Senior Baseball
Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 7:16 pm
I've played in a few slo-pitch softball leagues over the years, but other than coaching my son's Little League team, I haven't been around baseball since I was about 17. So I joined a 38+ baseball league this year, and we had our first game last night. Like I said, I haven't faced a pitcher throwing a baseball toward me from a mound for more than a quarter century, so I was a little nervous as I stepped into the box for my first at-bat. The pitcher looked a little like Jeff Weaver - long blonde hair in a ponytail (and judging from Weaver's record this year, the two have similar stuff).
Dude started me off with a low "fastball" for ball one. I went up to the plate intending to take a strike, which came on the second pitch, a slider or tailing fastball on the outside corner. So now I'm ready to hack away. Next pitch was a knee-high fastball down the middle. I laced a liner over the pitcher's head for a solid single, which the centerfielder muffed, allowing me to speed into second. I scored on a single to left-center by the next batter, which put us up 2-1. However, in the fourth inning, the other team batted around at least once (seems to me at least 20 men came to the plate), and we were down by double digits, essentially putting the game out of reach. I only made one other plate appearance, and drew a walk without taking the bat off my shoulder, tempted though I was to swing at a fat 3-0 pitch. Took second on a passed ball, third on a ground out, and scored on a wild pitch. Unfortunately, the two runs I scored accounted for half our team's output. Defensively, I made a decent, though somewhat routine, running catch in the outfield to mercifully end their big inning. Even though we got our asses handed to us, I felt pretty good about my performance, outplaying most of my (younger) teammates who play on a regular basis. I'm feeling it today, though, especially in my left glute, which I think I strained scoring the second run. Next game is tomorrow night. Imma swing for downtown.
Dude started me off with a low "fastball" for ball one. I went up to the plate intending to take a strike, which came on the second pitch, a slider or tailing fastball on the outside corner. So now I'm ready to hack away. Next pitch was a knee-high fastball down the middle. I laced a liner over the pitcher's head for a solid single, which the centerfielder muffed, allowing me to speed into second. I scored on a single to left-center by the next batter, which put us up 2-1. However, in the fourth inning, the other team batted around at least once (seems to me at least 20 men came to the plate), and we were down by double digits, essentially putting the game out of reach. I only made one other plate appearance, and drew a walk without taking the bat off my shoulder, tempted though I was to swing at a fat 3-0 pitch. Took second on a passed ball, third on a ground out, and scored on a wild pitch. Unfortunately, the two runs I scored accounted for half our team's output. Defensively, I made a decent, though somewhat routine, running catch in the outfield to mercifully end their big inning. Even though we got our asses handed to us, I felt pretty good about my performance, outplaying most of my (younger) teammates who play on a regular basis. I'm feeling it today, though, especially in my left glute, which I think I strained scoring the second run. Next game is tomorrow night. Imma swing for downtown.