Game 6 of the NLCS was currently in the bottom of the 9th inning, with only 2 outs remaining. The game was being played at LoanDepot arena in Miami and the scores were tied at 5 a piece.
If Philadelphia could secure another 2 outs, they would send the game into extra innings, giving them another chance to fight for a much needed win.
On the other hand, if Miami scored, they would secure their berth in the World Series in a weeks time. Therefore it was crucial for both teams to take advantage of this moment.
Ryan was seated on the Miami bench, his eyes locked onto the field. Unlike Ken, Ryan was just a pitcher, meaning he could only sit back and watch as his team fought to win the game without him.
He had pitched a few days before, therefore he was unable to pitch in this game.
Unfortunately, in situations like this he was completely helpless.
‘Come on… Just 1 run and we move on.’ Ryan said in his heart, clenching his fists tightly.
“Batting 6th for our Blue Marlins, Charlieeee Leblanc!”
The announcers voice echoed over the stadium, bringing with it a roar in response. The packed crowd seemed to understand just what sort of predicament their team was in, therefore they cheered with all their might.
The sound was almost deafening as Charlie stepped into the batters box.
The 25 year old seemed composed, despite the situation. He went through a brief ritual before turning to the right handed closing pitcher Anthony Dominguez, his eyes narrowing in concentration.
‘Don’t be passive… This guy throws fast and his sinker breaks late.’ Ryan thought, his teeth clenched.
Of course they had spoken about this extensively in their film sessions, so he hoped that Charlie still remembered. All he could do was watch on nervously.
Anthony began his wind up, sending a long stride forward before throwing a heater down the lane. The fastball rode high into the zone, topping out at 98mph.
WHOOOOOOSH
PAH
“Strike.”
The bat flew under the ball by a significant margin, hitting nothing but air. It seemed that Charlie was expecting a sinker, but fell victim to the high rising fastball at the top of the strike zone.
Ryan clicked his tongue, feeling the weight of his own helplessness.
Even though it was only a single strike, he knew how dangerous Anthony was after getting ahead in the count.
Sure enough, the next pitch was a slider, breaking late and away from Charlie, the right handed batter. However, the ball was let past, slamming into the catchers glove.
PAH
“Ball.”
A cheer came out from the crowd, appreciating the leave by Charlie. It was one of those pitches that seemed completely hittable as it left the pitchers fingertips, but once it got close, it broke too far to catch.
“Count is 1-1.” The umpire called out.
The next pitch came, this time a two-seam sinker.
WHOOOOSH
PAH
“Strike two!”
The ball had ridiculous movement, dropping late just before it reached the plate. It almost felt as if the gravity increased just as it got close.
‘It’s over…’
Ryan was in the middle of despair as he watched on. They had been told time and time again not to allow Sanchez to be up in the count, otherwise things would not end well.
‘He hasn’t even thrown his changeup yet…’ Ryan complained.
With Charlie out there now as the 6th batter, he was essentially their last big chance at scoring a run this inning. Once Fortes, the catcher came to the plate, the batting lineup got considerably worse.
Right now was the best chance to score a run, yet Charlie had gotten himself into this predicament. Part of Ryan just wanted to return to the locker room, watching the game like this was almost torture.
“Come on Charlie! You got this.”
“Let’s go Charlie boy!”
Ryan’s teammates in the dugout began to cheer out, showing their colleague some support. It quickly turned into a shouting match as mostly everyone called out his name, even some of the coaching staff.
The scene caused Ryan to pause briefly, allowing for a moment of reflection.
‘When was the last time I saw my team cheer for me like this?’ he thought, reminiscing.
It had been a long time, so long that he struggled to remember.
‘Was it High School? The National Team?’
He wasn’t sure.
Suddenly a bad taste assaulted his mouth. He shook it off, not wanting to think about such things at this moment. All he cared about was winning the National League Championship Series and advancing to the World Series against the Detroit Ligers.
Everything he had been working towards ever since the World Cup loss back then was coming together. Ryan felt like he had finally broken out of his shell and become a great player, but there was something missing.
Revenge? Retribution?
No, this was more than that, or at least that’s what it felt like.
He wanted to prove that he was the better pitcher, the better baseball player. He wanted to prove that he had made the right choice to leave his father and take his own path.
But did he want to prove that to himself? Or convince Ken?
Ryan shook his head, feeling conflicting emotions.
‘I only need to prove it to myself…’ he said in his heart, ‘As long as I beat Ken… I will know that I am the better pitcher.’
As his thoughts bounced around in his mind, he was suddenly broken out of his trance. The whole arena erupted, followed by flashing lights and music playing.
Ryan blinked a few times before realizing what had happened.
The entire dugout rushed up the stairs and onto the field, running towards home plate.
‘We won!?’
Ryan’s features lit up and he subconsciously got to his feet before staring towards the night sky. His heart felt heavy, but a small smile graced his lips.
‘Finally… Let’s see who is truly the best pitcher, Ken.’