Married To Baseball

Oops, I Did It Again.

Jailyn~

Yanking on the ends of my laces, I glance towards Maddy as she's laughing along with Natasha. Given Maddy's pretty sudden departure in the grand scheme of things, she's been incredible at trying to help Nat be ready to try and fill her shoes come tomorrow. The vibe is bittersweet now that everyone knows today is her last day. While everyone is incredibly excited for her, she's leaving quite the hole in our lineup.

Looking back at my cleats, the gold plating reflecting back, reminds me of every incredible moment we've shared over the last five years. From gold medals to sleepovers, there's going to be a missing piece from now on as we complete the season without her. Nodding to myself, I do my best not to linger on it as I look back at Maddy and exchange a quick smile with her. 

"Hey, Jai Bear," Maddy calls over, "Can you have a two-dinger game today?"

Scoffing, I laugh, "I'll see what I can do." 

"Good," She jokes, "Gotta have a couple of good ones to send me off."

"Would it be bold of me to promise one for sure?" I ask, joking along with her. 

Maddy laughs, shaking her head, "I mean, if you weren't Jailyn James-Yelich, yes, but you're you, so no." 

"That's fair," I give her, laughing to myself as I stand up again. "I'll do something fun for you if I get two, though." 

Maddy gives me a look for a moment, seemingly unsure of what I could mean by that, before accepting it and moving on. She's got a lot of attention on her today. I'm sure whatever I may or may not end up doing is the least of her worries. 

All of the girls do a bit of their own thing, prepping for the game and getting field ready most of us clamoring all over Maddy, sad to be saying goodbye. The fact this is the last game where The Core Four will be in action, probably ever again, is insane. It's as big of a deal as everyone is making it. Everyone knows we've been the glue of this team since it whittled down from the powerhouse of names it was in 2020 and 2021. There's never been a lack of talent, but there's also never been another Monica Abbott or Cat Osterman. 

Hitting the field, Maddy and I jog out to our positions together. Sharing a smile, we silently start throwing back and forth, warming up one last time before the first pitch. Neither of us has anything more to say about everything; we know we'll see each other the next time I'm in LA. She knows how much I love her and how much I'll miss her grinding it out with me in the outfield. Tossing the ball up into the stands, we got locked in, ready to take on the Cleveland Comets one last time with our very own Maddy Sanchez. 

"What the hell?" Maddy asks as I come back into the dugout after my second home run in as many at-bats. "I thought you had something special planned after the second homer?" 

"Shit," I laugh, completely forgetting that I had mentioned that, "I got you after the next one." 

"No chance you hit a third," She calls back, laughing as I finish going down the line high fiving the rest of the girls. 

Scoffing, I shake my head, "Now you've done it. I'm on a roll and the second something is hittable, it's gone." 

"Whatever you say, Yelich," She teases, winking at me over the use of my husband's last name. "I'm just glad you're still going to be the headline today. I gotta admit, I don't like the extra attention." 

"Eh," I reply, "You get used to it." 

"Well, I'm glad that's your job," Maddy laughs as I join her again at the fence. 

"Me too," Carly says, slinging her arm over Maddy's shoulder as she joins us back at the fence. "Way to get a three-homer promise, Mads." 

"Hey, she's gotta show the ego sometimes," Maddy jokes, kicking at my cleats as we all laugh, "Let's see if she can put her money where her mouth is."