate runs over from first base to second, as I hear my name called out. I get out of the dugout, as I walk out my coach urgently talks to me. He yells at me: “Just focus. Focus only on the ball.” My heart beating, crowd watching, and my bat up high, I see the pitcher starting to take off. “My only option”, I say to myself. I see the ball coming right toward the middle. I take a swing, the ball tips my bat, as I stood there like it was about to end. I take one of my biggest decisions in my life, as the pitcher makes a fastball up high. All of the sudden, the fear goes away. I have confidence. All I hear is the sound that the bat makes when it hits the ball. The moment I open my eyes, I see the ball going high up into right field. The ball hits the ground, as my vision gets blurred by my tears.

Over the summer Ben's team played in a baseball tournament, his team was not very good and were losing most of their games in this tournament, and this particular one too. With runners on first and second ben went into into the game as a relief pitcher. On the first pitch the batter hit the ball into right field and the right fielder, Cameron Manning. Cameron fired the ball to second base where the shortstop tagged the runner that came from first out. Everyone was cheering when Trevor, the shortstop, and JJ, the catcher,

Friendship: the emotions or conduct of friends, the state of being friends. In the novel The Chosen by Chaim Potok neither Danny Saunders, and Reuven Malther lives would have been the same without each other. One afternoon two alike rival baseball teams play an unforgettable baseball game, Danny Saunders stated to

My stomach ached as if I hadn’t eaten in days. I was a hundred-percent positive I was more nervous than my brother was. I walked toward the entrance of the vast facility, hoping I didn’t look as nervous as I felt. By the expressions on my mom’s face, I could

The First Home Run The game started out great the boy led off and got a single. He got on and stole second the ball got past and he stole third. The boy was on third and the Ruffnecks got three out. The boy was standing in left field all hyped