Baseball is a game of simple joys. It can be grandiose at times and I love those moments as well. But, especially when it comes to attending a live game I have found that it is the little moments that really make for the true baseball-watching experience. Sitting down with a brat and explaining to your eight-year-old daughter the concept of the force out. Standing in the concourse and watching the action while a cool summer breeze rolls through the stadium. Watching kids try to catch a t-shirt thrown into the crowd. Seeing a pitcher hit 96 miles per hour for the first time in his career, and so on and so forth.
All those little joys add up to the big joy of watching a baseball game. However, when the game can end on a simple play that brings forth plenty of excitement, that may be the biggest joy to be found. In this particular case, it was a wild pitch that got away from the catcher allowing a runner to scamper home and just beat the throw from the catcher to end the game. It doesn’t get much simpler than a pitcher throwing a ball in the first, the catcher getting up to run after the ball, and the entire stadium getting on their feet as they realize the runner is breaking for home to try and win the game.
So simple and yet so much fun, so much joy to be had. Getting to share these moments with my youngest makes the moments even more joyous. As I watched her round the bases following the after-game fireworks, I realized that baseball had yet again taken a simple path to provide the most pleasurable experience possible. That’s baseball in a nutshell and why I always return to the game’s warm embrace time and time again.
Lead photo courtesy of Unknown – Fish Stripes
