[✔️] In My League ~ Jonah Marais

Chapter 8: First Pitch

March 28, 2019

Today is the day. Our first day of MLB, 2019.

I woke up with a smile already on my face. I quickly threw on my new jersey and slid downstairs on the railing.

"Someone's really happy," Daniel smirked from the kitchen island, intently watching me as he plated the eggs. I walked around the counter and hugged my best friend from the side, giving him a little peck on the cheek. He blushed. "Really happy," he mumbled to himself.

In less than ten minutes, I ran over to Alex's house. Corbyn left the door open, and I could smell the coffee from the driveway. He handed me a cup when I walked in the door, and said, "You're very prompt."

"Alex is still asleep?"

"She is." Corbyn shook his head. "I don't understand her sometimes."

"I can," I said as I started to climb the stairs to Alex's bedroom. "Baseball is tiring!"

I knocked on Alex's door; her only response was a groan. I pushed through the door and shook her to make sure she was awake.

"Jo, knock it off," she whined, pulling the pillow over her head. "I'm tryna sleeeeeeeeep."

"But today is our first game!" I saw her jersey and pants folded neatly on her desk chair, so I picked them up and threw the pile at her face. "Hurry up, get dressed!"

"Fine," she said with a groggy voice, finally sitting upright. "But you're gonna regret it."

At last, she stumbled downstairs and inhaled the breakfast Corbyn made for her. I gave her exactly two minutes to brush her teeth; we grabbed our skateboards and Alex gave Corbyn a kiss on the cheek before we left her house. We arrived at the stadium right on time, and practice beforehand went well.

As game time approached, anyone could sense how tense we all were. Every single one of us was alert and jumpy, not relaxed like usual. Coach ran into the locker room and said with a smile, "Alright boys, this is it."

"Okay, no matter what happens, we are still amazing players and we will make it to the World Series and we will be the most legendary team ever," I spoke, trying very hard to be motivational. Alex grinned, gaining that boost of confidence. "And remember, Alex is a boy."

"Wise words, Marais," Coach applauded. "Alright, on three."

We piled our hands in a circle. "ONE TWO THREE DODGERS!"

"Let's get 'em!"

The game started off to our advantage. The team we were playing, the Cleveland Indians, were two points behind us in the first half. As that half started to end, they tied with us. During the second half, they were getting ahead of us, only to have us catch up quickly. The last eight minutes of the game were stressful.

Cleveland was ahead of us. We needed to get them out as soon as possible if we were to win. The first pitch was caught at second base. The next pitch was hit pretty far, but it counted. I watched the pitch after that. If anyone caught it and threw it to second base, we'd have enough to be safe until the last few minutes.

The Cleveland player hit the ball very high in the air. I calculated that Alex could hypothetically catch it. I saw her run for it, and just as she jumped up to grab it, I don't know what happened. She had it, and then she didn't. Every Dodger groaned. Every Dodger fan in the stadium made sounds of disappointment. That was our best shot at winning.

I ran over and helped Alex up. I called a huddle in to review the only other option to win. The guys whispered, "I knew it was a bad idea to have a girl on the team." Alex rolled her eyes.

"Okay, that's enough of that," I interrupted. "We need a home run. It's our only shot."

"I'll do it," Alex spoke up. The guys all shook their heads. "Hey, I'm the one who dropped the ball, now I'm making up for it."

"And she's our best shot," Coach added. "Let her do it."

Alex stood at home plate, bat in hand, completely concentrated on the pitcher a few yards away (cause the other team pitches, I think). She took a deep breath in as the ball flew towards her. With a perfect swing of her arms, she sent the ball flying through the air.

cliffhanger yah yeet. also don't @ me cause i know NOTHING about baseball. if i screwed up the rules and stuff, don't tell me cause I. DONT. CARE. love ya💖