Sometimes life presents us with great opportunities that were not necessarily earned. However, you can still grab hold of that good fortune, make the most of it, and prove to everyone that in the end the opportunity was deserved.
We were on our way home from my son's baseball game when I received a message from the Babe Ruth organization asking for a couple players to fill out the Sacramento 13U All-Star roster. I turned to my son in the back seat and asked, "Hey, you want to be an All-Star?" He shrugged and said, “Sure.”I answered the e-mail and within minutes he was on the team. I told him as a late addition he might ride the pine, and to be prepared for that. Just get a few at-bats and have some fun, I added.
The one and only practice was an hour-long affair at Natomas High School where the coach, Barry Worthington, tried to get a feel for each kid’s talents. Barry was the coach of the Natomas High School team, and had never seen any of these young Babe Ruth kids before. When he asked who pitched, only a few kids raised their hands. There were a few standouts during the short practice, but overall I thought Spencer could play with these kids. By the end of the session I had a feeling he would get the opportunity to contribute.
In the first game we faced a Woodland team that had probably been practicing together for weeks, if not longer, and it showed. They executed their infield practice before the game with precision and proficiency. It was impressive. I figured we might be in trouble.
Woodland pounded Sacramento to the tune of 16-4. Spencer threw well in relief, and was the only pitcher to slow the onslaught, but the third baseman and catcher combined for five or six errors and countless passed balls while he was on the hill.
In game two the next day against Elk Grove National, I was surprised to see Spencer walk out to start the game. He was definitely getting his chance to contribute.
There was a new catcher for this game and he was awesome. The little guy was a wall behind the dish, threw out a couple runners and called a great game. A different kid also manned third base, and he made a big difference. Spencer threw four shutout innings and Sacramento won 10-0.
Game three was against Elk Grove American. The good pitchers were either not available due to pitching rules (like Spencer) or tired. Fortunately both teams seemed to be in the same boat. Spencer played the outfield and reached base four times, driving in a couple runs. The somewhat ugly 16-15 victory elevated us out of the loser’s bracket.
In game four, as winners of the loser's bracket, we advanced to play the team that put us there: Woodland. They were good, no doubt, but I thought Spencer could beat them if given the chance. Because of his earlier performances, he was indeed given that chance.
Spencer took the mound coming off his great outing in game two looking poised and confident. He put up three zeros in the first three innings even though he was having trouble finding the very small strike zone. He mixed speeds and locations well, a credit to his fine catcher. Together the duo kept Woodland off balance most of the night.
At the plate, Spencer had an RBI single in the second and a bases clearing double in the fourth. He entered the fifth inning with a healthy 7-1 lead.
Woodland started finding their bats in the fifth and sixth, but Spencer did a great job of limiting the damage. He really battled and made good pitches when he absolutely had to.
Sacramento entered the seventh inning with a 7-4 lead with Spencer still on the mound, but he was running out of pitches. After a first pitch popup yielded a quick out, I thought maybe he had a chance to close it out.
The next hitter rifled a grounder past the mound that Spencer just missed getting a glove on. No big deal; he had been getting ground balls all night. One more and we win.
The third hitter chopped a ball to third with the runner moving. The third baseman should have thrown to first for the sure out, but instead threw late to second. Still, the mood in the stands was good. He had escaped a few of these jams tonight.
The next batter hit a perfect double-play grounder to short that should have ended it. The second baseman was at the bag waiting for the feed, but instead of getting the easy out 10 feet away, the shortstop inexplicably airmailed his throw over the first baseman’s head. My heart sank.
With the bases loaded and one out, and having thrown 96 pitches, the manager made the slow walk to the mound to remove Spencer. Spectators from both sides gave him an ovation.
Were it not for the pitch count rules, I would have left him in for one more batter. He still had bullets left, and he was getting ground balls all night. I really believe he would have wiggled out of it.
The next pitcher gave up hit after hit after hit. Woodland scored seven runs in the 7th and we lost 11-7. Spencer ended up with a no decision after battling his ass off for 6.1 innings.
After the game the home plate umpire sought him out and shook his hand. Three parents from the opposing team also came over and shook his hand. It was very inspiring to witness. One father approached me and said, “Nobody has ever shut us down like that. NOBODY.” He gave me a fist bump and walked away.
I later learned that this Woodland club was actually a travel team. They had played together for years, which made the performance of the Sacramento team with a single short practice all the more impressive.
After the awards ceremony, the coach asked Spencer if he was going to play high school ball. Spencer said yes, he was hoping to make the team. The coach laughed and said, "Make it? You are going to be their ace!"
It was a rough way to end the run, but overall a great adventure. I thought it was valuable experience for Spencer to stand atop the big stage and perform well. He will go into his summer travel ball tournaments with a lot of momentum and confidence, I'm sure.
Sometimes random opportunities are actually deserved, and help to earn your next shot.
