Jonah’s AA baseball game yesterday was not exactly one for the record books. The spring-action pitching gizmo kept moving around so the coaches (who operate it) had to do lots of practice pitches to calibrate it before anyone could bat. (They said afterward that they’re going to buy some pegs for subsequent games to try to keep the thing in place.)
Not that it mattered much. Not a lot of hitting going on. Jonah struck out in his one at bat—disappointing since he’s one of the better hitters in practice—but he was swinging at everything and only one of the pitches actually looked hittable from my vantage point down the first base line.
The fielding was about what you’d expect from kids who’d never played before. By and large it was best observed through the lens of comedy, otherwise it would have been two unbearable hours. Hits were so seldom that when they happened the team frequently had no idea what to do, and stood still as the batter ran to first. The highlight was our third baseman fielding a grounder that rolled dead at her feet and, at her coach’s urging, running to third base for a force out. Admittedly, this was only successful because the opposing team’s runner on second forgot to run, but the out was roundly cheered as the highlight of the team’s performance, and I am not one to rain on that parade.
Other good news: Jonah and the rest of the kids looked great in their uniforms. They conducted a successful and spirited cheer for their batters (“Here we go, Sea Dogs! Here we go!”) in the fourth inning, though it was eventually abandoned due to tediousness. Everyone seemed well pleased by the after game Gatorade and cookies.
Next game on Wednesday.